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Kalispell Public Schools, teachers union pause contract negotiations
Teachers will be paid according to a contract that was set to expire this week after the Kalispell Education Association and Kalispell Public Schools failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement following roughly five months of negotiations.
For the 2025-26 school year, the district proposed a 1.5% increase.
Factoring into negotiations is the school district’s anticipation of a $1.7 million budget shortfall going into the 2024-25 school year.
Both the association and district recognize the challenges that inflation and the cost of living, failed levies and an outdated state funding formula pose in reaching an agreement.
The district cut four elementary positions this year through attrition, which means the district didn’t fill positions after people retired or resigned. The district anticipates more reductions next year after a $700,000 high school general fund levy failed in the May school elections. A high school levy of any type hasn’t passed since 2007.
“We bargained to receive the average starting wage amongst AA schools and other K-12 districts in the Flathead Valley.”
Daily Inter Lake: Kalispell Public Schools, teachers union pause contract negotiations
Montana schools continue cutting positions
At the most recent Missoula County Public School board meeting, trustees decided to cut three tenured teacher positions and a member of the administration.
This is after the district cut 47 nontenured positions last month.
Earlier this week, Helena Public Schools announced budget reductions of about $2.5 million. It resulted in 38 positions being cut, including music and physical education teachers, as well as paraeducators and custodians.
Arts community voices concern over Missoula County Public Schools proposed budget cuts
One of the proposed position cuts is the MCPS Arts Education Director who oversees and coordinates all arts programs including visual, drama, and music for the District. The proposed cut has a former arts education director — and the arts community raising the alarm on how this cut could negatively impact fine arts in Missoula public schools.
In his letter to parents, Superintendent Micah Hill writes nothing is taken lightly when it comes to reductions.
But he adds, “There isn’t a single position that isn’t important to our students and school community. Yet, the committee was tasked with the impossible - to bring forward recommendations for staffing reductions and other budget cuts.
KPAX: Arts community voices concern over Missoula County Public Schools proposed budget cuts
Students, other supporters demonstrate against possible MCPS budget cuts
Missoula County Public Schools is facing millions of dollars in budget shortfalls due to declining enrollment, expired relief funding, and inflationary costs.
This has caused school administration to propose dozens of job cuts, and that's causing community concern.
Students and other supporters lined up in front of the MCPS District offices ahead of Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees meeting to demonstrate against the proposed budget cuts that include possibly 100 job cuts across the district which includes the Arts Education Director who oversees and coordinates all arts programs including visual, drama, and music for MCPS.
KPAX: Students, other supporters demonstrate against possible MCPS budget cuts
Susie Hedalen files to run for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Susie Hedalen has officially filed to run for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2024 election.
A release from Hedalen's campaign said Hedalen is running on a conservative platform and has received endorsements from Governor Greg Gianforte, Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the Montana Rural Education Association and other state and local officials and education advocates.
Right now, Hedalen serves as the Townsend School District Superintendent and the Montana Board of Public Education Vice-Chair, and formerly the deputy superintendent at the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
Montana Right Now: Susie Hedalen files to run for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
news.txt · Last modified: 2024/01/04 05:22 by lmuszkie