District overview
Garfield County District High School
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Who runs Garfield County District High School, and how is it paid for?
Garfield County District High School is the only high school in Garfield County, Montana, with about 57 students in grades 9-12. It shares a campus, staff and one five-member Unified Board of Trustees with Jordan Elementary District #1; together they are called Jordan Public Schools. Like other Montana districts, it is funded by state aid plus local property tax levies; small increases in non-voted levies are announced each March. In 2026 the district lost its long-time superintendent-principal and had trouble filling teaching jobs.
Unified board of five
Trustees are elected in May for three-year terms; in 2026 the election was cancelled because only as many people filed as there were seats.
Leadership change
The superintendent-principal was put on leave in March 2026 and resigned April 30; Julie Elias was principal by July.
+3.96 mills planned
About $31,785 more for building repairs and tuition costs in 2026-27, or about $9 a year on a $300,000 home.
Clean audit
The 2024-25 audit was unmodified with no new findings.
Budget totals were adopted on August 18, 2026 but the figures are not posted online, and the June 2026 minutes are missing from the website.
Where the district stands
From the federal Common Core of Data.
3.96 mills: building reserve $26,785 and tuition $5,000.
Major projects
Replacing the superintendent-principal
new principal in place (2026-27)After the leader was placed on leave and resigned, the board hired an interim superintendent for the rest of 2025-26 and had a new principal, Julie Elias, by July 2026.
- Three-year contract approved
- Placed on paid leave
- Interim superintendent hired
- Resignation accepted
- New principal reports
Funding
General fund
Gym floor replacement and building repairs
under way, fall 2026Insurance approved a new gym floor (about Sept. 1 to Nov. 10, 2026). The district also fixed elementary sewer lines ($15,672), added backwater valves at the gym, reinforced the weight room floor and upgraded technology with K12 Montana.
- Weight room floor reinforcement approved
- $15,672 sewer repair approved
- Gym floor schedule set
- Locker rooms done; floor on schedule
Funding
Insurance claim; building reserve levy for other repairs
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Collected from the Jordan Public Schools board page (jordanpublicschools.org/schoolboard, files on content.myconnectsuite.com): every agenda and minutes posted from October 2025 through the October 20, 2026 agenda, plus levy, audit, budget and election notices and the 2025-26 teacher contract.
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