Great Falls Public Schools is projecting budget shortfalls for the coming years and looking for options.

The district is trying a consensus building process that began in the fall and will continue with stakeholder meetings in February.

The district held seven listening sessions in October, six of which were community based and one was high school students, Jackie Mainwaring, assistant superintendent told the school board during their Jan. 27 meeting.

Over the summer, Brian Patrick, GFPS’ business operations manager, told the board budget committee that the budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1, has a projected $2.6 million shortfall but the district was able to carry over some federal COVID relief funds to offset that deficit.

Over the last decade, expenses have continued to increase, in part due to inflation and raises for teachers to address recruitment and retention, but revenues have not kept pace under Montana’s current public school funding formula, Patrick said.

For the 2025-2026 budget year, Patrick was projecting a $3 million shortfall.

Over the summer, district administration and school board members worked through their strategic plan with dedicated work sessions and were planning for expected budget shortfalls as COVID relief funds run out and the state funding formula doesn’t currently provide enough funding to cover expenses.

Mainwaring told The Electric that the shortfall is “a big number” and even if the district pursued levies, the maximum they’d be able to levy this year wouldn’t make up the projected shortfall.

The consensus team is 35-40 people that includes teachers, administrators, district staff, students and some community members, Mainwaring said.

They’ll meet for two days next week and a third day the following week, she said.

Community members have “unique perspectives and we would like to have as many points of view as possible as we are planning for the future at GFPS,” Mainwaring told The Electric in October. “From stakeholders, we would like to hear what is important about Great Falls Public Schools and the priorities they have. These sessions will help inform a great deal of work we do, but specifically will support our projected budget shortfall and the development of a district wide communication plan.”

From the listening sessions and the district’s strategic plan, Mainwaring said they’d developed five priorities for the consensus team to keep in mind while considering solutions.

Those priorities include school safety, student learning, community trust and partnerships, essential operational needs (such as those required by accreditation standards), teacher recruitment and retention.

Mainwaring said the student feedback had been consistent and strong in asking to have and maintain comprehensive programming in terms of course choices, extra and co-curricular activities so they’d be well prepared for college and the workforce.

Mainwaring told The Electric that the group is intended to be representative of the community.

She said she’s sending out some materials to the group before the meetings on school finance and budgeting basics and they’ll also review that framework at the meeting.

The group will be look at how the district can continue doing it’s work “either more efficiently, or a different way if we can,” Mainwaring said, before needing to consider cuts given the projected budget shortfalls. “Hopefully they have some great ideas.”

She said they’ve tried other methods of community engagement and are trying this consensus building process this year.

The group will make recommendations and those will go to the board budget committee and the full school board at some point, but Mainwaring said she wasn’t sure of that timeline yet.

For background on the GFPS budget, read our previous coverage:

GFPS claims $916,188 in state tax credits

Community group beginning fundraising for GFPS baseball

GFPS working to add high school baseball

GFPS using tax credit funds toward field trips, learning center, athletic mental health program

GFPS board approves pay increase, incentive for substitute teachers

GFPS board sets budget for new school year

GFPS board reviews budget with tax reduction, set to vote Aug. 19

City approves new SRO agreement with GFPS

GFPS board approves request to access protested Calumet taxes

GFPS board votes to add high school baseball, with contingencies

GFPS officials discuss finances, feasibility of baseball

GFPS forgoes levy, cuts administrative position anticipating budget challenges

GFPS board to consider levy, budget committee recommends forgoing levy

GFPS preparing budget for next school year