School Finance Compass December 2024

Upcoming Due Dates

State School Payments

The FY2025 November State School payments are posted at the following link: State School Payments. 

The FY2025 December State School Payments are scheduled for distribution on December 20, 2024. The December payments will include Guaranteed Tax Base Aid for General, State Coal Mitigation Block Grant, and County Retirement.

If you have questions, please contact Cori Opie at (406) 444-3533.

State School Entitlements

The State School Funding Entitlement Reports for FY2025 are posted at the following link: State School Payments>Entitlements.

If you have questions, please contact Cori Opie at (406) 444-3533.

Expansion for Detailed Expenditures

January 31, 2024, the US Department of Education expanded the mandatory reporting requirements for detailed expenditures. We have been granted an extension for the reporting until the FY2025 TFS.

The following exhibits will need to be reported by school code starting with the FY2025 TFS reporting.

• Teacher Salaries (function 1XXX: Objects 112)
• Instructional Aid Salaries (function 1XXX: Object 117)
• Books and Periodicals (function 1XXX and object 640 & 650)

Local accounting systems will need to be altered to allow for this change in data reporting.

If you have questions, please contact Autumn Belmont at autumn.belmont@mt.gov.

Impact Aid Applications - due January 31st

The US Department of Education will open the Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS) for FY 2026 applications soon. Historically the applications open towards the end of November. Start early getting your application data in order.  OPI will notify each district when the data is available that is needed to complete applications.

Online Resources for the Upcoming Application can be found on the Impact Aid website Home - Impact Aid Grant System. Many training resources are available as you prepare for your FY 2026 Impact Aid application, due January 31. Visit their training page to review Section 7002 videos and Section 7003 videos, which cover important highlights of their webinars, including how to survey Federally connected children. You may also find it helpful to visit the resources page to view the new Handbook for Applicants and Grantees, and various tools to support your application preparation.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Compensation Expenditure Reporting and Terms Of Employment – Due December 10, 2024

Compensation Expenditure reports must be submitted by the December 10th 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.

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 section 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 AIM. All district staff employed from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, 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 2024-2025 school year into Infinite Campus by June 30, 2025, to finalize the 2025 fiscal year end process. If you do not have access to Infinite Campus or are having trouble logging in, please contact opiaimhelp@mt.gov. 

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

Requests for Changes to the TFS - Due Dec 10^th

The following steps must be completed.

Step 1: On a photocopy of the originally submitted TFS printout:

• Cross out the amount to be revised.
• Legibly write or type in the revised amount above or beside the original amount or submit a detailed Excel worksheet. • In MAEFAIRS run the ESSA School Code Allocation Report. Access that by Views-> ESSA -> ESSA School Code Allocation. If the fund that you want to change is split by school code, please attach a copy of the adjustments made there as well.
• Requestor must sign and date EACH page.
• Send the request and form for changes to:

Montana Office of Public Instruction Attn: Amanda Zigan PO Box 202501 Helena, MT 59620-2501 or Email: OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov 

Requests for changes can be mailed or scanned and emailed. All completed requests must be received by the OPI no later than December 10. (ARM 10.10.504).

Step 2: Email a copy of the corrected TFS to the county superintendent with an explanation of requested changes.

Step 3: After changes have been completed by the OPI, verify that changes have been made accurately and send confirmation to the OPI.

If you have questions, please contact Alivia Skeslien-Jenkins at (406) 444-1964 or Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401.

Fall Student Count for ANB – Changes Accepted Through December 31^st

Changes to the Fall ANB Count will be accepted through December 31, 2024. Please verify your student counts. Instructions for enrollment are found in Student Count ANB.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Tuition Forms for Foster/Group Home (FP 14.2) – Completed and Entered to MAEFAIRS

This application is currently under construction in MAEFAIRS. School Finance will notify districts as soon as it is available.

Student Attendance Agreement 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.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or contact us by email at 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.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or email us at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

In-State Facility Tuition Claims

In accordance with section 20-9-435, MCA, resident districts will be responsible for a portion of the education costs for students attending in-state treatment facilities contracted with the OPI. The currently 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 access the MAEFAIRS system to run a report at any time to see claims that have been submitted.  MAEFAIRS 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.

Any discrepancies must be resolved between the district and the facility, but mediation with an OPI staff member or clarification of law can be requested.

If you have questions, please contact Enly Kovis at (406) 444-1579 or enly.kovis2@mt.gov.

QEC Planning for Superintendents and Principals

Principals and Superintendents, please follow up with your teachers to ensure that their licensing is up to date. There are deadlines for licensing and verification that must be completed by December 1^st as pursuant to ARM 10.21.201. This impacts the distribution of the Quality Education Component Payment.

If you have questions, please contact Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401.

TEACH Act – Due November 29

Teach Act Certification: Infinite Campus Certification

Districts must complete an application for the TEACH Act funding to demonstrate:

• 2nd and 3rd class districts: Base pay equal to 10 times the QEC amount for the application year.
• 1st class districts: Base pay requirements above and base pay not less than 70% of average teacher pay.

Districts must identify educators in the first three years of the educator’s teaching career.

Important Reminder for Schools

Principals and Superintendents, please follow up with your teachers to ensure their licensing is up to date. All licensing and verifications must be complete by the December 1st deadline. This will impact the Quality Educator Component Payment.

If you have questions, please contact Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401, or Autumn Belmont at (406) 444-9852, or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Mandatory 15 Hour Bus Driver Training

A quality driver training program is critical to the success of a school transportation program.

The commitment to provide school bus drivers who are safe, competent and well trained should be the goal of every school district. In order to achieve that goal, each district shall develop and implement a continuing education program for school bus drivers providing at least 15 hours of mandatory in-service training annually. The plan shall, upon request, be available for inspection by the Office of Public Instruction.

The minimum required training topics can be reviewed on pages 61-62 in the 2022 Montana School Bus Standards.

Training should be well documented for every driver that includes the date of training, hours completed, topic of training, and the duration of the training.

If you have questions, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Passenger Vehicles-Vans

A district may use an 8-15 passenger vehicle/van 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 route. 20-10-129, MCA.

Passenger vehicles owned by the district are 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, is 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 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Bus Driver Certificate TR35

All school bus drivers (includes a Superintendent) must hold a valid Montana School Bus Driver Certificate (TR35) 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 contractor, 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, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Type E School Bus Requirements

Before a type E school bus is purchased, the school is required to complete a cost analysis of a traditional type A – D school bus versus the type E school bus before acquiring this bus type. This cost analysis must be on file for review pursuant to section 20-10-148, MCA

The analysis must be detailed to include the costs associated with purchase and operation of the school bus compared to the costs associated with purchase or contract and operation of a school bus designed to carry more than 10 passengers.  The overall purpose of the cost analysis is to demonstrate that the purchase and operation of a school bus as defined in 20-10-101(4)(a)(ii) is the most cost-effective means of transporting eligible transportees on the bus route(s).  The Type E is required to have an overall safety rating of 5 Stars as per NHTSA.   These results must also be on file for review.

If you have questions, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

In District Special Education Permissive Tuition Levy

The spreadsheet for FY2025 has been updated and posted to the OPI Webpage. The calculator for FY2025 is located on the website at the following link:  Tuition and Attendance (mt.gov).

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Fiscal Year 2025 Election Calendar

Our new election calendar is updated and posted to the website. The calendars are found Elections (mt.gov). If you are running a special election, please contact Andrea Mohammadi and we can assist with your calendar.

If you have questions, please contact Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

Audit Letter for FY2024 Audits

The annual letter to auditors can be found on the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) website locate here Auditing. 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.

If you have questions, please contact Amanda Zigan at (406) 444-3096 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

School Year 2025-2026 Changes

Changes to school names, grade ranges, non-operating, or attach/abandon (closing a district) with an effective date of July 1, 2025:  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.   

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

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 send 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.

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 Authorized Representative 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.

If you have questions, 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.

If you have questions, please contact Amanda Zigan at (406) 444-3096 or contact us by email at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.

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
  • 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.

E-mail is not a safe or a recommended communication method for sending confidential or personally identifiable information.

If you have 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 FY2025 FP9 link on the School Finance OPI Financial Data Files page, on the County & Statewide Data tab, under the County FP 9 section.

Updated FY2025 District Tuition Percentages and Rates on the School Finance Tuition and Attendance page, on the Guidance tab.

Uploaded Request to Open a Charter School Form on the School Finance School Open, Close, or Change page, on the Public Charter Schools link.

Updated FY 2025 Budget on the School Finance OPI Financial Data Files page, on the School Budget/Expenditure Data tab, under the Budget tab.

Updated Compensation Expenditure Report Instructions FY2025 on the School Finance Accounting page, on the Guidance & Manuals tab, under Most Accessed.

Updated Tax Credit Donation Maximum Limits on the School Finance Accounting page, on the Tax Credits for Educational Donation tab.

Posted FY25 State Major Maintenance Aid Entitlement Preliminary to the State School Payments page, on the Entitlements 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.