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State School Payments
The August State School Funding Payments for FY 2023 are posted at the following link: State School Payments
The August 26, 2022 payments include Direct State Aid, Quality Educator Component, At Risk Component, Indian Education for All, Student Achievement Gap, Data for Achievement, Special Education, Technology, and Transportation Prepayment.
If you have questions regarding payments, please contact Becky Belling (406) 444-2561
QuickStart Guides for NEW clerks and superintendents
The OPI has compiled information to assist new clerks, district superintendents and county superintendents in their new roles. Please see the documents located on the School Finance webpage.
County Transportation/Retirement Fund Mill Levy Calculation - FP10a due Sept 15th
The County Transportation/Retirement Fund Mill Levy Calculation is due to the Office of Public Instruction by September 15, 2022 for fiscal year beginning 2023. The FP10a is submitted on the OPI County application through the OPI Secure Portal.
FP10a instructions can be found on OPI’s website, County.
If you have questions regarding FP10a, please contact Becky Belling (406) 444-2561 or email OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov
TFS and Budget due - September 15th
A completed, printed, and signed copy of the FY2022 is due to the county superintendent by September 15th. FY2023 Budget reports are due to the county superintendent within three days after the budget adoption meeting per 20-9-131, MCA. School districts must then submit both reports electronically to the Office of Public Instruction no later than September 15.
For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at 406-444-1960 or email OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov.
ESSA Reporting - Fiscal Year 2022 ESSA Per Pupil Data and Validations
The Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires school-based expenditure reporting. This guidance is designed to help districts comply with statewide uniformity to fulfill the federal requirements created in 34 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) § 200.35. District compliance is essential for Federal compliance. The federal law requires all districts report expenditures by SC, regardless of enrollment, number of school buildings, or location.
The OPI has limited authority to make changes in district’s financial records after the Trustees’ Financial Summary (TFS) report has been approved by the Board of Trustees and County Superintendent of Schools. All expenditures, including mandatory ESSA entries are the responsibility of the district. The allowable circumstances in which the OPI can make changes to the TFS are prescribed in ARM 10.10.504.
All Local Education Agencies (LEAs) report per-pupil expenditure data at the school or LEA level, including allocations of district wide expenditures to the school level. Expenditures are disaggregated by the source of (revenues) funds (state, local and federal). School level expenditure reporting is submitted to the OPI in MAEFAIRS, which publishes the information in the Montana Report Card as mandated by ESSA reporting requirements.
LEAs with only one designated SC are the only LEA’s that do not have to allocate expenditures by SC. If the LEA is designated as the Prime Agency for expenditures in the School Food Service Fund (12), Miscellaneous Programs Fund (15) and the Interlocal Agreement Fund (82) those expenditures will be reported separately in the TFS. The TFS data entry will allocate the expenditure to the appropriate entity or LEA.
Please contact your software vendor for guidance on setting up school codes in your accounting system. This is a very important step and the OPI is encouraging school districts to work with their software vendors. The following software vendors have provided their contact information:
Black Mountain Software
Please contact support@blackmountainsoftware.com or call the support line
at 1-800-353-8829.
C and C Accounting
Please contact David Bardwell at 877-318-0837 or help@candcschoolaccounting.com.
Tyler Technologies/ Infinite Visions
Enter a ticket online through the support portal at https://www.tylertech.com/client-support/Infinite-Visions-support# [tylertech.com] and you will be contacted by the support department, or call the support line at 888.654.3293.
School Elections
On July 27th, District Court Judge Michael Moses ruled that HB 506, prohibiting an election administrator from issuing a ballot to an elector not yet eligible to vote in an upcoming election, was unconstitutional. The remainder of the outstanding election issues from the 2021 legislature will be heard the week of August 16th and a ruling is expected shortly thereafter. If your district is running an election outside of the regular school election date, please check the OPI Elections Webpage for the most current information.
Questions: For information on School Elections, please email: Nicole Thuotte or OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov.
Extended Stop Arm Guidance-Final
The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has received multiple inquiries regarding school bus extended stop arms for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.
The existing stop arm requirements were impacted by the adoption of:
- HB 267 (codified in § 61-8-351, MCA) by the 2021 Legislature: and
- the 2022 Montana School Bus Standards by the Montana Board of Public Education.
To address frequently asked questions about the extended stop arm requirements, OPI has prepared Extended Stop Arm Guidance.
For questions regarding this guidance, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.
Bus Driver Certificate TR35
School bus drivers must hold a valid Montana School Bus Driver Certificate (TR35) for a district to be eligible to receive state reimbursement.
Qualifications for bus drivers are prescribed by 20-10-103, MCA, and by the Board of Public Education in ARM 10.64.201. The bus driver certificate forms are provided and must be maintained electronically in the Pupil Transportation System.
The chair of the board of trustees must sign the certificate which is issued to a driver who is authorized and qualified to drive a school bus pursuant to all applicable rules, regulations, and laws. The district must retain a current copy of each bus driver's certificate, provide a copy to the bus service contractor, if applicable, and files a copy with the county superintendent. The bus driver is required to always carry a current and valid hard copy of the certificate while driving a school bus.
If you have questions regarding Bus Driver Qualifications, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.
School Bus Drivers Assigned
School Bus Drivers that are inactive or no longer with a school district should be un-assigned from the school system to avoid tracking as invalid bus drivers in the Pupil Transportation System during FY2023.
For questions or assistance with un-assigning drivers, please contact Donell Rosenthal or call (406) 461-9316
Semester 1 School Bus Inspections
School buses must pass inspection prior to transporting students on routes.
A school bus that fails to pass inspection will not be eligible for state and county reimbursement until the bus is reinspected and approved by the MHP inspecting officer.
The school district is responsible for contacting the Montana Highway Patrol for bus inspections. Buses that are placed in operation after the school semester has begun must be inspected and approved by the Montana Highway Patrol before the bus is operated on the established route.
Inspection Forms can be accessed through the Pupil Transportation System and must be entered electronically upon completion of the inspections.
For questions or assistance with bus inspections, please contact Donell Rosenthal or call (406) 461-9316
October 4th – Fall Student count due
The official fall count day is Monday, October 3, 2022. You may import data once Aggregate Hours are entered in AIM (Infinite Campus). However, you will be required to reimport on or after October 4th and will not be able to submit until after that final import. District staff should verify the enrollment and absences in Infinite Campus prior to importing and submitting their student count data in MAEFAIRS. Student Count for ANB reports must be submitted to the MAEFAIRS system no later than October 21, 2022.
To access MAEFAIRS, CLICK HERE
Audit Letter for FY-2022
The annual letter to auditors has been released and can be found on the OPI website by clicking this Audit link. The letter provides general information for the fiscal year 2022 regarding issues affecting Montana school district audits and special items the OPI would like auditors to review for compliance with statute and administrative rule. If you have questions, please contact Dan Moody by email Dan.Moody@mt.gov or phone at 406-444-0701.
School Year 2022-23 Changes
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STRUCTURE CHANGES: School districts with changes to operating status, grade level configurations, school/district name, etc., for the 2022-23 school year should contact the OPI as soon as possible. Please send official notice of these change requests, on district letterhead, signed by the Authorized Representative, to the School Finance email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
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PERSONNEL CHANGES: Changes to board chair, clerk/business manager, superintendent, or principal must be changed in OPI Contacts. Instructions for how to make these changes are found here: Instructions. If you have question about how to complete the updates, please contact: CentralUpdates@mt.gov.
New Accounting Strings
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State Base Limit Increase Payment - please see spreadsheet and additional guidance on our website
Revenue Code 3780
Program Code 378
Accounted for in Fund 15
The third tier of funding to schools in association with Additional Financial Support described in the temporarily adjusted section 20-9-166, MCA.
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ARP – DPHHS-CDC Crisis Response Agreement - please see additional guidance on our website
Revenue Code 7360
Program Code 736
Accounted for in Fund 15QUICK
Supplemental funding through the ARP Act to the DPHHS to support the public health workforce.
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ARP – Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery - please see additional guidance on our website
Revenue Code 7400
Program Code 736
Accounted for in Fund 15
ARP Act funding issued through the U>S> Department of the Treasury for assistance for State, Local, and Tribal Governments
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ARP – DPHHS – CDC Crisis Response Agreement - please see additional guidance on our website
Addition of two accounting strings:
15-737-31XX-1XX
15-737-31XX-2XX
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Innovative Education - please see additional guidance on our website
Program Code 192
Revenue Code 1925
Opened accounting strings in Fund 15 for program code 192. This change is due to HB 279 (2021). HB 279 modified the laws for innovative Education Programs by changing the fund where revenues are to be received and the permissible expenditures. §15-30-3102, MCA.
If you have questions regarding accounting codes, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960.
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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