School Board spending changes upcoming

Superintendent Michael Nassif alerted the St. Landry Parish School on Thursday to substantive changes that will occur in the next fiscal year budget.

“I was in Baton Rouge today and learned that the Minimum Foundation Program will be cut another $29 million,” he told the board.

MFP is the base state funding for school systems across the state. It had previously been slashed $71 million to meet the Jinda administration’s directives regarding budget reductions to close an overwhelming deficit.

“Our budget cannot make up the difference,” Nassif said, though he could not put a specific figure on what the MFP shortfall for St. Landry will be.

“We are looking at all categories that we feel can be reduced without destroying performance,” Nassif told the board.

As for Fiscal 2008-09, the board approved a budget revision reflecting the loss of about $1 million in various areas and an increase in substitute staffing, though a new staffing formula should reduce future staffing funding increases.

In other action, the board rejected a motion to ask the federal court to grandfather all current Opelousas High School students from desegegration-driven attendance zone changes taking effect in August.

A unanimous vote was required to add the matter to the agenda and the first member, Anthony Standberry, said no.

He had earlier expressed “sympathy and empathy” for those with children facing a change but said it was time to complete the process.

A mother of one of those children said she saw no harm in asking Judge Tucker Melancon to consider the all-inclusing grandfathering.

Their attorney, Gerard Caswell, told the board he felt they would run a high risk of fouling the desegregation agreement if they endorsed the request at this point in the process.