One has to wonder how long the district will be able to count on voters to pass their levy requests. At some point, will taxpayer fatigue show up in election results?

Montana’s school funding formula gives voters a major role in school finances. Districts get a certain amount of state money based on enrollment. If a school district needs more money, it has to get voter approval.

For the Bozeman district, state funding covers about 80% of the budget. The other 20% depends on the goodwill of voters.

Bozeman has been able to count on the voters’ support for years. Other schools can’t. In Three Forks, two general fund levies failed this week. The Three Forks superintendent told the Belgrade News that a levy hadn’t been passed in six years, and that if one doesn’t pass soon, the district may need to consider cutting programs.

The power to do something about this rests with the Montana Legislature, which adjourned this past week. When lawmakers return to Helena in 2025, they ought to consider taking a hard look at the state’s school funding formula.

The Bozeman School District was in a difficult spot going into this election, and not because of mismanagement. The costs of opening Gallatin High School fueled part of the shortfall, which school officials expected. Inflation hit the district hard, too, and the Legislature’s funding increases weren’t keeping up. And enrollment declines led to the district receiving less money through the state’s funding formula.

Voters backed the two safety levies in addition to a levy that simply fully funded the budget. In doing so, they saved jobs and ensured the district didn’t need to shutter the online Bozeman Charter School.

Voters saved the day. We can’t be certain they will always do so.