Archives West Finding Aid

In 1957 the state legislature created the Montana Taxation-Education Commission to, "provide for an entire complete and constructive study and review of the entire tax structure and educational system ... and to recommend a program of improvement with equitable uniform taxation of all property and sources of revenue and to include such changes as will serve to simplify, improve, and modernize taxation and the educational system in the State of Montana and to provide adequate revenue for future needs of government and schools." Commission members appointed by Governor J. Hugo Aronson were Dave M. Manning, Les Hanson, Mike Lacey, Austin G. Thompson, George Diehl, Winton Weydemeyer, J.S. Brenner, Charles Mahoney, C.R. Anderson, and William Johnstone. The members represented business and industry, organized labor, farmers, the livestock industry, and educational institutions and organizations. Dave Manning was elected chairman of the Commission and C.R. Anderson served as secretary. The Commission held a series of hearings and then designated two fields of research needing to be addressed. The educational research was contracted with the Division of Surveys and Field Services of the George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tennessee. The Peabody report, entitled "Public Schools of Montana," presented a comprehensive study of selected public school problems concentrating on four major areas: organization and administration; elementary education; secondary education; and school finance. The taxation research was done primarily by the Commission members during hearings and public meetings to identify problems of the state's taxation system. The Commission presented its recommendations in a published report to Governor Aronson in November 1958.