Montana Code 20-9-335. Formula for apportionment of county equalization money
20-9-335. Formula for apportionment of county equalization money. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall calculate the apportionment of revenue available in the elementary and high school county equalization funds in accordance with the following procedure:
Terms Used In Montana Code 20-9-335
- Direct state aid: means 44. See Montana Code 20-9-306
- district: means the territory, regardless of county boundaries, organized under the provisions of this title to provide public educational services under the jurisdiction of the trustees prescribed by this title. See Montana Code 20-6-101
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- school: means an institution for the teaching of children that is established and maintained under the laws of the state of Montana at public expense. See Montana Code 20-6-501
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Superintendent of public instruction: means that state government official designated as a member of the executive branch by the Montana constitution. See Montana Code 20-1-101
(a)determine the percentage that the county equalization money available for the support of the elementary direct state aid of the districts in the county is of the total elementary direct state aid of all districts in the county;
(b)multiply the elementary direct state aid amount of each district by the percentage determined in subsection (1)(a) to determine the portion of the county equalization money available to each school district.
(2)The procedure in subsection (1) must also be applied for the high school direct state aid.
(3)Territory situated within a county may not be excluded from the calculations of the county equalization money under this section solely because the territory lies within the boundaries of a joint district. Cash balances to the credit of any district at the end of a school fiscal year may not be considered in the apportionment procedure prescribed in this section.
(4)The county equalization money reported under these procedures is the first source of revenue for financing the elementary and high school direct state aid payments.