During their Oct. 23 meeting, the Great Falls Public Schools board will be asked to set their budget schedule.

The board’s budget committee met twice this year and is recommending the following schedule for the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget, which would begin July 1, 2024.

The first student enrollment count was held on the first Monday in October and the second count will be the first
Monday in February.

GFPS adopts budget with reduction in taxes

The two counts are averaged together to determine the student count which determines the budget.

When enrollment is declining, current law allows for a three-year average for enrollment as well as the ability to ask the voters for additional funding up to the state maximum budget of 100 percent or to maintain the previous year’s budget, according to GFPS.

For the current budget year, the school board board opted not to pursue an operation levy and to instead use about $5 million of remaining federal COVID relief funds to offset some of the shortfall and forgo a levy this year.

In August, the board adopted a budget with an overall reduction in taxes.

After only one enrollment count, it is difficult to have an accurate revenue forecast for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, according to GFPS.

The following timeline is recommended for the 2024-2025 budget setting process:

• December-February: setting the stage for the budget discussions, inform the public of budget issues including legislative updates
• March 5, 2024: community town hall with revenue and expense projections, asked/answered responses and community input
• March 19, 2024: board budget committee meeting
• March 25, 2024: regular board meeting with review of the budget committee’s recommendation and action if needed