20-15-328. Adjustments based on actual weighted FTE — special revenue account — statutory appropriation. (1) There is a community college FTE adjustment account in the state special revenue fund provided for in 17-2-102. The account is statutorily appropriated, as provided in 17-7-502, to the commissioner of higher education for the purposes described in this section.

Terms Used In Montana Code 20-15-328

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of higher education created by Article X, section 9, subsection (2), of the Montana constitution and 2-15-1506. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • fund: means a separate detailed account of receipts and expenditures for a specific purpose as authorized by law or by the superintendent of public instruction under the provisions of subsection (2). See Montana Code 20-9-201
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201

(2)Beginning at the end of fiscal year 2024, at the end of each fiscal year the commissioner of higher education, utilizing the FTE decrease funding factor and the FTE increase funding factor as appropriate, shall determine the fiscal impacts resulting from the weighted FTE projections on which that fiscal year’s state appropriation to a community college was based, pursuant to 20-15-310, and the fiscal impacts that would have resulted had the actual weighted FTE for that fiscal year been used to determine that fiscal year’s state appropriation and shall determine any overpayment or underpayment to the community college for that fiscal year.

(3)At the end of each odd fiscal year, the commissioner shall calculate the net underpayment or overpayment resulting from the underpayment or overpayment of the prior fiscal year and current fiscal year determined under subsection (2) and:

(a)the commissioner shall distribute any net underpayment determined under this subsection (3) to a community college from the community college FTE adjustment account by October 15 of the current calendar year; or

(b)a community college receiving a net overpayment determined under this subsection (3) shall pay a fee equal to the overpayment to the commissioner by October 15 of the current calendar year for deposit in the community college FTE adjustment account.