White Sulphur Springs Schools

School District No. 8 White Sulphur Springs, Montana Tuesday, May 6, 2025 9:00 a.m. White Sulphur Springs School Conference Room 1. Interviews 1.1. 9:00- Taryn Morris-Music 1.2. 10:00- Nikki Roberts-Volleyball 1.3. 11:30 - Ben Houser- Basketball 1.4. 1:00- Shae Bruursema-Elementary 1.5. 2:00- Nathaniel Parry-Math

Burger day is one of the students' favorite lunches! Local Beef makes it extra special. Thank You to all who have donated!

The White Sulphur Springs Schools 2025 Yearbook is available for sale. This year's yearbook is a Signature Series Hardcover bound and available for delivery after 6/16/2025. The yearbook price is $40.00. There is some customization that you can do for your yearbook. All yearbooks will be delivered to the school. https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/wsshornets NOTE: Purchases made post book approval may be subject to different production and delivery schedules. Please speak to your advisor for more information.

Congratulations to our own Ms. Hanson for receiving the 2025 Teacher of the Year Award for the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Montana Affiliate. This award recognizes her hard work with our local FCCLA, the STAR awards for community service, and the ProStart classes where the Hornet team qualified in GOLD in the state competition. Thumbs up for making our school successful!

Good Morning Hornets! Don't forget, we DO have school today with a 2:35 dismissal!

The Negotiations Committee will meet Monday, April 28, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the school's conference room. https://5il.co/3ed3g

Throwing it back to last week when new members were inducted into our local National Honor Society chapter. All members inducted into this elite organization stand by and reflect four pillars: Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service. New this year, inductees were invited to share their own honor statements as to how they intend to impact our community over the next year. National Honor Society students have served our community in a number of ways this year, including reading to younger students, collaborating with local organizations to assist during the holidays, shoveling snow for those in need, and more. They will be closing out the year with helping the community center by serving lunch in-house and meals on wheels. Thank you to our future leaders! We look forward to witnessing all the amazing you bring!

Our Spring Parent School Climate Survey is open. This is part of our grants and accreditation process. Your prior information has been helpful to drive the direction of our professional development, sharing information with staff on the needs of our students and community, and driving our daily interactions with students. This will continue to help us with instructional practices and knowing what our students needs. We like to know what we are doing well and where we can improve. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bZTp03m_v-xUBAO_cDsjh2Iaa6HcawNXJbjeA5ifAKM/edit Thank you for your help in completing this form.

Candidate Forum Please join us at 6 pm, Tuesday, April 22 in the school library for conversation with candidates. There will also be information shared about the school levy and its impact.

National Honor Society Induction was April 15th. Congratulations to new members who put in the efforts to complete requirements for induction.

The "Easter Bunny" and his helpers showed up for breakfast at school today. Happy Spring Break everyone! Spring Break April 17-21st. School resumes April 22nd. We DO have school Friday, April 25th with a 2:35 release!

Safety Committee Meeting 4 pm, Tuesday April 15 Conference room.

The next Regular Board Meeting will be held Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Please see the link for more information. https://5il.co/3dbqd

Levy Questions and Answers: Q & A Q: When does a school receive their General Fund budgets form the Montana Office of Public Instruction? A: Schools receive their budgets for the following year by March 1st after the student count dates. However, during legislative years, those budgets could be adjusted and distributed later due to school funding bills in the legislature that are not signed into law. Q: Is there a minimum budget that Trustees must adopt? A: Yes. Schools are required by law to adopt the minimum budget, or the BASE, which is 80% of the MAX budget. Q: What funding sources make up the General Funds BASE budget? A: The primary funding sources are property taxes (local permissive mills), guaranteed tax base, and a variety of state funding sources. Q: What is the General fund, MAX Budget? A: The MAX budget is the most the district can adopt per the law. To fund the MAX budget districts, rely mostly on prior voted levies as well as current voted levies. Q: Does the White Sulphur District operate at the MAX budget? A: No. The district operates between the BASE and the MAX budget called the highest budget without a vote. Q: Currently, how much levy revenue would be needed to operate at the MAX budget? A: The district would require $47,259.22 to get to MAX budget. Q: Do districts have to ask the voters for the amount needed to get to the MAX? A: No, the amount can vary and can be a lower amount. Q: Where can I get additional information? A: Stop by the school and visit with Meredith Feddes or Kristi Sangray or attend Public School Meeting April 22, School Library at 6 pm.

From the Desk of the Superintendent White Sulphur Springs Voter Information: School General Fund Levy May 6 Ballots will be mailed April 16th for this school Election What is the School General Fund? The general fund is the school’s largest fund, primarily used to pay for the basic costs of operating a school district. The fund covers a wide variety of expenses, including, but not limited to: teacher salaries and benefits, school safety, school supplies, curriculum, student activities, utilities, and maintenance costs. The revenue generated form the levy would be used to fund the programs and services that the state and other sources don’t fully fund. How is the General Fund budget determined for schools? The general fund budget for each school district is specific to the school’s enrollment. In White Sulphur, we have a single K-12 District. Each year, schools have student count dates (October and February) and that average (Average Number Belonging) is used in the state formula to determine the school’s budget. A significant reason for pursuing a general fund levy would be to continue to keep staff at the same level as we presently have, as well as continue to offer intervention services needed to support student achievement. The levy is to specifically address academic needs and NOT athletics and extracurriculars. The teaching staff we have are doing an amazing job of teaching to the standards and reaching student potential. This levy would also allow services for students who require more intensive support in the area of academics. WE have done what we can with the dollars available for curriculum at the elementary level and would feel it necessary to update outdated and obsolete curriculum in all areas of the district. It is understood that asking for a levy may not be popular. The decision to run a levy was not an easy one. Asking voters to consider a levy would mean an increase in taxes if approved. tax increases depend on several factors including your property type and the value of your property. The school district has been fiscally responsible with the funds provided through taxes and will continue to do just that. WE looked at all funds when making this decision and have cut anywhere we could find. School budgets can be difficult to understand as each budget has its own specific purpose and spending limits. IT may be misleading to see a beautiful campus with amazing facilities, which could give the impression that the school does not need additional funding. The curb appeal appears the school is doing fine financially but it is important to understand the school was built with funds through a school bond that were specifically for that purpose. We have an incredible fleet of route buses, which are all paid for out of a bus depreciation fund. Money from those funds cannot be used for general fund expenditures. For example, we cannot use the transportation fund for funding additional teachers, purchasing curriculum, or paying for a paraprofessional. Those expenditures are specifically general fund expenditures. Taxable Valuation, Mills, and Tax Impacts Every school district has a taxable valuation, and it differs from year to year. The Department of Revenue assesses properties within the district and estimates the market value of all real estate that is subject to property taxes. Schools receive their taxable value typically the first week in August. The taxable value plays an important role in the mills required to operate the school. The district’s taxable value determines the mill value. Taxable Value= Market Value x Tax Rate. Tax rate is the percentage of the market value that is taxable. In Montana, the residential tax rate is 1.35%. Currently, the taxable value for the White Sulphur School District is 10,992,591. To determine the value of a mill, you take the taxable value x 0.001. So, the mill value of the district is 10,992. For example, what would the tax impact for the $47,259 levied in this election be. • $5.81/year on a $100,000 home • $17.42/year on $300,000 home • $34.83/year on a $600,000 home

Information Session TONIGHT White Sulphur Springs School Library, 6pm School General Fund Levy Information

April 28th!

Earlier this month, students and advisor flew to Washington D.C. and New York City for Close-Up 2025. They experienced historical monuments and memorials, learned the inner working of our government, met with the staff of our state representations, used their critical thinking skills in a multitude of group discussions, participated in a mock congress, and had a ton of fun. Huge thanks to all those that helped to support this group and allow them to have this amazing life-changing experience!

A Negotiations Committee Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 4:15 in the Conference Room. https://5il.co/3c2zz

The Banking and Finance Class would like to thank Ms. Sarah Hamlen for coming to share her expertise on finance with us. We appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with our students.