School Finance Compass July 2024

Upcoming Due Dates

State School Payments

The May State School Funding Payments for FY 2024 are posted at the following link: State School Payments

The June 25, 2024, payments include Direct State Aid, Quality Educator Component, At Risk Component, Indian Education for All, Student Achievement Gap, Data for Achievement, Special Education, and Transportation.  

For any additional questions, please contact Laci Novark (406) 444-4401.

LAW BOOKS – AVAILABLE NOW

Districts and schools can order copies here and the electronic version is available for free here.

For any additional questions, please contact opifrontdesk@mt.gov.

Budget Amendments – June 30^th

In accordance with 20-9-162, MCA, budget amendments must be adopted prior to the end of the school fiscal year (June 30^th).  A budget amendment may be adopted only for the purposes outlined in 20-9-161, MCA.  The budget amendment packet may be found here:  Budgets (mt.gov).

If you have questions, please contact:  Laci Novark, Budget Analyst, (406) 444-4401 or email OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov 

Isolation Applications – June 30^th

Schools that need to apply for Isolation, please have applications completed and sent to OPI before June 30^th, 2024. All qualifying districts have been notified by email. If you have any questions, please contact  Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964 or Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960.

New Addition to the Website

A spreadsheet of active expenditure strings was added to the School Finance website. All open MAEFAIRS expenditure strings that have been used since 2017 are compiled. Expenditure strings can be filtered by open expenditure strings or enter your string to see if the string is valid or not. Please contact School Finance at OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov with any questions or concerns.

Compensation Expenditure Reporting – sequence

Compensation Expenditure Reporting collects data used to determine each district’s payment information pertaining to salaries paid to district employees each fiscal year. Compensation Expenditure Reporting is a multi-step process of entering and certifying data in Infinite Campus and then submitting the data in MAEFAIRS. The process is to assist schools with their responsibility to be transparent with the use of public funds in accordance with 20-7-104, MCA.

End of Year Personnel Collection: Infinite Campus Reporting – Due June 30^th

The End of Year Personnel (Compensation Expenditure) Collection replaces the Compensation Expenditure Terms of Employment (TOE) in TEAMS. All district staff employed from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, must be included in this collection of data and be certified through entry into Infinite Campus. Only employees certified through Infinite Campus will be available for selection in the MAEFAIRS Compensation Expenditure Report submission. Districts are required to enter all staff employed in the 2023-2024 year into Infinite Campus by June 30 to finalize the 2024 fiscal year end process. If you do not have access to Infinite Campus or are having troubles logging in, please contact opiaimhelp@mt.gov. 

Fall Terms of Employment (TOE): Infinite Campus Certification – Due October 31^st

Infinite Campus Certification replaces the Compensation Expenditure TOE formerly in TEAMS.

[Type Membership: Personnel Reporting Data] - Enter personnel information for all staff members/contractors employed during the 2024-2025 school year.   Entering employee’s information into Infinite Campus ensures they are properly certified. Employee Certification is necessary for the completion of the Compensation Expenditure reporting in MAEFAIRS.  All employed individuals must be certified through Infinite Campus.

Compensation Expenditure: MAEFAIRS Reporting Submission – December

Compensation Expenditure reports must be submitted by the December deadline per ARM 10.10.504 for the previous fiscal year’s data. Data can be entered starting when MAEFAIRS opens and may be advantageous to complete at the same time as the Infinite Campus reporting in October.

If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964.

School Data Error Correction Request Form – TFS Changes, ESSA Changes or Other Revisions Submitted To 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 above link.

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 OPI – Requests for changes can be mailed or scanned and emailed. All completed requests must be received by the OPI no later than the December deadline (ARM 10.504). Changes can be made for:
  • Material revisions that do not impact fund balance of budget funds.
  • Revisions in balance sheet accounts, provided no change occurs in the fund balance of budget 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 questions, please contact Barbara Quinn, School Finance Senior Manager, 406-444-3249

IMPORTANT - FY 2024 Preliminary General Fund Budget Data Sheets

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has posted the FY 2025 Preliminary General Fund Budget Data Sheets (PBDS) and the General Fund Budget Excel Spreadsheet on March 1^st. The tools below will assist schools in budgeting for the 2025 fiscal year.

• The Preliminary Budget Data Sheets will be posted at the following link: CLICK HERE

• The FY2025 General Fund Budget Excel Spreadsheet and FY2025 General Fund Budget Overview Worksheet will be posted at the following link:  CLICK HERE

Note: When posted for FY2025, please download the current version* of the spreadsheet to your computer (right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As" to save it to your desktop.) Previous versions of the spreadsheet are no longer applicable for preliminary budget purposes.

* Please be sure you are working from your most current version that is posted on the website. Revisions have been made and posted for some schools.

For any additional questions, please contact Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401, Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, or Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964.

**ALL TUITION AGREEMENTS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR MUST BE ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED TO THE OPI BY JUNE 30, 2024. Please put it on your calendar!**

All Student Attendance Agreements should be completed upon enrollment in a school and 20-5-322, MCA outlines the timeframes for approval and submission of the claim. Per 20-5-324, MCA, Foster and Group Home tuition claims must be electronically submitted to the OPI not later than June 30, 2024. Claims cannot be entered after the June 30^th deadline.

Tuition claims are entered directly into the MAEFAIRS system by the district. The district of attendance must notify the resident district of any obligation for tuition not later than August 15^th. Resident districts may view a MAEFAIRS report at any time to see claims that have been submitted. These should not be viewed as actual bills from the district of attendance, but rather an opportunity to review submitted claims. The report may be found under Views>Tuition>Foster and Group Home Resident District.

Additional guidance for tuition is available under Tuition and Attendance on the OPI website.

For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 desk or (406) 438-6623 cell or email opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Guidance for Out-of-District Placement (HB 203) for FY2025

The 2023 Legislature passed HB 203 which revised tuition and the attendance agreements. School Finance has published guidance for Out of District Attendance which is available on the Tuition webpage. Please see “Tuition Handbook”, this document has been updated.

For more information, please contact the OPI by emailing to opischoolfinance@mt.gov  or contact:

• Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or by email at Mohammadi@mt.gov
• Barbara Quinn at (406) 444-3249 or by email at Quinn@mt.gov.

Extracurricular Activities Participation – Due Jun 30^th

Students participating in extracurricular activities in the 2023-2024 school year and who meet the requirements of 20-9-311(13), MCA may be included in the district’s FY2025 ANB count.  The students must be enrolled in AIM and have their participating data entered as part of the End of Year collection.  The guide to entering that information in AIM may be found here:  AIM Extracurricular Activities Guide.  Additionally, two documents explaining the 2021 legislative extracurricular changes in SB 72 and SB 157 may be found here:  Student Count ANB/Guides & Resources.

For more information, please contact: Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or by email at Andrea.Mohammadi@mt.gov

Tuition Forms – Complete and Entered to MAEFAIRS

Student Attendance Agreements should be completed upon enrollment in a school (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 due in the ensuing year. Please make sure to enter these agreements in a timely manner and run the reports provided for resident districts in MAEFAIRS. Please see the forms located under Tuition and Attendance.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi, Business Analyst, (406) 444-1960.

Day Treatment (FP15) Reimbursement

Districts with students who attended private, non-sectarian day-treatment programs in the 23-24 school year under provisions of an individualized education program (IEP) should not have been included in the district’s ANB calculation. These students should be reported on an FP15 form. The OPI will reimburse the district from the portion of the ANB the resident district would have been eligible for if the student had been enrolled in the district on the count date.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi, Business Analyst, (406) 444-1960.

Youth Detention – Payments Due July 15^th

Resident districts may be receiving bills for students in county youth detention facilities. The deadline for these payments is July 15^th and can be paid from the Tuition Fund or the Impact Aid Fund. Please review the invoice to ensure that the student is a resident of the school district.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi, Business Analyst, (406) 444-1960.

In-State Facility Tuition Claims

Under 20-9-435 MCA, resident districts will be responsible for a portion of the education costs for students in in-state treatment facilities contracted with the OPI – the current, contracted facilities are Aware, Intermountain, New Day, Shodair, and Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch. The state facility must invoice the resident district of any obligation for tuition by August 15^th.  Resident districts may run a report in MAEFAIRS at any time to see claims that have been submitted.  These reports should not be viewed as actual bills from the facility, but rather an opportunity to review submitted claims.  The report may be found in MAEFAIRS under Views>Tuition>State Facilities District of Residence.

If you have questions, please contact: Enly Kovis at (406) 444-1579, or  Barbara Quinn at (406) 444-3249.

FY2025 County Reporting Forms

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has posted the FY2025 County reporting forms at the following link: County (mt.gov)

• County Treasurer Statement (FP6a)
• FY 2025 Countywide School Funds (FP6b)
• Joint District Basic Data (FP8a)
• Joint District Tax Levy Summary (FP8b)

If you have questions, please contact Autumn Belmont at (406) 444-9852.

FY 2025 Special Education Cooperative Reports

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has posted the FY 2025 Special Education Allowable Cost Funding Cooperative Preliminary reports at the following link: State School Payments (mt.gov)

For any additional questions, please contact Autumn Belmont at (406) 444-9852.

Transportation Budgets FY2025

School districts can use the Transportation Budgeting Spreadsheet to prepare the FY2025 On-Schedule reimbursement portion of the Transportation Budget.

The School Finance encourages school districts to take advantage of this tool created as a courtesy in order to accurately determine the proper budget and avoid a shortage of funds.

If you have questions or require assistance with this budgeting spreadsheet, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

Passenger Vehicles-Vans

A district may use a passenger vehicle/van designed to transport 8 to 15 passengers only for school-sponsored functions or activities.

A district may not use a passenger vehicle for purposes of transporting students to or from school on a regular bus routes. 20-10-129, MCA.

Passenger vehicles owned by the district is not eligible to be included in the calculations for the Bus Depreciation Reserve fund under 20-10-147, MCA. In addition, these vehicle types are not an allowable purchase from the Transportation Fund.

A “School Bus” pursuant to 20-10-101(5), MCA,  are the only allowable form of transportation that may be used when transporting students to and from school.    Other vehicles that do not meet the definition of a “School Bus” will not be reimbursed by the state or county.

If you have questions, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

School Bus Routes for FY2025-County Approval

By the fourth Monday in July a county transportation committee (CTC) must act to approve or not approve all bus routes established by districts.

When the county transportation committee reviews a request for a new bus route or a change to an existing route, the committee shall receive the following information for consideration:

(a) a map of the existing and proposed bus route;

(b) a description of turnarounds;

(c) conditions affecting safety;

(d) the total mileage and change in mileage of the affected bus route;

(e) the approximate total cost;

(f) reasons for the proposed bus route change;

(g) the number of children to be served;

(h) a copy of the official minutes of the meeting at which the school trustees approved the new bus route or route change; and

(i) any other information that the county transportation committee considers relevant.

If you have questions, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

Driver Qualifications

A driver transporting students to and from school is qualified to drive only if the driver meets the following criteria:

1. Holds a valid CDL with “Passenger” and “School Bus” endorsements. MT Driver’s license is the only exception for Type E buses.
2. Holds a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate
3. Certified in First Aid and CPR
4. Holds a current and valid TR35 Bus Driver Certificate
5. Drug and Alcohol testing
6. 15 hours of mandatory training
7. Annual driving record checks

The qualifications of all bus drivers must be met and are reviewed at the time the state verification of transportation claims is made, as the qualifications of the bus driver are one of the criteria for eligibility for reimbursement.  20-10-103, MCA, 10.7.111 and 10.64.201, ARM. There are no exceptions to these rules.

NOTE:  The penalty for violating these laws and the Board of Public Education policies will result in the Office of Public Instruction to withhold transportation reimbursement funding.  20-10-104, MCA.

If you have questions, 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) in order for a district 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 contract, if applicable, and file 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.

TR1 Bus Route Rollover

Districts can rollover TR1 Bus Routes for FY2024 by going under the Administration tab in the Pupil Transportation System.

Please review the TR1 Bus Route Reporting Instructions or if you have questions please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

TR4 Individual Contracts Rollover

Districts can rollover TR4 Individual Contracts for FY2024 by going under the Administration tab in the Pupil Transportation System.

Please review the TR4 Individual Contracts Reporting Instructions or if you have questions please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

DL Requirements

2022 Montana Bus Standards (Page71) states: Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with an School Bus “S” and Passenger “P” endorsement is required when a person who drives a school bus, or who transports pre-primary, primary, or secondary school students for school-related activity trips, field trips, and operating on an approved route, in a commercial motor vehicle.

The “S” endorsement shall be required for any school bus, including 16 passengers and less, and 16 passengers and more.

If you have questions, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

Impact Aid Applications- Amendment deadline July 1!

If you need to make an amendment, the deadline to amend a FY2025 application is July 1, 2024. Please put this date on your calendar. A training video is available on U.S. Department of Education website located here on the training page.

For more information, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 desk or email opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

In District Special Education Permissive Tuition Levy

The spreadsheet for FY2025 will be updated and posted to the OPI Webpage soon. The current calculator for FY2024 is located here:  Tuition and Attendance (mt.gov).

For information on Tuition, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 desk or email opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

FY 2024 Elections – It’s a wrap!

Great Job everyone! We had a few bumps in the road this year, but we made it. Now let’s get ready for next year. Our new election calendar will be updated and posted before we start school for 2024/2025. If you are running a special election, please contact Andrea Mohammadi and we can assist with your calendar.

If you need more information or immediate assistance, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 desk or email opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Upcoming Training - The Basics of ESSA PPE Reporting webinar on July 17, 2024 at 1:00PM.

Fiscal year 2024 ESSA Per Pupil Data and Validations.  An email link will be available to attend as we get closer to the date.

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 SC, 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 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.

Questions: For information on ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting, please contact: Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401.

Upcoming Training - Trustees Financial Summary (TFS) and Budget

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will be presenting a MAEFAIRS Trustees Financial Summary (TFS) and Budget training. This training will go over how to navigate and enter data into the OPI’s MAEFAIRS System. Training will be presented by Laci Novark and Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins, Budget Analysts at the OPI.

The training will be held via Zoom on Thursday, July 18th, 2024

TFS reporting at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/84236791761?pwd=8aTiavGNJ0t3vvDDCafyZHKLYeJmss.1

Budget reporting 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm 

https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/86479749814?pwd=jgjxzEvIYA3TNEv8aw1DBRHaWVBkUf.1

A recorded presentation of this information will be available on the OPI website after July 19th.

FY2023 Audits of School Districts – Due Dates

FY2023 Yellow Book Audits and Reviews are due no later than June 30^th, 2024, per MCA 2-7-503(3)(a.

For more information on Federal, Yellow Book Audits, and Reviews visit the OPI website Audit Processes. If you have further questions, please contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Audit Letter for FY2024 Audits

The annual letter to auditors can be found on the OPI website by clicking this Audit link. The letter provides general information for FY2024 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 us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

School Year 2024-2025 Changes

Changes to school names, grade ranges, non-operating, or attach/abandon (closing a district) with an effective date of July 1, 2024:  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.   

For more information, please contact  Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964 or Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960.

Updating School Contact Information with OPI

District Clerks are responsible for keeping their district’s contact information up to date. According to § 20-3-307, MCA, Trustee Contact 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 county superintendent is responsible for providing information to the district clerk for the purpose of updating the Trustee Repository). Contact information also 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.

PERSONNEL CHANGES:  All school districts please go to the OPI website - Directory of Montana Schools - to verify your schools’ information.

Changes must be made by the Clerk in OPI Contacts for:

• Trustees (required by HB 811).
• Board chair.
• Clerk/business manager.
• Superintendent.
• Principal.

For more information, please contact us by email at CentralUpdates@mt.gov.

OPI Application Access Guides for NEW Clerks and Superintendents

The OPI has information for new:

• District Clerks
• District Superintendents
• County Superintendents

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.

Emergency School Closures

School Closures are a local decision based on the needs of the community. Information on Emergency School Closures can be found on the School Finance Webpage. The document is titled “School District Closures – Unforeseen Emergencies.”

It is important to be familiar with the laws, but a couple of important reminders are as follows:

• Trustees should notify the County Superintendent of Schools and the OPI as soon as a school district closure has been declared.
• Trustees may close school for one school day each year for unforeseen emergencies that is not subject to a state funding reduction 20-9-806(2), MCA.
• If a school has an emergency closure for longer than the one-day exception, the Trustees may later adopt a resolution that a reasonable effort has been made to reschedule the pupil-instruction time lost. Not taking this action could result in a reduction to the schools District’s BASE aid.

Adherence to the statutes is necessary to prevent reduction of state entitlement funding for the district.

Please sent notice to the OPI at OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov or call Amanda Zigan at (406) 444-3096 or contact  Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964.

Sending confidential information

When sending confidential information to the OPI, there are two best methods to use:

• File Transfer Service (FTS). The link is on the school finance home page, however, there are two requirements for the use of FTS:
  • one of the parties must be a state employee, and
  • the other is the files must be sent to a person not a group email.
• Fax to us at (406) 444-3924 and let us know that you have sent something.

 Regular email is not a safe or a recommended communication method for sending confidential or personally identifiable information. For questions, please contact Amanda Zigan at (406) 444-3096 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

School Finance Updates to the OPI Website

Updated Student Count Reports: FY 2024 on the School Finance Student Count ANB page, on the Student Count Reports tab.

Updated District Summaries: FY 2024 on the School Finance Student Count ANB page, on the District Summaries tab.

Updated Significant Enrollment Increases on the School Finance Budget page, on the Budget Spreadsheets & Guidance tab.

Updated Tax Exempt Letter For Schools on the School Finance Accounting page, on the Other Materials tab.

Updated Indian Education for All Guidance on the School Finance Accounting page, on the Other Materials tab.

Renamed Tuition Guidance for Out-Of-District Placement to Tuition Handbook on the School Finance Tuition and Attendance page, on the Guidance tab.

Updated Montana Schools and School Districts Boundary Map on the School Finance School Open, Close, or Change page, on the District Boundary Resources tab.

Updated TFS Instructions on the School Finance School Accounting page, on the Other Materials tab.

Updated FY2024 General Fund Budget Spreadsheet on the School Finance School Budgets page, on the Budget Spreadsheets & Guidance tab.

Updated Maefairs Active Expenditure String on the School Finance School Accounting page, on the Most Accessed header under the Guidance & Manuals tab.

Updated FY2025 Budget Instructions on the School Finance School Budgets page, on the Budget Spreadsheets & Guidance tab.

Renamed In District Special Education Permissive Levy Checklist to 2025 Calculator on the School Finance Tuition and Attendance page, on the Calculation Spreadsheets tab.

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.