District overview
Winnett Public Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How does a 60-student K-12 school keep running?
Winnett Public Schools is the only school district in Petroleum County, Montana, one of the least populated counties in the country. It started the 2026-27 year with 60 students (29 elementary, 11 junior high and 20 high school) and runs a 4-day school week. Like other Montana districts, it is paid for by state school funding plus local property tax levies that the board sets each spring. Local grants and donations, such as the Carrell grant program and the Booster Club, pay for many extras. A five-member elected board and Superintendent Teri Harris run the district, and it shares sports and activities with Grass Range.
Tiny enrollment
60 students on the first day of school in August 2026.
Local gifts matter
Grants and donations paid for the field fence ($23,000 Carrell grant plus $5,000 from boosters) and the capital improvement plan ($10,000).
Shared programs
Sports and activities are run as a cooperative with Grass Range, and students also come and go through out-of-district attendance agreements.
Board split
Many 2026 votes were 4-1, and the board passed a resolution in February saying one trustee does not speak for the board.
Most business still passes 5-0, and the minutes show routine work like contracts, buses and repairs getting done each month.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Capital improvement plan
draft under reviewStahly Engineering is coordinating a list of building needs and priorities, including the gym ceiling and hail-damage repairs.
- $10,000 accepted for Stahly to coordinate the plan
- Stahly meeting
- Gym ceiling discussed under the plan
- Draft plan on the agenda
Funding
Carrell grant organization
Football field and outdoor facility
fencing approved; work ongoingVolunteers and the board have added bleachers, scoreboard posts, power and painting, and the board approved a black chain-link fence.
- Two sets of bleachers approved
- Volunteer work day
- $29,804 fence approved
- Town access agreement approved
Funding
Carrell grant ($23,000), Booster Club ($5,000) and district funds
New buses
purchase approvedThe board approved buying a route bus and an activity bus and sold its smallest bus for $3,300.
- Route bus quotes approved
- Activity bus purchase approved 4-1
- Old bus sold
Funding
Bus depreciation fund plus an Intercap loan
Recent news
Built from board agendas and minutes (November 2025 to October 2026), the 2026-27 handbooks, the cooperative policy book and the 2024-2027 strategic plan posted on www.winnettschool.org.
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