It’s back-to-school for Montana students. As public schools finalize their budgets, Montana’s largest school district is deliberating how much it will need to raise for a major athletics upgrade.
Billings Public Schools is increasing its funding needs to remodel the aging Daylis Stadium after discovering a slope in the field and running track puts it out of compliance with state standards to participate in track and field.
Contractors estimate the fix will cost an extra $2 million or so, increasing the project’s total budget to nearly $15 million. The school district is already committing approximately $6.2 million in its own funding, with the rest to be raised through a capital campaign.
At Monday’s school board meeting, lawyer and former Daylis athlete Mike Heringer voiced his commitment to fundraising the higher dollar amount.
“Like you, I was surprised about the news regarding the increased cost of fixing the slope of the field,” said Heringer. “Of course, nobody likes surprises. But they happen. Particularly where you are renovating an older facility. So they must be dealt with. Those of us working on the campaign want to continue to try to raise the money to cover these unexpected costs.”
Daylis Stadium is the only sports stadium for general athletics use in Billings School District 2.
Monday’s 8-to-1 vote to raise the project budget is the latest step in an overhaul of the historic structure. Supporters say the remodeled stadium will help make Billings a regional sports hub.
This week’s vote means the district has around $2 million more dollars to find than previously projected.
