Helmer v. Montana Early Childhood Account Board et al.

(Filed: Aug. 12, 2026)

The Montana Early Childhood Account Board ("Board") was created in 2025 to oversee a $10 million taxpayer-funded account. The Board is responsible for managing the account, determining funding priorities, and establishing criteria for distributing program funds for early childhood services across Montana.

To carry out its work, the ten-member Board has created at least four subcommittees. These subcommittees meet without providing public notice or agendas, and they do not release meeting minutes or the materials, information, data, or presentations they rely on when deliberating and forming recommendations to present to the Board. The Board has largely accepted every subcommittee recommendation without substantive comment or discussion.

By delegating its substantive work to subcommittees and closing those meetings to the public, the Board shields its decision-making from public scrutiny, in violation of Article II, Sections 8 and 9 of the Montana Constitution and Montana's public participation laws.

On August 12, 2026, preschool operators Sophie Helmer and Darcey Juedeman challenged these closed-door meetings in court. They asked the court to enjoin the subcommittee meetings as violations of the Montana Constitution.