Teachers Deliver Impassioned Plea for Wage Growth as Kalispell Schools Foreshadow Major Staffing Cuts

“Unimportant.”

“Discounted.”

“Undervalued.”

Nearly two dozen teachers offered public comment before the Kalispell school board on Tuesday night, donning their distinct union red as they expressed dismay that, nearly a month into the school year, the Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) has yet to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with its teachers union.

Following months of unsuccessful negotiations last spring, KPS and the Kalispell Education Association (KEA), the district’s certified teachers unions, were unable to reach an agreement for the first time in two decades, reflecting a growing rift between the district and its teachers as public schools across Montana face dire budget shortfalls while the cost of living for employees continues to outpace salary growth.

KPS is projected to face a budget deficit between $2.2 million and $3.1 million for the current school year.   

The KEA represents 460 teachers, school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, special educators and nurses in the Kalispell School District and is a local affiliate of the Montana Federation of Public Employees.

The union and the district have reached a stalemate over the salary matrix, which KEA Vice President Anthony Lapke said in an email is the “final piece of the process that has not been settled.”

The school district has proposed a base salary of $40,489, which would make KPS the lowest-paying AA school district in Montana for beginner teachers. The union proposed a $43,000 base salary, which would place Kalispell at the middle of the pack, below Billings, Bozeman and Missoula, and above Helena, Butte, Belgrade and Great Falls.

For the highest paid teachers, the district has proposed a salary of $83,938. The union has proposed $86,615.

Educators on Tuesday night implored the school board to raise teacher pay, citing an impossible cost of living in the Flathead Valley and a feeling of under-appreciation.

“I worry for our younger teachers because they are truly not paid enough to make ends meet,” Dr. Dana Haring, an English teacher in the district, said.

Brooke Gardner, a Spanish and German teacher, said that when she started at Glacier High School, she worked alongside a cohort of five other young teachers. Now, Gardner said, all five have left KPS in search of higher paying employment.

“I’m talking gas, groceries, medical bills. I can’t even live paycheck to paycheck in this valley,” she said. “… It breaks my heart.”

Though KPS is smaller than some of its AA peers, including Billings and Missoula, rapid growth in the Flathead Valley has pushed housing prices to unprecedented levels, pushing out many longtime residents and middle-class workers.

According to the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), the average rent for a home in Kalispell as of April 2024 was $1,957. Average rent prices sat at $1,338 in Billings; $1,424 in Missoula; $1,588 in Helena and $2,343 in Bozeman.

Some educators at the meeting said they’ve warned their children not to become teachers. Others criticized the Kalispell community, for repeatedly rejecting school levies, and the state Legislature, for supporting a funding formula that consistently leaves public schools pinching pennies. Many said they work one or two or three extra jobs. Others are considering leaving the profession.

“I hope that you’re all leaning into your power to advocate for us at the state level. That’s where the keys are at. That’s where the ignition is at,” Cody Hoon, a Glacier High School art teacher, said, addressing the school board.

“Let’s not be scared to do the hard thing to get the money we deserve,” Hoon said.

Despite over an hour of impassioned public comment from teachers, KPS administrators presented budget projections that foreshadow the elimination of 34 to 40 teaching positions beginning next school year.  

Per a presentation by KPS Superintendent Matt Jensen, the district will pay this year’s budget deficit out of the interlocal agreement, a pocket of money that acts as a savings account for the district. For the 2025-26 school year, administrators will recommend making cuts to nearly 40 positions, which will save the district between $2.2 million and $2.5 million. KPS will consider increasing student-to-staff ratios and eliminating course offerings, among other changes.

“We’re trying to create structure and change that has the least negative impact,” Jensen said, acknowledging that “the deficit is not the fault of teachers asking for a fair wage.”

Kalispell’s budget troubles are not unique, as school districts across Montana have contended with rising inflation, decreased enrollment and a state funding formula that requires individual districts to levy their communities to come up with one-fifth of their funding each year.

The Missoula County Public Schools in May cut 47 teaching positions. The Helena School District cut 52 positions and the Laurel Public Schools eliminated 14.

While Kalispell’s elementary district is fully funded, voters have not passed a high school district levy since 2007. Voters rejected a high school general fund levy by more than 1,500 votes in May.

“It’s nobody’s fault. We’re not in this budget situation because there’s been some sort of mismanagement of funds,” Jensen said. “We’re in this situation because we have a tough funding formula in the state of Montana and because, as a high school district, specifically, we’re 90% funded.”

Jensen said the district needs to be “prepared to play the long game” with a high school levy, which will mean proposing the measure to voters once again this year.

“When I look at our bucket of what we get to spend, our bucket isn’t nearly full enough,” trustee Jinn Mariman said.

“As a lawyer, it’s unconstitutional,” she added. “As a mom, it infuriates me.”

 Negotiations will resume on Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. in the Flathead High School flex room.

[email protected]