Oppose HB320- Today is the 3rd Reading!

Opposition to HB 320: Montana’s Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars

Dear Elected Official

I am a voter and long-time resident of Montana, I am also a previous educator and a voter. I am asking you to oppose HB320 when it comes to the floor from the 3rd reading today.

Montana House Bill 320, establishing the Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars (MAPPS), purports to offer a voluntary, tax-credit-based funding mechanism to support educational expenses. While this initiative may seem promising on the surface, it is deeply flawed both fiscally and morally. This bill introduces fiscal irresponsibility, inequity for students and parents, unnecessary governmental expansion, and undermines the future of public education in Montana.

Fiscally Irresponsible: The funds designated for the MAPPS program—money that should be allocated to vital public services such as property tax relief—are instead being diverted to a tax credit system that disproportionately benefits wealthier families. By siphoning off $4 million in state resources (with the amount set to grow annually), this bill compromises public funding intended to relieve tax burdens on Montanans in need. Such a move shows poor fiscal management, especially when considered against the backdrop of urgent needs for broader public investment, including education.

Discriminatory to Students: HB 320 unjustly excludes full-time public-school students, a decision that disproportionately impacts rural and American Indian students, who rely more heavily on the public education system due to geographic and socioeconomic constraints. By excluding these students from accessing educational assistance, the bill undermines the principles of equity and equal opportunity that should guide Montana’s educational policies.

Violation of the Montana Constitution: HB 320 also raises serious concerns regarding the Montana Constitution, particularly the provisions that ensure equal access to education for all students. Article X, Section 1 of the Montana Constitution guarantees a "free and quality" public education system. The diversion of funds from public schools to privately funded educational accounts not only undermines this constitutional right but also risks the establishment of a system that prioritizes the interests of a select group of families while leaving the majority of students behind. By excluding full-time public school students from eligibility and failing to ensure that funds benefit all students equitably, HB 320 undermines the principle of providing equal educational opportunities for every child, as enshrined in our state constitution. Moreover, the bill’s approach to allowing private educational providers to operate without oversight or adherence to basic state educational standards contradicts the state’s constitutional mandate to ensure the quality and safety of education in Montana.

Discriminatory to Parents: Parents who choose to send their children to public schools face the same financial burdens—tutoring, travel, school supplies—as parents in the MAPPS program, yet they are excluded from receiving the benefits of this funding. This bill fails to acknowledge the sacrifices public school parents make, perpetuating inequality by offering financial incentives solely to parents who choose non-public educational options. This selective favoritism for one group of parents over another is unfair and divisive. This continues a trend of unfavorable bills that do not support the Montana Constitution in a fair and equal education opportunities. 

Unnecessary Government Growth: The establishment of the MAPPS Council and the increased demands on the Department of Administration represent unwarranted government growth. The bill introduces a new layer of oversight, administration, and bureaucracy that will only increase the cost and complexity of managing the state’s educational system without providing tangible benefits to the majority of students attending public schools. Our constitution wrote in the need to balance our budget, this is an unnecessary expense during a time when the Federal Government is in chaos. 

Duplicative and Unnecessary: The voucher system already in place in Montana, as established in 2021, provides similar benefits to parents who seek educational alternatives outside the public school system. Creating another separate program in the form of MAPPS is redundant, wasteful, and unnecessary, as it serves the same purpose under the guise of “flexibility,” while merely shifting funds away from public education.

Unfair to Taxpayers: This bill is a regressive measure that diverts funds away from property tax relief and public education, and funnels it into a welfare program for the wealthy. The state's tax dollars should be invested in services that benefit the greater public, such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, not in a system that disproportionately benefits those who can already afford to pay for private educational services.

Siphoning Funds from Public Schools: Every year, $4 million is siphoned away from public schools to fund the MAPPS program, with no guarantee of accountability or benefit to the public education system. The overwhelming majority of Montana’s students attend public schools, and these resources should be invested in improving the education system for all students—not diverted to an alternative program that serves only a fraction of the student body.

Lack of Accountability and Oversight: One of the most concerning aspects of HB 320 is its lack of oversight and accountability. There is no requirement for educational providers to be certified or licensed, and no standards for safety, testing, or the measurement of student outcomes. The absence of these critical measures exposes students to potential harm and diminishes the quality of education that taxpayers expect from a system that receives public funding. Furthermore, there is no obligation for education providers to accept students with special needs, thus excluding a vulnerable population from participating in the program.

To conclude, HB 320 represents a harmful step backward for Montana’s education system. It is fiscally irresponsible, discriminatory, and unnecessary. It grows government without providing any meaningful improvements to educational outcomes, and it unfairly siphons money away from the students who need it most. I urge the legislature to reject this bill and instead invest in strengthening our public education system for all Montana students.

Sincerely, 

A constituant