Harlan Kirgan
St. Landry Parish School Board members held the first of three meetings scheduled to study the school system’s 2019-2020 budget.
Six Board members met Thursday at the School Board office, 1013 E. Creswell Lane, Opelousas, to hear a briefing on the budget from Tressa Miller, finance director.
Board members in attendance were Mary Ellen Donatto, president; and Josh Boudreaux, Hazel Sias, Raymond Cassimere, Joyce Haynes and Kyle Boss.
Two other meetings are scheduled at 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
The school system’s total expenditures are projected at $151.6 million with revenues of $150.4 million.
“The one big factor that is not in this budget because I don’t have a definite number right now is the increase in the MFP (Minimum Foundation Program). As you recall the Legislature passed those pay raises. I put that in here and I put in the MFP that covers those pay raises,” Miller said.
Miller said there is enough uncertainty in the school system’s revenue that the budget indicates a negative balance.
“This should be the worst case scenario. Again we try to be conservative. We may be able to reduce more staff with the closing of the schools,” she said.
The current budget, which ends this month, also projected a negative total fund balance, but in recent months Miller has been predicting a break-even or better balance.
Superintendent Patrick Jenkins said the school system never knows exactly what its enrollment will look like. This year the system lost $1.4 million in state funding due to reduced enrollment, he said.
Reduced enrollment might mean the district cuts its staff, but Miller said that’s not always the case.
“If we can reduce staff, we do, but it depends on where those kids are coming from. If you are losing kids from here and there you can’t reduce teachers. If it is 10, 15, 20 (students) there is something we can do. It just depends on where they fall.”
Any teacher cutbacks will likely come from the ranks of substitutes, she said.
“We don’t have enough teachers for our district,” she said. “So, those temporary people are going home.”
The school district hires from 100 to 150 new teachers each year because of retirements and resignations, Jenkins said.
The budget is projecting a reduction of 14 teachers, which translates to about $1 million in savings.
Besides the meetings Monday and Tuesday, a public hearing on the budget is to be scheduled on June 24, Miller said.
Adoption of the budget is scheduled at the Board’s July 11 meeting, she said.
The deadline to adopt a budget and send it to the state is Sept. 15.
The primary budget categories are General Fund, Special Revenue Fund and Capital Projects Fund.
The General Fund, which is the largest, expenditures for 2019-2010 includes $74.3 million for instruction and $40.7 million for support services. The general revenues are projected at $117.4 million.
The General Fund has a beginning balance of $18.9 million and an ending balance of $17.9 million.
The total of all the funds beginning balance is $24.3 million and a ending balance of $23.1 million.
Highlight of changes for 2019-2020 year listed in the budget are:
— Decrease in MFP of ($1,500,000) due to decreasing student trend.
Increase in MFP of $1,900,000 for pay raises.
— Increase in salaries and benefits expense of ($1,900,000).
— Increase in retirement contributions by 1.4 percent LSE ($87,000) and decrease by 0.7 percent TRSL $27,000.
— Increase in health insurance costs by 5.5 percent effective 1/1/20.
Active employees - ($280,000).
Retired Employees - ($270,000).
— Decrease in maintenance costs of $560,000 - Eunice Elementary fire/flood costs removed.
Decrease in insurance proceeds of ($600,000).
— Increase in travel reimbursement rate by $0.10 to $0.46/mile - ($40,000).
— New sales tax software purchase - ($86,000).
— 2014 Bus lease purchase paid off (35 buses)- reduction in bond payments $540,000.
Purchase five new buses and cameras ($540,000).
— New fingerprinting machine purchase - ($20,000).