Sign up for the free Helena This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Helena city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 01/12/2025 District says changes needed to balance enrollment in the city’s schools. A proposal to adjust the boundary lines that will determine which school students attend will be presented to the Helena School Board of Trustees for a vote this week. School officials first introduced the idea of changing the school boundaries last year to balance student enrollment throughout the district and address the growth in Helena. Additionally, the proposal has been deemed necessary as the district prepares for the construction and renovation of three new school buildings following the passage of a historic $283 million facility bond by Helena voters last year.  “Nobody wants to talk about boundaries, but we had to,” Superintendent Rex Weltz said during a December meeting. “If we’re going to build a new high school, then we need to know how many students are going to occupy it.” Boundary changes would primarily redistribute students in both high schools and middle schools, as well as Bryant, Four Georgians, Jim Darcy, Rossiter and Warren elementary schools, according to the proposed plans.  There are about 1,370 students who attend Capital High and about 980 who go to Helena High, according to enrollment numbers from last October. If the school board agrees to implement boundary adjustments, Helena High could see an increase of 136 students.  Approximately 90 students are expected to transition from C.R. Anderson to Helena Middle School over time, while Four Georgians Elementary would see the most significant shift among the grade schools, with approximately 70 students potentially moving over to Rossiter.  The district has created a platform on its website for the public to provide feedback and ask questions. The school board is expected to vote on the proposal at a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Lincoln Center, 1335 Poplar St., at 5:30 p.m. Public Notice  Mayor Emily Dean will give her inaugural state of the city address at Monday’s city commission meeting at the City-County Building at 6 p.m. The address is an annual event in which the mayor reviews the past year’s achievements, progress and challenges while also outlining goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Dean took the mayor’s oath of office Dec. 29.  5 Things to Know in Helena  The city commission approved the employment agreement for new City Manager Alana Lake, finalizing her annual salary at $175,000. During a special commission meeting last week, the city commission voted 3-1 to confirm Lake’s contract, which also includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment. Commissioner Melinda Reed cast the only dissenting vote, commenting that it seemed unfair to approve a guaranteed COLA for Lake while other city staff don’t receive that assurance.  “I believe in an old-fashioned commitment to community. Here service begins with the simple question, ‘How can I help?’” Lake said at the meeting. “That spirit is what makes a community strong, and it’s the spirit I’m committed to bringing to this role every day.” The city commission will continue to discuss a resolution regarding the city’s policy on federal immigration enforcement during a meeting on Monday, Jan. 26, according to Police Chief Brett Petty. Petty informed the commission during a meeting last week after Commissioner Melinda Reed inquired about an update. The follow-up comes after Petty and City Attorney Rebecca Dockter presented an initial draft to the commission last month that would codify current actions of the police department “in furtherance of the goals for public safety and protection of its citizens.” The draft also stated that the Helena Police Department would not use its resources to aid federal enforcement and that the city would refrain from entering a formal agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.   The city will consider the approval of an $880,000 bid for ADA ramps during a meeting on Monday, Jan. 12. The city transportation system’s streets division recommended the bid go to All Around Construction to upgrade about 100 ramps to ADA standards, as well as address other street infrastructure improvements. The work is expected to take about two years to complete.  The city will hold a public ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly updated Helena Civic Center ballroom floor on Monday, Jan. 12, at noon. The civic center’s ballroom floor was installed in 2005, resembling an eight-pointed star pattern that reflected the center’s original Moorish Revival design when the building was constructed in 1921. CWG Architects was contracted for the floor design along with Big Sky Installations for the project’s demolition and installation.  The League of Women Voters of the Helena Area, along with other community groups, held a vigil for Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by Federal Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. The vigil was held at the federal courthouse last Friday as a way to protest the “culture of cruelty, violence and fear perpetrated by the current federal regime and ICE,” according to a league’s press release.  4 Questions For City Commissioner Julia Gustafson, left, takes the oath of office from Mayor Emily Dean during a special commission meeting Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: JoVonne Wagner/ MTFP Julia Gustafson, a mother of two, was appointed last week as the newest city commissioner to replace Emily Dean, who was elected mayor in November. Gustafson was one of 17 Helenans who applied for the position and, after several public interviews over the last month, she was unanimously selected by the current commission. Montana Free Press spoke with Gustafson last week. Her comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity. MTFP: Congrats on your appointment. How are you feeling?  Gustafson:  I’m very excited and relieved for this fast and furious process to be over. And honestly, I’m kind of humbled, not kind of, I am humbled by the experience. You know, you put yourself out there in a public format and kind of say, ‘Pick me,’ and then when they do, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow. They picked me. Okay, let’s go.’ So I’m still processing what it means. MTFP: You have an extensive history of working within different nonprofits. How do you see that work experience playing into your role as a commissioner?  Gustafson:  I work part-time for a statewide nonprofit, the Friends of the Montana Constitution.  It’s a nonprofit working to inspire appreciation of our state Constitution and celebrate the legacy of the 1972 Constitutional Convention. I’m a little bit of a democracy nerd, and so I get to talk about our Constitution at a statewide level, and then I get to put it into action now as a holder of public office.   I have experience both as a nonprofit employee and as a nonprofit board member. And those are different and overlapping, but I do think they relate a lot to city government. Nonprofits are for the public good, trying to make our communities a better place. And the city, I would like to say, we’re gonna do the same. We’re working to make our city a better place, I think. I served on the board of the Helena Food Share. I served on the board [for] several terms and also as chair, and that really gave me an insight into how we do things in our community and how we support those who need help.   I think when it comes to what I learned there and in other nonprofit work, is that when we get to budgeting, I think budgets can be aspirational, and they’re part of a plan and a dream for the next year ahead. We can’t always do all the things that we want to do, so we have to think about budgets in an “if this, then that” kind of situation. What are the essentials that we need to fund first, and then what are the big-picture dreams we’re working towards? What are the resources that we have now to apply to both these essentials and these things we want for the future? MTFP: What motivated you to apply for the vacant commission seat now and not run for a spot last year? Gustafson:  Why now? I’ve always been a very involved person, and I love our community, and I love giving back in a lot of different ways. The why now is that I had time. I wasn’t in a space to have the time to run for an election, so this timing was kind of unique that it worked for me now to switch my involvement, or my community service, to this avenue. The short answer is I love being involved, and I was happy that this happened at this time, when I could have more capacity to give in this way or to share.  MTFP: What is a message you’d like to share with Helenans as we enter the next chapter of local government? Gustafson: I’m keenly aware now that I am a holder of public office, but I wasn’t elected; I was appointed to fill a vacancy. But it’s my job to represent all the citizens of Helena. So I want them to know I am here to represent them.  As a policymaker, it’s my job to think about our community, and so once I have my phone and email, I really hope people reach out and tell me what is on their mind and their thoughts for our city. I didn’t have the opportunity to campaign and hear directly from voters, but I really hope our town isn’t shy about telling me their thoughts on where we should be headed.  The post School boundary lines up for vote this week appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less