Mont. Code Ann. § 20-9-326

(1) In preparing and submitting an agency budget pursuant to 17-7-111 and 17-7-112, the superintendent of public instruction shall determine the inflation factor for the basic and per-ANB entitlements in each fiscal year of entitlements, the ensuing biennium. The inflation factor is calculated as follows: data-for-achievement payment, the per-ANB amount used to calculate the total special education allocation in 20-9-306, and the general fund payments in 20-9-327 through 20-9-330 in each fiscal year of the ensuing biennium. The inflation factor is calculated as follows:

(a) for the first year of the biennium, divide the consumer price index for July 1 of the prior calendar year by the consumer price index for July 1 of the calendar year 3 years prior to the prior calendar year and raise the resulting ratio to the power of one-third; and

(b) for the second year of the biennium, divide the consumer price index for July 1 of the current calendar year by the consumer price index for July 1 of the calendar year 3 years prior to the current calendar year and raise the resulting ratio to the power of one-third.

(2) The present law base for the basic and per-ANB entitlements, calculated under Title 17, chapter 7, part 1, must consist of any enrollment increases or decreases plus the inflation factor calculated pursuant to this section, not to exceed 3% in each year, applied to both years of the biennium.

(2) (a) The present law base for the entitlements referenced in subsection (1) of this section, calculated under Title 17, chapter 7, part 1, must consist of any enrollment increases or decreases plus the inflation factor calculated pursuant to this section, not to exceed 3% in each year, applied to both years of the biennium.

(b) This subsection (2) does not limit the superintendent or the governor from recommending, or limit the legislature from adopting, inflationary adjustments other than those calculated in this section.

(3) For the purposes of this section, "consumer price index" means the consumer price index, U.S. Beginning in fiscal year 2026 and then every even-numbered fiscal year thereafter, city average, all urban consumers, for all items, using the 1982-84 base superintendent of 100, as published by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. department of labor. public instruction shall provide a report no later than September 1 to the education interim budget committee and the education interim committee and no later than December 31 to the legislative finance committee, in accordance with 5-11-210, regarding the educational relevance in the implementation of this section. The report must include:

(a) the increase in funding over the prior year on a per-ANB basis for the BASE aid elements represented in [20-9-306(2)(a), (2)(c) through (2)(g), and (2)(i)] budgeted to be provided to school districts in the current fiscal year and provided to school districts in the preceding 5 fiscal years, which must be reported in both dollar and percentage amounts, with the six percentages rounded to the nearest one hundredth;

(b) the percentage change from July of the preceding year to July of the applicable year in the consumer price index for the current year and the preceding 5 years, with the six percentages rounded to the nearest one hundredth; and

(c) a cumulative numerical comparison of the difference between the percentages reported in subsections (3)(a) and (3)(b), rounded to the nearest one hundredth.

(4) For the purposes of this section, "consumer price index" means the consumer price index, U.S. city average, all urban consumers, for all items, using the 1982-84 base of 100, as published by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. department of labor.

Annual inflation-related adjustments to basic entitlements and per-ANB entitlements – reporting