2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 20. Education › Chapter 15. Community College Districts › Part 3. Finance › 20-15-310. Appropriation -- definitions

20-15-310. Appropriation -- definitions.
(1) As used in [20-15-328] and this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Adjusted base" means the state appropriation to a community college in the base year minus any one-time-only legislative appropriations, except for one-time-only legislative appropriations made for fiscal year 2022, and appropriations for auditing purposes, as well as any reversion pursuant to 17-7-142 before July 1, 2023, and adjusted for actual weighted FTE as determined by the commissioner of higher education in [20-15-328(2)], then multiplied by the inflationary factor for the second year of the current biennium.
(b) "Base year" means the first year of the current biennium.
(c) "Concurrent enrollment" means the form of dual enrollment through which a high school student receives instruction in a community college course from a high school instructor.
(d) "CTE FTE" means the FTE derived from students in courses determined by the commissioner of higher education to be career and technical education, based on national standard course classifications. For the purposes of the community college funding formula, FTE generated from a dual enrollment CTE course must be included in the calculation of CTE FTE and not in the concurrent enrollment or early college FTE categories.
(e) "Dual enrollment" means the circumstance in which a high school student is enrolled in both the student's high school and in a community college.
(f) "Early college" means the form of dual enrollment through which a high school student receives instruction in a community college course from a faculty member of the community college.
(g) "FTE" or "full-time equivalent" means the total number of undergraduate resident student credit hours in an academic year divided by 30.
(h) "FTE categories" means CTE FTE, general education FTE, the FTE derived from concurrent enrollment, and the FTE derived from early college. For the purposes of the community college funding formula, FTE generated from a dual enrollment CTE course must be included in the calculation of CTE FTE and not in the concurrent enrollment or early college FTE categories.
(i) "FTE decrease funding factor" means a dollar figure for each year of the ensuing biennium that is determined by the legislature and must be specified in the appropriations act appropriating funds to the community colleges for each biennium.
(j) "FTE increase funding factor" means a dollar figure for each year of the ensuing biennium that is determined by the legislature and must be specified in the appropriations act appropriating funds to the community colleges for each biennium.
(k) "FTE weighting factor" means a multiplier that is applied to changes in resident FTE in each of the FTE categories and that is determined by the legislature and must be specified in the appropriations act appropriating funds to the community colleges for each biennium.
(l) "General education FTE" means the FTE derived from nondual enrollment students in courses determined by the commissioner of higher education to not be career and technical education, based on national standard course classifications.
(m) "Inflationary factor" means the percentage calculated pursuant to 20-9-326, not to exceed 3% and subject to final determination by the legislature as specified in the appropriations act appropriating funds to the community colleges for each biennium.
(n) "Weighted FTE" means the sum of the FTE in each FTE category multiplied by the corresponding FTE weighting factor.
(2) It is the intent of the legislature that all community college spending, other than from restricted funds, designated funds, or funds generated by an optional, voted levy, be governed by the provisions of this part and the state general appropriations act.
(3) The state general fund appropriation for each community college must be determined as follows:
(a) For the first year of the next biennium, multiply the adjusted base by the inflationary factor for the first year of the next biennium, and to this number add the result of multiplying:
(i) any change in the projected weighted resident FTE changes for the first year of the next biennium from the actual weighted resident FTE in the base year; and
(ii) the FTE decrease funding factor or the FTE increase funding factor as appropriate for the first year of the next biennium.
(b) For the second year of the next biennium, multiply the adjusted base by the inflationary factor for the first year of the next biennium, multiply this result by the inflationary factor for the second year of the next biennium, and to this number add the result of multiplying:
(i) any change in the projected weighted resident FTE changes for the second year of the next biennium from the actual weighted resident FTE in the base year; and
(ii) the FTE decrease funding factor or the FTE increase funding factor as appropriate for the second year of the next biennium.
History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 495, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 494, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 493, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 3, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 336, L. 2017; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 175, L. 2019; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 348, L. 2021.