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April 3, 2026

Bozeman Public Schools Announces May 5, 2026 School Election

Bozeman, Mont. — Bozeman Public Schools is reminding voters of the upcoming school election scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2026, which will include trustee races and General Fund operating levy requests.

Ballots will be mailed to registered voters beginning April 17, 2026, and must be returned to the Gallatin County Election Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

What’s on the Ballot

Voters will be asked to consider:

Trustee Election:
Two Elementary/High School trustee seats are open.  Incumbents Kevin Black and Greg Neil have filed for reelection, and Patrick Zimny has also filed as a candidate.  The two candidates receiving the most votes will serve three-year terms.

General Fund Operating Levies:
The Board of Trustees is requesting voter approval for two operating levies to support school programs and staffing:

• Elementary General Fund Levy: $1,200,000 annually
• High School General Fund Levy: $600,000 annually

Under Montana law, voter approval is required for increases to General Fund levies.

Financial Context and Tax Impact

The $1.8 million in combined levy requests coincide with the payoff of bonds issued in 2006 to renovate Bozeman High School.  The annual debt service on those bonds is also $1.8 million, and when they are retired, the taxes used to make those payments will expire.  Because the expiring bond payments match the proposed levy amounts, the net change in district tax revenue is revenue neutral.

Although each dollar requested is offset, taxpayers will still see a modest net increase.  That’s because when the 2006 bonds were approved, the Big Sky area was part of the Bozeman School District and taxpayers there contributed to those bond payments.  Today, Big Sky is a separate district, and its taxpayers will not participate in the proposed new levies.  As a result, the cost is spread across a smaller group of taxpayers.

For a home valued at $600,000, the estimated net annual tax impact is $8.81, reflecting both the expiring bond payments and the change in the tax base.

Addressing Staffing Challenges

The requested levy funding would be used to address recruitment and retention challenges, particularly as employee wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living in the Bozeman area.

Voting Information

Ballots may be returned by mail or in person to the Gallatin County Election Office (311 West Main Street, Room 210).  Voters returning ballots by mail are encouraged to allow sufficient delivery time prior to the May 5 deadline.

Learn More

Additional information about the election, including detailed levy information and voter resources, is available at:
https://www.bsd7.org/election2026

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Superintendent Casey Bertram — casey.bertram@bsd7.org | (406) 522-6001
Executive Director of Business & Operations Mike Waterman — mike.waterman@bsd7.org | (406) 522-6001

Bozeman Public Schools Conditionally Approves Joining Statewide Bridged Health Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bozeman, MT – December 9, 2025 – Bozeman Public Schools is taking a significant step towards stabilizing healthcare costs and enhancing benefits for its employees. Last night, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to join the Bridged Health Alliance, a new statewide health insurance trust designed specifically for Montana public schools, subject to certain restrictions. The decision aligns with the unanimous recommendation from the district's insurance committee and administration.

A New Era for Health Coverage

The Bridged Health Alliance https://bridgedmt.org, established through the Montana Legislature's passage of HB332 in 2023, aims to empower Montana public school systems by offering higher-quality, lower-cost health, wellness, and pharmaceutical benefits. Bridged is focused on accomplishing four important goals: year-over-year renewal stability for schools; lower fixed costs via buying power in a large pool; improving the overall health and wellness of Montana school employees; and maximizing returns on the MT Legislature’s $40 million dollar investment in the trust to the benefit of schools and employees.

Bozeman Public Schools, which has operated a self-funded medical insurance plan since 1990, will join the "Skyline Tier" of the Alliance. This tier is designed for larger districts like Bozeman, allowing them to maintain their self-funded structure, retain local control over their benefit design, and still leverage the substantial savings in administrative and claim costs afforded by the Alliance's size and scale.

Stakeholder Endorsement and Financial Stability

The move has strong support from district employees. Eric Matthews, President of the Bozeman Education Association (BEA), shared his enthusiasm for the collaboration:

"The Bozeman Education Association is happy to be a partner with the Bozeman School District in recommending to the Board of Trustees that we join Bridged Health Alliance. This is a moment in time where we have the chance to be part of a statewide insurance pool that will help stabilize costs for participants, is not profit driven, and has the backing of the state legislature with seed money to help ensure success."

District administration and the insurance committee believe joining Bridged will reduce overall risk to the District’s Self-Insurance plan and help moderate future claims cost increases, which have averaged 8.6% annually over the last decade. A key component of this anticipated moderation comes from the Alliance's plan to negotiate hospital contracts based on a percent-of-Medicare model rather than a traditional network discount model.

Conditional Approval for Due Diligence

The Board's approval is conditional, meaning the Administration must receive satisfactory confirmation and documentation before formally joining the Alliance effective September 1, 2026. The contingencies, which must be met by March 31, 2026, are critical to protecting the District's financial interests and ensuring the Alliance's compliance:

1. Contract Confirmation: Written confirmation from Allegiance (Bridged’s Third Party Administrator) that Bozeman area contracts are in place, capping provider reimbursements and annual increases at a reasonable, mutually agreed-upon Multiple of Medicare ceiling for the contract's duration.
2. Self-Funded Documentation: Receipt of necessary documentation from Bridged that accurately describes the self-funded relationship and is consistent with representations made to the District's teams.
3. Trust Qualification: Documentation proving that Bridged has successfully met all Trust formation requirements specified in HB332, qualified the Trust with the State Auditor's Office, and been approved for the $40 million transfer from the Montana State General Fund.

If any of these three conditions are not met by the deadline, the conditional approval will expire, requiring the Board to take additional action to proceed. Under HB332, districts that join the trust must participate for a minimum of five consecutive school fiscal years.

Respectfully,

Casey Bertram, Superintendent