State School Payments
The August State School Funding Payments for FY 2024 are posted at the following link: State School Payments
The September 26, 2023 payments include: Direct State Aid, Quality Educator Component, At Risk Component, Indian Education for All, Student Achievement Gap, Data for Achievement and Special Education.
If you have questions regarding payments, please contact Laci Novark (406) 444-4401
FY2023 Monthly State School Payment reports are posted here.
FY2023 State School Payment summary reports are posted by County here.
State School Entitlements
The State School Funding Payments Entitlement for FY 2024 were posted at the following link: State School Payments>Entitlements
For more information, please contact Laci Novark, at (406) 444-4401. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
October 2, 2023– Fall Student Count Due
The official fall count day is Monday, October 2nd, 2023. You may import data once Aggregate Hours are entered in AIM (Infinite Campus). All data in AIM (Infinite Campus) must be certified before being imported to MAEFAIRS. District staff should verify the enrollment and absences in Infinite Campus prior to importing and submitting their student count data in MAEFAIRS. As a reminder, all data must be certified and accurately entered into MAEFAIRS on or before October 18, 2023. After this date no more changes or corrections will be made.
To access MAEFAIRS, CLICK HERE.
The MAEFAIRS web application is ready for Fall Student Count for ANB importing from AIM. The instructions may be found HERE.
For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
County Transportation/Retirement Fund Mill Levy Calculation - FP10a due Sept 15th
The FP 10a County Transportation/Retirement Fund Mill Levy Calculation is due to the Office of Public Instruction by September 15, 2023, for fiscal year 2024. The FP 10a is submitted on the OPI County application through the OPI Secure Portal.
All districts must be submitted in MAEFAIRS before the County Superintendent can submit the FP10a in the County application.
FP10a instructions can be found on OPI’s website, County.
For more information, please contact Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at 406-444-1964 or Barbara Quinn at 406-444-3249. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
County Mill Levy Calculation – FP9 due October 2, 2023
Please have all FP9 that have been sent to the county returned to Andrea Mohammadi at andrea.mohammadi@mt.gov on or before October 2, 2023. If you have any questions email or call Andrea Mohammadi at 406-444-1960.
ESSA Reporting - Fiscal Year 2023 ESSA Per Pupil Data
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. District compliance is essential for Federal compliance. The federal law requires all districts report expenditures by School Code, regardless of enrollment, number of school buildings, or location.
The OPI has limited authority to make changes in the 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 (revenues) of funds (state, local and federal). School level expenditure reporting is submitted to the OPI in MAEFAIRS and is published 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. 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.
For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at 406-444-1960, Laci Novark at 406-444-4401, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Compensation Expenditures Reporting
Compensation Expenditures reporting is a process set up to assist schools with their responsibilities to be transparent with the use of public funds in accordance with 20-7-104, MCA. This reporting collects and reports information pertaining to all salaries paid to employees in the district in a fiscal year. Compensation Expenditure reports must be submitted by December 10th for the previous fiscal year’s data. Districts will be required to complete the compensation expenditures in TEAMS to finalize the fiscal year 2023 process. You will need to log into TEAMS to complete, this will be located at the bottom of the System tab called “Compensation Expenditure TOE.”
If you do not have access to TEAMS or are having trouble logging in, please contact OPITEAMS@mt.gov.
MAEFAIRS is now available to report the FY2023 Compensation Expenditure Report. The Compensation Expenditure report is due to the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) by December 10th, 2023.
The FY2023 Compensation Expenditure Reporting Instructions have been updated and are available on the OPI Website now.
For questions regarding Compensation Expenditure Reporting within MAEFAIRS please contact: Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins, 406-444-1964, Laci Novark, 406-444-4401, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov
OPI Application Access Guides for NEW Clerks and Superintendents
The OPI has updated information for new:
To assist in getting set up with their new roles. Please see the documents located on the School Finance webpage. For more information, please contact Amanda Zigan at (406) 444-3096. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Required School Board Trustee Repository
An online portal is being opened for school districts to provide current information about their school board trustees as directed in HB 811. The required information collected will be available for public viewing October 1, 2023, on the front page of the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) website.
The purpose of the new repository is to enhance public awareness and involvement in school district governance.
The repository must include:
- A list of current trustees, including the terms the trustees are serving and (if applicable) the trustee’s district.
- Contact information for current trustees.
- A link to the website (if the board of trustees has one).
- Contact information for the school district clerk.
According to § 20-3-307, MCA, information is required to be updated within 14 days following the qualification and oathtaking of a newly elected trustee or for the filling of vacancy on the board.
The Trustees repository will be available to school clerks on September 15, 2023. The Trustees repository can be accessed via Contacts in the OPI Secure Portal under the Data Entry tab. The General Contact update Instructions for updating Trustee information can be found on the Montana School Directory on the OPI Website under the “Resources” tab. If you, as a district clerk, do not have Contacts, fill out the Contacts portion of the School Finance Access Request form, get a signature from your AR and email it to Amanda.zigan@mt.gov or OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov.
District Clerk responsibility
Per HB811, the district clerk’s responsibility is to update the contact information which now includes the information in the Trustee Repository. The information is required by law to be updated within 14 days of the qualification and oath-taking of the new trustee. This information will need to be provided by the county superintendent.
County Superintendent responsibility
The county superintendent is responsible for providing information to the district clerk for the purpose of updating the Trustee Repository within the 14 days required by law. Necessary information will include (for elected or appointed) the date of oathtaking and the term for the trustee. Generally, the term is 3 years but for other situations, may include communicating the date of the future election for the “runs though” date.
For more information, please contact Amanda Zigan at 406-444-3036, Barbara Quinn 406-444-3249, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
School Data Error Correction Request form - TFS Changes, ESSA Changes or other Revisions submitted to the OPI
The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has a form to be completed when changes are made to financial related data. The School Data Error Correction Request form can be found on the School Finance website and at the link above.
Please complete the following actions.
- Fill out the form with the necessary information and the appropriate signatures.
- Submit the Request form and the changes to the OPI – Requests for changes can be mailed, faxed, or scanned and emailed. All completed requests must be received by the OPI no later than December 10 (ARM 10.10.504). Changes can be made for:
- material revisions that do not impact fund balance of budgeted funds.
- Revisions in balance sheet accounts, provided no change occurs in the fund balance of budgeted funds.
- ESSA reporting is due with the submission of the TFS. Only minor changes to ESSA Per Pupil expenditures will be allowed.
- Please refer to the TFS instructions for additional information.
- The OPI will notify the school when the corrections are done. The school is responsible for verifying that changes have been made accurately and must send confirmation to the OPI.
For more information, please contact Barbara Quinn, at 406-444-3249. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Tuition Forms for Foster/Group Home (FP 14.2) - Completed and Entered to Maefairs
Student Attendance Agreements should be completed upon enrollment in a school per 20-5-322, MCA. Students who are in foster or group homes outside of their resident district should be entered into Maefairs as soon as they are approved by the attending district. This allows resident districts to review their obligations or verify their status as resident district – payments are due in the ensuing year. Please make sure to enter these agreements in a timely manner and run the Maefairs reports for resident districts. Please see the forms located under Tuition and Attendance.
For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, Barbara Quinn at 406-444-3249, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
In District Special Education Permissive Tuition Levy
The updated spreadsheet for FY2024 has been posted to the OPI Webpage and may be found here: Tuition and Attendance (mt.gov).
For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, Barbara Quinn at 406-444-3249, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Annual Driving Records
Annual driving records must be performed on all drivers to ensure compliance with School Bus Driver Qualifications in 20-10-103, MCA and 10.64.201, ARM.
Driving Records information can be requested through the Montana Department of Justice
For more information, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Passenger Manifests (TR2) Forms
The TR2 Bus Rider Form is a passenger manifest of all students being transported. This form shall be maintained and kept on board the bus with driver access when necessary and left with proper authorities at the school or institution.
In the event of an emergency, the passenger manifest and/or seating chart, shall be made available upon request by the investigating officer/emergency personnel.
For more information, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Individual Contracts (TR4)
By October 1st, the county superintendent must electronically receive all individual transportation contracts (TR4s) for FY2024.
Individual Contracts that include isolation must first be approved by checking the County Approval check box prior to electronically marking the contract received.
For more information, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
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.
For more information, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Bus Route Change Requirements
When the board of trustees changes a route's mileage per day, or if a different school bus is used on the route, the trustees must approve the change in miles, submit it first to the county transportation committee for approval and then electronically submit a revised TR1 form to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The route (the area served and the miles per day) must be established by the board of trustees, by board resolution. 20-10-132 , MCA and 10.7.112, ARM.
For more information, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
Audit Letter for FY-2023
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 2023 regarding issues affecting Montana school district audits and special items the OPI would like auditors to review for compliance with statute and administrative rule.
For more information, please contact Kristen Becker at 406-444-0701. Or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.
District/School Status Changes Year 2023-2024
STRUCTURE CHANGES with an effective date of July 1, 2023: School districts with changes to operating status, grade level configurations, school/district name, etc., 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 or contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at 406-444-1964.
Updating School Contact Information with OPI
PERSONNEL CHANGES: All school districts please go to the OPI website - Directory of Montana Schools - to verify your schools’ information. Changes to board chair, clerk/business manager, superintendent, or principal must be changed in OPI Contacts. District Clerks are responsible for keeping their district’s contact information up to date as it affects the Budget and TFS reports as well as how the AR for OPI and E-Grants updates. The instructions on how to update your schools’ information can be found at the following link: Instructions. If you have questions about how to complete the updates, please contact: amanda.zigan@mt.gov.
For more information, please contact Amanda Zigan at 406-444-3096.
September Updates to the OPI Website
Updated General Contact Update Instructions on the Montana Schools Directory page, under Update Directory.
Updated FY 2023 Legislative Session Summary on the School Finance Session History page, under Session History, 2023.
Updated Application Access Guides for Clerks (includes a link to updating Trustee info in Contacts), District & County Superintendents on the School Finance home page, under Application Access Resources.
Updated Compensation Expenditure Report Instructions FY2024 on the School Finance Accounting Page, in the Guidance & Manuals box, under Other Materials.
Updated FY 2023 Audit Letter on the School Finance Auditing Page, under Information to Auditors.
Added Forensic Accounting Services on the School Finance Auditing Page, under Resources.
Updated Student Count for ANB Instructions on the School Finance Student County ANB Page, under Guidance & Resources.
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.
|
