As far as the Acadia Parish School Board’s Budget and Finance Committee is concerned, the door can be closed on the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 budgets.
Both the final revisions to the 2016-2017 budget and the expenditures and revenue projections for the 2017-2018 budget earned favorable recommendations to the full board ahead of its July meeting.
At one point, both budgets were hefty deficits, however, with much work and due diligence those numbers are now near the $1 million range.
Regarding the final revisions to fiscal year 2016-2017 which has continued to see the deficit dwindle from its first projections.
“At mid-year budget, we were looking at a deficit of $1,650,574,” said Lead Business Administrator Justin Carrier. “We decreased the deficit and are looking at closer to $1,330,289, in the general fund.”
Those numbers come after much work, because at the beginning of mid-year work, the deficit was actually in the $3 million to $3.5 million range.
“A deficit is never good,” said Carrier.
“Our focus is on personnel,” said Superintendent John Bourque. “Staffing wise, we reduced a lot of people and basically everyone is rolling up their sleeves and working a little harder, without effecting the classrooms.
“That was a major thing (for us).”
Thanks to attrition, increases in insurance and teacher retirement were offset some and a $1 million deficit is now projected for fiscal year 2017-2018.
“When I brought it to committee on May 15, we were looking at a deficit around $1,428,041,” said Carrier. “We’ve been able to reduce that to right over a million – $1,018,112 is our projected deficit next year.”
Of note, the budget is based on the conservative estimate that no change will come to the sales tax income. The hope is that sales tax collection will see a boost in the next year.
The committee also favorably recommended Bordens be awarded the Child Nutrition’s bid no. 271SL regarding milk. Bordens, like last year, was the low bid at, roughly 23 cents per pouch. The only other company to bid on the item was Kleinpeter Milk. In total, 2,151,000 milk pouches are purchased by the Acadia Parish school district each year with total cost set for $507,420.90.
The Personnel, Insurance and Curriculum Committee, meanwhile, recommended policy changes to the full board that are the result of legislation changes.