Montana Department of Public Instruction,State Aid Distribution Office records
Scope and Contents
Records consist of Public School Equalization Fund files (1949-1968); school revenue distribution sheets (1949-1960) arranged by county; school census summaries (1911-1912, 1964-1972); and school census enumerations for Lewis and Clark County (1919), Silver Bow County (1949), and all counties (1970).
Dates
- Creation: 1911-1972
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Biographical / Historical
The office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was created by the 1872 Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly to replace the older office of school commissioner. The Montana Constitution of 1889 made the office elective and defined its functions. In 1959 the Montana Legislative Assembly created the Department of Public Instruction to administer the office under the direction of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The State Aid Distribution Office was administered by different parts of the Office of Public Instruction. Montana's first territorial legislature mandated on February 7, 1865, that the school district clerk "procure a list of all persons in the district between the ages of four and twenty-one years." the census came to be used as the basis on which the state's equalization aid was paid. However, as this formula was judged to be inequitable, the system was changed and the last school census was taken in 1973.
Extent
9.5 linear feet
Abstract
The State Aid Distribution Office under the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction was established to administer the distribution of state revenues to local school districts on the basis of population. Records consist of Public School Equalization Fund (PSEF) files (1949-1968); school revenue distribution sheets (1949-1960); school census summaries (1911-1912, 1964-1972); and school census enumerations for Lewis and Clark County (1919), Silver Bow County (1949), and all counties (1970).
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by series.
Physical Location
28:4-6; Oversize Boxes 14 and 15 21:8-5
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition information is available upon request.
Separated Materials
Maps transferred to Library Map Collection
- Title
- Guide to the Montana Department of Public Instruction, State Aid Distribution Office records, 1911-1972
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 1990
- Date
- 2006
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Repository
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT 59620-1201 United States
406-444-2681
406-444-2696 (Fax)
mhslibrary@mt.gov