A panel of community members involved in the Helena education system met Tuesday and discussed the idea that tough decisions need to be made now instead of waiting for the future.

At Ten Mile Creek Brewery, dozens of people gathered to listen to a panel that consisted of Charlie Snellman, Helena Public Schools (HPS) student representative; Gabe Furshong, former HPS elementary school teacher; Moffie Funk, community member; Jenny Murnane-Butcher, program officer for the Board of Public Education; and Ryan Cooney, Project for Alternative Learning teacher.

The discussion, "Schools: Where do we go from here," was organized by How the Helena, a nongovernmental grassroots group.

All of the panelists said it was a discussion and engagement was encouraged, so members of the public asked questions about the district's financial struggles, the barriers it faces and how the community could help support its district.

Currently, the school district faces a multimillion-dollar budget deficit even though it made $2.5 million worth of cuts toward the end of the 2023-2024 academic year after five levies failed in May.

Snellman said he reached out to Superintendent Rex Weltz after the failed levies to find out more about how budgeting works in schools.

This got him more engaged in his own understanding of the issues his district faced after levies failed.

Although the impact of the failed levies was felt by Snellman, Furshong believed different cuts should have been made based on the budget consensus recommendation committee's findings and discussions.

The committee met over several months before the levies were voted down to proactively prepare the board with options about budget reduction ideas if some or all levies failed.

Two of the options Furshong, who attended multiple committee meetings, mentioned were the closing of a school and the cutting of the PEAK program.

From left, Charlie Snellman, Helena Public Schools student representative; Gabe Furshong, former HPS elementary school teacher; Moffie Funk, community member; Jenny Murnane-Butcher, program officer for the Board of Public Education; and Ryan Cooney, Project for Alternative Learning teacher, sit on a panel during a community discussion about HPS' budget shortfall and how to move forward on Sept. 17 at Ten Mile Creek Brewery.

He was in favor of these ideas based on his opinions and evaluation of the data he saw when deliberating with other committee members.

Furshong said it would have been better to consolidate now rather than reduce the amount of music and physical education students receive. Through budget cuts, the board of trustees voted to cut three full-time physical education teachers and three full-time music teachers in elementary schools.

That reduced the four meeting times in those subjects to three per week. By closing a school, districts run the risk of overcrowding other classes and teachers, but Furshong said most classes are already operating at capacity allowed by state law.

"It varies based on school," he said. The other topic he mentioned was his support for the removal of the PEAK program. The PEAK Gifted and Talented Program was designed to follow state requirements of addressing necessary needs of "gifted and talented students."

The flaw he saw in the program based on data was that it catered more to boys over girls. During the meeting Furshong claimed the program favored boys two to three times more than girls.

Students are evaluated in the second grade through a diagnostic test to determine if they qualify for PEAK. According to data from the 2021-2022 school year, fourth grade had 15 boys in the program and nine girls, while in seventh grade 24 boys and six girls participated.

The numbers could change depending on enrollment within the district.

Through a master facilities planning survey given to the community in spring 2023, closing schools and cutting PEAK took the No. 2 and 3 spots on the list, but neither of those happened.

The committee's recommendation list had PEAK and school consolidation in the top 10 choices, but the board did not take action on either of these recommendations.

"It's really important for our district to focus on essential services," Furshong said. "There is inequity that needs to be addressed."

He called the program a legal liability for the district, but when asked if he would support the program if the "inequity" was resolved he said no.

Cooney gave his take on the financial and educational situation within the district and across the state.

"As a teacher I feel like I'm always under attack," he said. "Public education requires a certain amount of trust."

He said in today's educational climate some parents feel like they can't trust teachers because they are going to teach them things the parents don't want their child to know.

Multiple panelists declined the statement and said they just want to support their students and set them on the right path giving them the best chance at a successful future.

Even though this may be the goal of teachers, money remains a main struggle, Cooney added. One belief he had was that schools needed to be reformed and should consider the possibility of modeling them after PAL.

Smaller class sizes, more engagement and better student outcomes were highlights Furshong and Cooney noted, but in order to accomplish a reformed schooling system, finances need to be available.

"We're facing a compilation of years and years of budget shortfalls," Butcher said.

According to Furshong, he believes there is a solution, but it will take time, so he encouraged the public to push for things it can control.

Mobilizing the power of parents was referenced and advocating to the Legislature who capped inflationary raises at 3%. Butcher said schools are pretty much guaranteed 80% of state funding, but the other 20% is when levies are proposed.

Even though Helena historically supported levies within the school district it did not show up in the vote earlier this year. Butcher said just because property taxes rise does not mean schools get more funding.

"The rate of inflationary increases have not kept up with actual inflation," she said.

Snellman said the ultimate goal was to "follow the chain" of support starting with students in mind and their best interests.

Furshong said it's important to have dialogue with one another "because we're all focused on the same goal and that is to create a district that is as strong and resilient as it can be."