Bozeman Schools OK Budget, Praise Man Behind It

Steve Johnson makes it look easy, keeping budgets of $70 million balanced and helping Bozeman’s schools to educate more than 5,000 children.

As the Bozeman School District’s assistant superintendent for business for 25 years, Johnson was applauded this week by School Board trustees for giving exemplary service and for winning a national award, shortly before the board approved school budgets and tax rates for the coming year.

It’s a rare person who can combine strong business skills with a passion for educating kids and the ability to explain to voters and legislators the state’s byzantine school funding system, Superintendent Kirk Miller and trustees said.

Johnson is not only respected in the Bozeman business community but also has an amazing level of respect at the state and national levels, said Bruce Grubbs, the board’s vice chair.

Trustee Gary Lusin called Johnson “just a genuine, caring human being.”

Johnson has won the Distinguished Professional Eagle Award from the Association of School Business Officials International. It comes with a fancy crystal trophy, a trip to the association conference in Seattle and $2,500 for Johnson to give as a scholarship to a Bozeman student. Johnson called the scholarship the neatest part of the award.

After the applause, Johnson walked the trustees through the final steps of the school budgets, which they approved by unanimous votes.

Final approval was anticlimactic, since the major decisions were made last spring. The big changes include eliminating six jobs —including four counselors, slashing the textbook budget, doubling the number of teachers’ coaches from four to eight and hiring at least six more elementary teachers to keep up with growing enrollment.

The elementary and high school general fund budgets total $36.7 million, an increase of 1.5 percent from last year. When all budgeted funds, like retirement and busing, are added in, the total comes to $59.6 million, a 2.7 percent increase. When all funds, including construction, are added, the district’s total spending comes to $70 million.

Property taxes for the year will decrease slightly, as Johnson and the School Board promised in May when voters approved raising school taxes. A house with a state-assessed market value of $100,000 in the larger high school district will see taxes decrease by $2.71. In the Bozeman elementary district, taxes will go down by 3 cents.

Grubbs thanked Johnson for his thoroughness and hard work on the budgets, saying that’s one reason he received the award.

“We’re not letting you retire – ever,” Trustee Sue MacGrath told him.