Missoula Elementary and High School Funding Levies Pass Again

As long as this reporter has been covering Missoula County Public Schools elections, I have never seen an operations levy not be passed by voters, and 2022 is no exception.

KGVO News spoke with MCPS Public Information Officer Tyler Christensen just after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and she provided results from the school election.

“Missoula County voters have shown support for our public schools through the passage of local levies for many years,” said Christensen. “The passage of these two operations levies continues that legacy of strong local support. These levies will help MCPS support additional students, and as our community grows they will help us maintain important programs that provide a range of support for students, and they will help us pay for utilities supplies, curriculum and instructional materials as well.”

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Christensen provided more specific details of what Missoula property owners will be paying to support both elementary and high schools.

“The total levy amount for the elementary district was $294,790, and as we mentioned before, that worked out to about $2.78 per year per $100,000 in assessed property value,” she said. “And then for the high school district levy, the total amount came to $525,962, exactly, and that worked out to about $2.76 a year per $100,000 in assessed property value.”

After two years of COVID lockdowns, mask and vaccination controversies, there was heightened interest in the school board elections with several newcomers throwing their hats in the ring; however incumbents were ahead in the initial numbers released just after 8:00 p.m.

Christensen outlined the duties of the school board trustees.

"They will attend regular board meetings," she said. "They work together to help set the agenda and determine what items would be discussed and then they hear public comments and take those under consideration when making decisions that affect the range of district interests from budgeting and approving curriculum materials to staffing decisions as well."

Click here for the updated results.