Helena School Board Places Three Levies Totaling $3.4 Million on May Ballot

The Helena Public Schools Board of Trustees unanimously approved three mill levies totaling about $3.4 million for the May ballot, warning that without the additional annual funding the district could be forced to cut programs or reduce staffing to keep its operating budget balanced.

The bulk of the request, about $2.4 million, would cover what district and board officials described as increasingly expensive technology costs: $1.6 million for the elementary district and $850,000 for the high school district to fund operations, infrastructure and licensing for computers, software and state testing platforms, including device management systems. A third levy, roughly $953,000, would address a shortfall in the elementary district general fund that Superintendent Rex Weltz attributed to the state funding mechanism falling short of what the district expects to need in the coming fiscal year.

"This comes with an understanding that this is a big ask, but our community has always supported our students," Weltz said at Tuesday's meeting. "And this isn't because it would be nice to have. This is how we have to run the district, and if we don't then we're going to have to face some really tough decisions on what we're going to not offer students in the classroom."

The levy request lands just months after Helena voters approved a $283 million bond package to fund a new Helena High School and Kessler Elementary School and to renovate Capital High School. Weltz and several board members stressed at the meeting that bond money cannot be used to cover technology licenses or operational costs because those dollars are restricted to facilities needs, making the levies a separate and necessary ask.

The district is in the middle of early budget conversations for the upcoming year, and Weltz said officials believe the three levies would fill the gaps they expect to fully materialize as the new fiscal year approaches. Without additional levy support, the district warned, its ability to maintain technology inventories, testing platforms and essential services would be constrained. If the levies fail, the district said it may need to consider program cuts, staffing adjustments or other measures to balance the budget while preserving core services.

District communications in recent weeks have also noted the district's cooperation with law enforcement on unrelated personnel investigations alongside its commitment to maintaining safe, supportive learning environments while asking for community support on the levy package.

The approved levy language and amounts will be mailed to voters ahead of the May election. Helena Public Schools posts budget materials and periodic Friday Flyer updates for families and residents with levy details, fiscal impact estimates and the district's case for voter support.