Missoula School District One Proposes $181,000 Elementary Mill Levy

The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees will be placing a general fund levy request of $181,000 on the May 6 ballot.

Director of Technology and Communications for Missoula School District One, Hatton Littman, said the trustees will be formalizing ballot language for the proposed mill levy at a meeting on Wednesday, March 26.

"The mill levy is for $181,000, and is for grades K-8, so it includes both elementary and middle schools," Littman said. "This levy is only for voters in the city, because our county voters who also contribute to the high school district won't be asked. The levy goes for general operations like staff salaries and benefits, utility costs, supplies and instructional materials. Essentially, what we're asking voters for is a small amount that only a local tax base can approve, above and beyond what a state-mandated formula provides."

Littman said school officials realize that $181,000 is still a great deal of money, but the burden will be spread out over the entire city.

"Obviously, nobody thinks $181,000 is a small amount of money, and we really do respect the burden on taxpayers, so on a $200,000 home it'll look like about a $4.45 increase on the tax bill," she said.