Missoula, MT – The Montana Senate has given initial approval to a bill aimed at increasing funding for school districts that raise their minimum teacher salaries, offering hope to educators across the state. House Bill 252, known as the STARS Act, passed with a 40-10 vote on Tuesday and will now move to the Senate Finance and Claims Committee before potentially facing a final vote on the Senate floor.
The STARS Act is designed to encourage school districts to raise their lowest teacher salary to more than $41,000. In addition to providing extra funding for districts that implement this pay increase, the bill also offers incentives for expanding dual credit and career and technical education programs, which are seen as crucial for preparing students for the workforce.
The Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE), which represents public school teachers in the state, has expressed cautious optimism about the bill’s passage. While MFPE President Amanda Curtis acknowledged the bill’s positive aspects, she stressed that it is only a small step toward addressing the broader funding challenges facing public schools.
“I don’t want to denigrate the success, and I don’t want to criticize the Legislature too much – because we’ll take it,” Curtis said in an interview. “But we all know that $45 or $50 million for public schools barely counts as a band-aid. And to put strings on it that will strangle some schools from getting the funding is still problematic.”
Curtis and other union leaders argue that while the proposed funding is a welcome development, it falls short of what is truly needed to address the funding disparities in Montana’s public schools. The funding, they argue, is a temporary solution that does little to address the long-term challenges of underfunded education.
In addition to the STARS Act, the MFPE is also watching several other pieces of legislation that could have an impact on public employees. Notably, Senate Bill 7, which addresses pension eligibility for law enforcement officers, has garnered the union’s attention. The bill would allow members of the Montana Highway Patrol and sheriff’s deputies to draw their pensions after 20 years of service, reversing a 2023 change that required officers to be at least 50 years old to start collecting benefits.
While SB 7 has already passed both the House and Senate, it has yet to be signed by Governor Greg Gianforte. Curtis expressed concern that some of these bills could become part of larger political negotiations, potentially stalling their progress.
“We’re really excited to see a package of bills pass this session that undoes the wrongs from 2023,” Curtis said. “We’re worried right now that those are going to be made part of some kind of dealmaking, and we’re encouraging the governor to sign Senate Bill 7 and for the Legislature and the governor to pass and sign the other bills that are fixes to those law enforcement pensions.”
As the legislative session continues, many educators and public employees in Montana will be closely watching how these bills evolve and whether they bring about real change to the state’s education and public safety systems.
