05/20/2024
As the Helena School District figures out its plans for generating revenue and conserving budget funds after five school levy requests failed earlier this month, officials say they may have identified a new purpose for the historic May Butler building.
During last week’s school board meeting, Superintendent Rex Weltz said that the district is in discussions with a contractor to assess the possibility of turning the building into affordable housing for district educators.
Weltz said his vision for the building is that it would help support teachers without impacting the district’s general fund. He noted that in past years, the district has offered contracts to new teachers who were unable to accept them due to lack of affordable housing options in Helena.
The May Butler building, at 55 S. Rodney St., was formerly the district’s administration building before operations were moved to the Lincoln Center in 2021. Some district staff still have office space in the Butler building.
Last December, the district called for applications to lease the building and received two offers. Both proposals wanted to convert the building into shelter space — a use that didn’t align with the district’s vision for the facility.
Weltz said the project is not yet set in stone, and didn’t provide additional information on the plan’s progress.
Public Notice
Public Safety Mill Levy: The last few chances to learn more about Helena’s upcoming public safety mill levy and bond are approaching. The second-to-last ‘Coffee with the Chiefs’ opportunity will be on Tuesday, May 21, at 9 a.m., at the Bagel Co. at 735 N. Last Chance Gulch.
On Thursday, May 23, the city will host its final community conversation on the issue at the Lewis and Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch, in the large community room at 6 p.m. Some members of the city commission, fire and police department representatives and Mayor Wilmot Collins will be present to discuss and answer questions about the levy and bond.
Ballots were sent out earlier this month and are due at the Lewis and Clark elections office by 8 p.m. on June 4.
Visit the city’s website for more information about the public safety mill levy and bond.
Input on City Budget: The Helena Citizens’ Council will host a public forum on Wednesday, May 22, at the City-County Building, 316 N. Park Ave., to request input on the 2025 fiscal year city budget. The event will be in room 326 and begins at 6 p.m.
KinderSprouts Recruiting: The school district is offering free KinderSprouts screenings now through June for children about to enter school. KinderSprouts is an early literacy intervention program that will provide reading skill-building services to pre-k kids.
Children must be at least 4 years old by Sept. 10 to qualify for the screening. Visit the school district’s website for more information on how to register.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Ballot Mix-up: About 3,000 ballots for the upcoming June 4 primary election were sent to the wrong addresses. Ballots were mailed earlier this month, and residents in city precincts 6, 12 and 15 received Lewis and Clark County absentee ballots, and some county residents received the city of Helena’s ballots. According to the county’s election webpage, the ballots have been voided and re-sent to the correct addresses. According to a report in the Independent Record, the mishap was caused by “human error” at the elections office. Ballots are still due at the elections office, 316 Park Ave., room 168, by 8 p.m. on June 4.
Parking Committee Revival: Earlier this month, city officials, leaders with the Business Improvement District and business owners met to discuss the next steps to address downtown parking concerns. In that meeting, both city and BID officials agreed to re-form a previously defunct parking advisory committee. The city commission still needs to approve the committee members.
Myrna Mural Artist Recommended: The Helena Public Art Committee recommended artist Chip Clawson for the Helena Public Art Collaboration Project during a city commission meeting on Wednesday, May 15. In March, the city allocated $5,000 to the project and put out a call for local artists; Clawson was the only applicant. The proposed artwork will be a sculpture titled “Molecules at the Myrna,” which would be installed on the side of the Myrna Loy building. The total cost of the installation is about $20,000. Clawson raised $14,000 and received a $1,000 grant from the theater. If commissioners approve the committee’s recommendation, Clawson would meet his funding goal.
Sinkhole at HMS: Last week, Helena Middle School reported a sinkhole on its campus. The school district’s facilities team blocked off and excavated the area, but is not sure what caused it. The team has since filled the hole with gravel. According to the school’s communications officer Karen Ogden, the sinkhole was about eight feet deep.
Acting, Shmacting: The Montana Playwrights Network will present acting classes from May 21 to July 2 at the Helena Avenue Theatre, 1319 Helena Ave. Montana theater artist Bruce Hall will teach the course, which requires a registration fee and is open to those age 16 and up. Visit the theater’s website for additional details and registration.
3 Questions For
The Helena Public School District recently released a list of 52 non-tenured teachers whose contracts weren’t renewed for the coming year, as well as 19 others who are either retiring or have resigned. Jane Shawn, the Helena Education Association president, spoke with MTFP about what the list means for the future of educators and students in the district. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity.
MTFP: What does this mean for the non-renewed teachers and will this impact the recent raise for teachers?
Shawn: I believe that many of these non-renewals will be hired back, but “when” is of course the question. We’re already in the middle of May, and the hiring season for teachers is close to come and gone. There are still positions out there, but a lot of places are doing their hiring in April and May. I don’t know if these folks will be available. The contracts haven’t changed. We agreed on a 1.5% increase; that’s what we will be seeing next year. We agreed on a 3% increase if the levy passed.
MTFP: What can parents expect to see differently for the next school year?
Shawn: I think we’re going to see larger class sizes. We’re going to really get to the max, which is unfortunate because we all know that that’s not what’s best for kids, but that’s the reality of the situation that we’re in. If we go deeper and start looking at program cuts, I don’t know whether or not we would have a reduction in force. I hope not, because that would affect our tenured teachers. Everything is so up in the air. We really just don’t know what’s going to happen. The board is the ultimate decision-maker on what we’re going to keep, what we’re going to not keep and who we’re going to keep.
MTFP: How does this list compare to last year?
Shawn: There are many more people on it than there were last year. This is very unusual for the Helena school district.
Last year the district had actually given people sort of an informal, “You know, you’re not tenured, so you may not get a contract next year.” They sent that message to 125 people. They were able to actually rescind almost all of them. Again, some of these [this year] very well may be rescinded and they may be asked back, and I hope that’s the case. I’ve looked at the list and there’s a lot of great teachers on there, but that’s the way it is with tenure. You’re not protected until you get it.
I believe that if the levies had passed, we would have been able to keep all of these people. I don’t think we would be in this position. I do not believe that it was the community saying they don’t support public schools. I don’t believe that that was it. I think our community very much supports our public schools and supports our teachers. But there were choices to be made, and I understand those choices with the property taxes and the shift in the tax burdens from corporations to homeowners put us in a place where decisions had to be made. And that’s unfortunate.
Helena History
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
