Montana Code Annotated 2017

TITLE 20. EDUCATION

CHAPTER 9. FINANCE

Part 2. Administration of Finances

Transfer Of Funds -- Improvements To School Safety And Security

20-9-236. Transfer of funds -- improvements to school safety and security. (1) A school district 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 safety and security as follows:

(a) planning for improvements to school safety, including but not limited to the cost of services provided by architects, engineers, and other consultants;

(b) 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;

(c) installing or updating bullet-resistant windows and barriers; and

(d) installing or updating emergency response systems using contemporary technologies.

(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.

History: En. Sec. 9, Ch. 364, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 323, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 404, L. 2017.