School Finance Analyst

Job Description - School Finance Analyst 2 (03403) )

Position Title:

School Finance Analyst 2 (03403) - (  )

This first review of applications will be February 26, 2026. Please submit the following required documents on the State of Montana Careers website:

• Resume - Please include dates of employment and your supervisor’s name/phone number for each position.
• Other required documents as indicated, however only the resume is required for this position.

To be considered for this position, you must reside in Montana.

Office of Public Instruction employees are a passionate group of professionals dedicated to leading and supporting our education system. We house a diverse collection of experiences with the 200+ unique individuals we employ. Our specialists further OPI’s purpose with applicable knowledge in education, health, research and analysis, nutrition, finance, administration, human resources, licensing and regulation, information technology, and many others. We are proud to serve 149,000+ students pre‑K to grade 12, their parents and guardians, 400+ school districts, 16,000+ educational professionals, and 3,000+ adult learners.

• Work/life balance
• Family friendly
• Dedicated and caring colleagues
• Retirement plans
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and Holidays (combination of up to 38 per year)
• Opportunities and room for professional growth
• Public service loan forgiveness – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.

The Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) has a biennial budget of over $2 billion which consists of an annual operating budget of over $35 million and over $900 million of flow‑through funds. The School Finance Division is responsible for the collection of school district reported financial transactions and the information necessary to account and report the operations of Montana public school districts.

The Division implements Montana statutes and administrative rules, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and standards, and compliance with the Federal Code of Regulations in alignment with US Department of Education guidelines. The division administers financial compliance and education in all areas of public school district budgeting, financial and accounting information reporting, and verifying compliance with established accounting policies and procedures that include distribution of state funding for K‑12 education, administering the Pupil Transportation Program, and other programs as dictated by Montana law.

The stakeholders we serve include over 400 elementary, high school, and K‑12 public school districts, special education cooperatives, county elected officials, Montana taxpayers, state legislative representatives, businesses and elected officials in local governments related to K‑12 education in Montana public school districts.

Required for the first day of work
:

• Knowledge of the concepts and theories of school finance and budgets.
• Knowledge of state and federal laws governing education and school finance, including property tax and special education laws.
• Knowledge of electronic systems and their application to the management of large fiscal programs.
• Working knowledge of personal computer software such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Knowledge of basic accounting and auditing principles.
• Knowledge of the legislative process.
• Ability to interpret and apply knowledge of the concepts and theories of school finance, electronic reporting/distribution systems and frequently changing school laws to a variety of circumstances that often are not specifically addressed by statute, rule, or policy.
• Ability to analyze and integrate numerous and rapidly changing school budget and accounting laws and set policy for agency actions to consistently and justifiably apply OPI’s interpretations.
• Ability to interpret fiscal records, compile data and prepare fiscal reports.
• Ability to understand cause and effect relationships and can identify critical information necessary to solve problems.
• Ability to conduct in depth analysis of school…