MISSOULA, Mont. – Today, we reached out to Scott Chook, president of the Missoula Education Association, who shared insights into the current education funding landscape in Montana.
Chook provided data showing that the Department of Education supports over 140,000 children across 800 K-12 schools in the state.
In terms of funding, $7 million is allocated for school safety and life skills programs. Another $6.5 million is dedicated to before and after school programs, such as clubs and sports.
Additionally, $83 million supports students in military families or on Native American reservations. Another $5 million is for students in rural communities, and $500,000 is allocated for English language learners.
Currently, it remains uncertain how this funding will be impacted or if the responsibility for providing these funds will shift to other departments.
