{"id":251957,"date":"2025-09-04T16:31:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/?p=251957"},"modified":"2025-09-04T16:31:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:31:40","slug":"email-reveals-division-among-education-advocates-over-pitching-a-school-funding-sales-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/09\/04\/email-reveals-division-among-education-advocates-over-pitching-a-school-funding-sales-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"Email reveals division among education advocates over pitching a school funding sales tax"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>An education coalition that had planned to pitch a statewide sales tax to a committee studying the state&#8217;s school funding system reversed course before presenting the idea at a formal meeting after fielding resistance from other education advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doug Reisig, the executive director of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, emailed members of his organization Aug. 26 to tell them his group planned to endorse a statewide sales tax in order to eliminate many property taxes that currently fund education. MQEC would make that suggestion, Reisig wrote, to the interim legislative committee tasked with studying how schools in Montana are funded, according to an email he sent to MQEC\u2019s board of directors and that was obtained by Montana Free Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But last week, two days after MTFP asked Reisig about the proposal, he said that he had \u201cbeen instructed to hold off on that statement of support\u201d until his board of directors convenes to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In decades past, Montanans have <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/08\/18\/time-for-an-adult-conversation-about-a-montana-wide-sales-tax\/#:~:text=repeatedly%20rebuffing\">voted against sales tax proposals<\/a> consistently enough that the concept is widely considered a third rail in the state\u2019s political circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Montana\u2019s School Funding Interim Commission, a group of legislators, politically appointed advocates and representatives from the Office of Public Instruction, recently began its decennial meetings to discuss how public K-12 schools are funded and draft recommendations for the 2027 Legislature to consider. Reisig\u2019s email indicated he intended to lobby for a sales tax at the commission, a group he believes is \u201ccertainly not filled with people who support K-12 education,\u201d according to the email.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI fear that some of those people are going to come up with even more outlandish\/draconian funding solutions, or defunding solutions, when it comes to K-12 education,\u201d Reisig wrote. \u201cSo, the [Coalition of Advocates for Montana Public Schools] group, which MQEC is a part of, wants to get ahead of the \u2018extremists\u2019 on the Commission and offer a plan, which I support, for the education funding discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2025\/lawmakers\/Brad-Barker\/\">Rep. Brad Barker, R-Red Lodge<\/a>, brought a similar proposal to the 2025 Legislature. His bills, which ultimately died in committee, would have <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2025\/bills\/hb-841\/\">called for a referendum on whether<\/a> to implement a sales tax on the <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.montanafreepress.org\/capitol-tracker-2025\/bills\/hb-842\/\">condition that the revenue be directed toward education<\/a>. Barker also sits on the School Funding Interim Commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lance Melton, an MQEC board member who also serves as the executive director of the Montana School Board Association, helped draft the 2025 legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about a combination of providing relief to property taxes and then making sure that schools have adequate resources to provide quality education,\u201d Melton said in an interview with Montana Free Press. Property taxes in Montana have risen around the state recently, leading lawmakers to pass <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/05\/22\/how-montanas-new-second-home-tax-could-shift-your-property-tax-bill\/\">a second-home tax<\/a> in the 2025 legislative session aimed at providing relief for primary homeowners.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha show-image image-alignbehind ts-3 is-3 is-landscape \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"251957\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>RELATED<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"251279\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-montana-chamber-of-commerce tag-sales-tax category-taxes type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\tstyle=\"min-height: 0vh; padding-top: 0vh;\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/08\/18\/time-for-an-adult-conversation-about-a-montana-wide-sales-tax\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-1200x900.jpg?crop=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Time for an \u2018adult conversation\u2019 about a Montana-wide sales tax?\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250818LM-SalesTax-0004-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/08\/18\/time-for-an-adult-conversation-about-a-montana-wide-sales-tax\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Time for an \u2018adult conversation\u2019 about a Montana-wide sales tax?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>For generations, Montana voters have been famously averse to the notion of a statewide sales tax, repeatedly rebuffing efforts by political leaders to persuade them that one would be good medicine for the state\u2019s public finances. The head of the state\u2019s most prominent business group says a changing economy means it\u2019s time to give the idea another go.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/edietrich\/\">Eric Dietrich<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-08-18T17:37:37-06:00\">08.18.2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-08-18T17:37:45-06:00\">08.18.2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Melton, Barker and Reisig all rely on similar estimates in their pitches: a 3% statewide sales tax would generate about $1 billion annually. That would, in theory, be enough to eliminate many local school taxes, including the 95 mills collected statewide to help equalize funding between districts, and still have enough left over to increase school funding by about $200 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reisig wrote to his board that he anticipated internal pushback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am aware that some of you have a reluctance to support, let alone suggest, that Montana look at moving toward a sales tax option to support funding Montana public schools,\u201d Reisig wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amanda Curtis, an MQEC board member who also serves as the president of Montana\u2019s public employees union, wrote in a text to MTFP on Aug. 28 that \u201cthis is not the best or the only solution to school funding.\u201d Curtis heads the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which lobbied against Barker\u2019s 2025 legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy eliminating the 95 mills and replacing [them] with a regressive sales tax, the biggest winner will be corporations, while low and moderate income Montanans we serve in public schools will pay instead,\u201d Curtis said. \u201cI cannot join in on a plan that will further push the tax responsibility to school employees and the families we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales tax critics <a href=\"https:\/\/montanabudget.org\/report\/problems-with-a-statewide-sales-tax\">often argue<\/a> that such broad-based sales taxes are regressive because they could mean low-income individuals pay more relative to their income than they do under the existing tax system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assorted education advocates are not the only groups entertaining conversations about a sales tax. Montana Chamber of Commerce President Todd O\u2019Hair, for example, has said he believes it is time for Montana to have <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/08\/18\/time-for-an-adult-conversation-about-a-montana-wide-sales-tax\/\">an \u201cadult conversation\u201d about sales tax<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEverything needs to be on the table,\u201d O\u2019Hair told MTFP in an interview last month. \u201cI don\u2019t think we have the luxury anymore of starting a tax reform discussion by saying \u2018We\u2019re going to take this off the table, we\u2019re going to take that off the table.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69a7e10a8e716&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69a7e10a8e716\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1584\" height=\"1224\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sales-tax-email-page-1-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-251968\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 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class=\"wp-image-251975\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha ts-2 \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"251957\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>LATEST STORIES<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262736\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-montana-insights category-montana-insights type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/75-of-voters-want-montana-to-have-at-least-as-much-federal-land-as-it-does-now\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">75% of voters want Montana to have at least as much federal land as it does now<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Federal land transfer has been a party of the GOP party platform at both the state and national level, but a recent MTFP-Eagleton poll indicates that a majority of Republican voters oppose reducing the amount of land in federal ownership.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/aeggert\/\">Amanda Eggert<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T14:34:54-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T14:35:02-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262727\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-westerndev category-politics type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/christi-jacobsen-zinke-western-house\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen joins contest for Zinke\u2019s western U.S. House District seat<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Jacobsen made her announcement on Facebook with a campaign video portraying her as both a political outsider and the favorite of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/tom-lutey\/\">Tom Lutey<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T12:29:26-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T22:45:03-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262679\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-bob-morris tag-data-centers tag-energy tag-greg-gianforte tag-montana-insights tag-northwestern-energy tag-public-service-commission tag-ryan-zinke tag-steve-daines tag-troy-downing tag-u-s-congress tag-unleashing-energy-task-force category-energy category-montana-insights type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/montanans-want-more-solar-natural-gas-development-are-less-interested-in-new-coal-plants\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Montanans want more solar, natural gas development, are less interested in new coal plants<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The poll results on Montana\u2019s energy mix come as politicians and policymakers grapple with surging electricity demand spurred by investment in artificial intelligence and the data centers that support it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/aeggert\/\">Amanda Eggert<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T08:00:00-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An education coalition that planned to pitch the concept of a sales tax to a committee studying the state&#8217;s school funding system reversed course before bringing the concept to a formal meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62358,"featured_media":251546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"everlit_article_id":"","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-09-04T22:31:36Z","apple_news_api_id":"e189e1ec-a8cb-4bab-b845-58c684badb58","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-09-04T22:31:47Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A4Ynh7KjLS6u4RVjGhLrbWA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Proposal would replace some property taxes, but has collided with sales tax skepticism.\n","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[1408],"tags":[10909,33126,35449,35450,14868,35451,1430,34183],"post_format":[],"brand":[],"partner":[],"series":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[34869],"class_list":["post-251957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-amanda-curtis","tag-brad-barker","tag-coalition-of-advocates-for-montana-public-schools","tag-doug-reisig","tag-lance-melton","tag-montana-chamber-of-commerce-president-todd-ohair","tag-montana-federation-of-public-employees","tag-montana-quality-education-coalition","entry"],"slp_mobile_featured_image":{"id":251546,"href":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251546","image_path":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250820LM-HellgateHigh-0002.jpg","caption":"Hellgate High School is seen on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Missoula."},"slp_coauthors":[{"display_name":"Zeke Lloyd","user_nicename":"zlloydmontanafreepress-org","author_link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/zlloydmontanafreepress-org\/"}],"slp_primary_category":{"id":1408,"name":"Education"},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Email reveals division among education advocates over pitching a school funding sales tax<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some advocates believe school funding should be the focus if Montana\u2019s history of opposing a sales tax came to an end.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/09\/04\/email-reveals-division-among-education-advocates-over-pitching-a-school-funding-sales-tax\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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