BILLINGS — After failing to pass a mill levy for nearly two decades, Elder Grove School is at risk of losing its only comprehensive reading curriculum, forcing the district to turn to community donations for help.
Watch how a local school district is looking for help:
For more than three decades, first-grade teacher Tammy Robertus has watched Elder Grove Elementary grow from a small school with chalkboards to a rapidly expanding district west of Billings.
What she has not seen in recent years is stable funding for classroom curriculum.
“We've always had (curriculum) provided by the schools. Lately, the last probably four or five years, we've been without a math curriculum,” said Robertus.
Now, the school’s only comprehensive curriculum program, reading, is set to expire at the end of the school year.
Elder Grove Elementary, one of the oldest school districts in Montana, has not passed a mill levy since 2007. Most recently, a 2025 levy failed by a vote of 926 against and 485 in favor.
Without additional levy funding, elementary principal Jennifer Sundsted said the school has not had comprehensive science, math, or social studies curriculum programs for several years. The middle school also lacks a comprehensive curriculum.
For teachers, the absence of structured materials adds hours to their workload as they now create much of that content themselves, and often purchase materials with their own money.
“The little kids I teach, first grade, need the books to read out of that's developmentally appropriate, that have the phonics we're studying, so we're a little concerned," said Robertus. "When our subscription for our reading curriculum expires, the online pieces go away, so you'd have to create your own or find other things, which takes time."
The district currently serves about 460 students and has undergone several building expansions in recent years to accommodate growth.
Sundsted said the district has passed bonds to pay for building expansions but has not secured levies to fund operational costs tied to that growth. As a result, administrators have had to make budget cuts to continue operating two facilities on the same general fund.
“When you have that many number of students coming in and those higher needs, it becomes a balancing act," Sundsted said.
The school’s five-year contract for its current reading curriculum, Amplify CKLA, ends at the end of this school year. Renewing the existing program would be costly.
"If we were to look at renewing our current contract with what we have now, it'd be roughly $22,000," said Sundsted. "Now, if we were looking at a new curriculum … that can range between ($50,000) to $100,000, depending on those contract years.”
The lack of a consistent curriculum can also affect student performance. While the district generally performs well on state testing assessments, Sundsted said scores can fluctuate.
"We can see that there is a dip with our scores when they're not being provided with a curriculum," she said.
Due to funding constraints, the district does not offer a gifted and talented program, though it does provide Title I services for students who need extra help in reading and math.
With another levy failing, district leaders have turned to an unconventional funding source and started a GoFundMe campaign earlier this month. The fundraiser has collected about $14,000 so far.
“Right now, this is kind of our last-ditch effort to put something into place, so that way we can purchase something before the end of May so it's here for the next school year," said Sundsted.
Robertus said the uncertainty weighs on teachers and students alike, particularly in early grades, where foundational skills are critical.
“The mill levies not passing is discouraging," said Robertus. "People don't want their taxes raised, but it is surprising because we want to support our kids.”
Both Robertus and Sundsted said they hope the community recognizes the long-term impact of stable classroom resources. For now, they're turning to nontraditional means to raise funds for vital resources, but crowdsourcing has become increasingly common for schools to help keep students on track.
“Prices are only going up," said Sundsted. "But we as a community need to step up and work together to ensure our students are getting their needs met.”
For more information on the GoFundMe, click here.
