The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees last week approved elementary and high school budgets for the upcoming school year that include new state funding to increase teacher salaries and minimal cuts, despite declining enrollment.

The elementary budget totals $77.6 million, a 7.4% increase from last year’s $72.2 million budget. The high school budget increased about 9.7%, from $57.7 million to $63.4 million.

“I feel good about where we’re at,” Superintendent Micah Hill told Montana Free Press. “We were able to give significant [wage] increases to certified and classified staff, in large part thanks to the STARS Act, which was initially meant to increase starting teacher pay for Montana but also had the effect of trying to right-size the lack of inflationary increases from th

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