§ 20-9-236 — Transfer Of Funds -- Improvements To School Safety And Security

Montana § 20-9-236

• Jurisdiction: Montana
• Title 20: EDUCATION
• Ch. 9: FINANCE
• Part 2: Administration of Finances

Text

20-9-236 . Transfer of funds -- improvements to school safety and security. (1) A school district that has certified to the office of public instruction a current school safety plan or emergency operations plan pursuant to 20-1-401 may transfer state or local revenue from any budgeted or nonbudgeted fund, other than the debt service fund or retirement fund, to its building reserve fund in an amount not to exceed the school district's estimated costs of improvements to school and student safety and security as follows:
(a) planning for improvements to and maintenance of school and student safety, including but not limited to the cost of staffing for or services provided by architects, engineers, school resource officers, counselors, and other staff or consultants assisting the district with improvements to school and student safety and security;
(b) programs and training for school employees, students, parents, and community members approved by the trustees to support school and student safety and security, including but not limited to active shooter training, threat assessment practices pursuant to 20-1-401 (3)(b), and restorative justice;
(c) installing or updating locking mechanisms and ingress and egress systems at public school access points, including but not limited to systems for exterior egress doors and interior passageways and rooms, using contemporary technologies;
(d) installing or updating bullet-resistant windows and barriers;
(e) installing or updating emergency response systems using contemporary technologies; and
(f) providing automated external defibrillators and making other student safety improvements pursuant to 20-7-1339 .
(2) Any transfers made pursuant to subsection (1) are not considered expenditures to be applied against budget authority. Any revenue transfers that are not encumbered for expenditures in compliance with subsection (1) within 2 full school fiscal years after the funds are transferred must be transferred back to the originating fund from which the revenue was transferred.
(3) The intent of this section is to increase the flexibility and efficiency of school districts without an increase in local taxes. In furtherance of this intent, if transfers of funds are made from any school district fund supported by a nonvoted levy, the district may not increase its nonvoted levy for the purpose of restoring the transferred funds.

Legislative History

En. Sec. 9, Ch. 364, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 323, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 404, L. 2017; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 253, L. 2019; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 245, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 348, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 742, L. 2025.