March 12, 2018
MEA-MFT is proud to join with Montana business people and many others to support the Six Mill Levy and get it passed in the November 2018 election.
Read more about our efforts here.
Campaign launch: Members of Montanans for the Six Mill Levy campaign committee and their supporters gathered at Great Falls College today to announce the beginning of their efforts to renew the 6-Mill levy (LR-128) in support of Montana’s public colleges and universities.
First passed in 1948 and renewed by voters every ten years since, the 6-Mill levy will provide more than $230 million to Montana’s public colleges and universities over the next ten years.
Businessman Bob Nystuen |
“The 6-Mill levy is not a new tax,” said Bob Nystuen, a Great Falls businessman and member of the committee working on the initiative. “This a Montana tradition focused on providing opportunities to train graduates for the jobs of tomorrow and to keep higher education affordable for students and families in every county in Montana.”
Without the funds provided by the levy, Montana students could face tuition increases as high as 18%, making higher education less affordable as many students are already paying 60% of tuition costs out of pocket.
Nystuen was joined by Dr. Susan Wolff, CEO and Dean of Great Falls College MSU and Maddie Scherting, a Montana State University-Northern student. Wolff and Scherting stressed the levy’s importance in continuing to support public colleges and universities.
Student Maddie Scherting |
Dr. Wolff said, “The highly-knowledgeable and highly-skilled people across our state and our region are coming from our higher education institutions and working high-wage jobs supporting lifestyles benefiting their children, families, and communities.”
“I’m proud to say I have attended three Montana University System schools across the state,” Scherting said. “I am hopeful future generations will have this same opportunity. The passage of the 6-Mill levy will allow for continued growth in Montana and create a legacy of learning that will change people’s lives.”
Other supporters of the current effort include MEA-MFT, Montana Chamber of Commerce, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Montana Economic Developers Association, Montana Public Employees Association, St. Vincent Healthcare, Montana Associated Students, Billings Chamber of Commerce, Missoula Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, and Associated Students of the University of Montana.
For more information about Montanans for the Six Mill and their efforts, or to support the campaign, visit http://www.montanansforthesixmill.com or contact Nik Griffith at [email protected] or (406) 449-7303.