East Helena Schools Ask Voters to Approve $392,000 Mill Levy

East Helena Public Schools laid out a pointed choice for voters last week: approve a $392,000 mill levy and fund at least five additional teachers, or watch a district already running at 85% of its maximum legal budget absorb more cuts. Superintendent Dan Rispens announced the measure April 7, with ballots scheduled to be mailed April 17 and election day set for May 5.

The 85% figure is the sharpest number in the district's case. Montana law sets a ceiling on what a district can spend through its general fund, and EHPS has been operating well below that ceiling since the pandemic, leaving class sizes larger, scheduling tighter, and elective offerings thinner than they were before 2020. Rispens told reporters the levy would restore flexibility in middle- and high-school schedules, expand special-education capacity, and allow the district to add elective courses that disappeared when budgets contracted.

For the average East Helena homeowner, the cost comes to roughly $4 to $6 per month, with the final figure varying by property value. The district was deliberate about that range, framing it as a modest local ask against a backdrop of broader tax pressures on East Helena families, and notably smaller than the bond packages that larger districts routinely put before voters.

If the levy passes, EHPS said it could hire the five-plus positions and restructure schedules in time for the next school year. Rispens also made an economic argument: teacher pay increases tied to the levy would circulate back through the community, extending the investment beyond any single classroom.

A rejection would force the district back to the same table of trade-offs it has been sitting at since the pandemic, with officials acknowledging that deeper program cuts remain a real possibility.

EHPS planned information sessions before the May 5 deadline to walk taxpayers through the specifics before ballots are returned.