[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6540366,"mediaKeyId","3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25","parentId",3416532,"title","Committee approves raising visitor prices for school breakfasts and lunches","audioSeconds",489,"startMs",2183000,"endMs",2672000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25&start=2183&end=2672","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25/thumbnail_2183000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6540366/Louisiana/Committee-approves-raising-visitor-prices-for-school-breakfasts-and-lunches","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540366-f6f29c9bd2025cbdbb5e14d73f09f631/orig.mp4?Expires=1775365754&Signature=hftIbaFPeR3Fiq0bBB0eLLfVmbqqmpHctBGfMQwg09hw8reVAw0EnFNGEXgXgSmcFn19IssSvTO6EDWp3D4q~Sa3JwsRHw4ElXAFHJWz60Inagx~hXZmGZRrk88a015Ozv3NwbTKtDgpkI6U0PCWmnj8O7fXpGum6LMneAkwdl6dwe6PH8Dr9fKduO8Nc3dCz8xd7V~gqnxgffsktjH6GildNi96VCbJo3y96zIGbmI9-M1YrQZELpvzNbHwOuoKQp3--bgEfvOa5Ucjt8ZOcQOed-pLCcfNaeLXAzZE-5O2w8r~rbbObZcg2a2tBfBu6gpvuK54y9sYgxdg55h9Hw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ouachita Parish","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Ouachita Parish Finance Committee voted to recommend raising visitor meal prices for school breakfasts and lunches after the child nutrition director reported production costs exceeded current visitor charges.

During the discussion, Miss Guerrero, staff member, said the average plate cost the district currently records is $3.22 for breakfast and $4.80 for lunch and that federal regulations require the district’s at‑cost meal charge to be equal to or greater than the average meal cost. She told the committee the district sold only 46 visitor breakfasts this year and that the child nutrition program must also absorb added expenses—including a roughly $250,000 camera purchase for cafeteria and serving‑line coverage—when calculating true production costs.

“To comply with federal requirements and to reflect actual production costs, we’re requesting permission to raise visitor breakfast to $4 and visitor lunch to $6,” Miss Guerrero said. She noted employee meals remain at $3 and that the district covers employee meal subsidies through available MFP/general funds; the committee did not raise employee meal prices at this time.

Committee members asked how student meals are funded. Guerrero said the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) and other reimbursements cover much of the difference between student charges and production cost; several schools in the district participate in CEP, which results in more meals being served free to students and increases federal reimbursement to the district.

After a motion and second, the committee approved the recommendation to increase visitor breakfast from $2.50 to $4 and visitor lunch from $5 to $6 and will forward the recommendation to the full board. The vote was recorded as a unanimous voice vote with no opposition recorded.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ouachita Parish School Board Finance Committee Meeting Live Stream - May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The finance committee voted to recommend increasing visitor meal prices for Ouachita Parish schools to align visitor charges with actual production costs and new equipment expenses; visitor breakfast would increase from $2.50 to $4 and visitor lunch from $5 to $6.","taxTitle","Ouachita Parish, School Boards, Louisiana","taxId",14437,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6540371,"Committee tables proposal to add $25,000 equipment allotment for high school bands",536,1640000,2176000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25&start=1640&end=2176","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25/thumbnail_1640000.jpg","/articles/6540371/Louisiana/Committee-tables-proposal-to-add-25000-equipment-allotment-for-high-school-bands","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540371-e953fa99b632cc78e80309f042c8b041/orig.mp4?Expires=1775365754&Signature=SQlTubSQd6WABT~0YXmVPNikrbn2TExoL4aBDcJb6oqGlYDbnCkovRjoHGfj~QDLUPCLf1DHD-i9BW3sDv8Oey6WFs6apjU8GBuGu7JkT7X5HYK2A0bKQauYUOBKA7YMlw55wcQDMvt-Rp5njVG6uIp3danXFSwASP3ROSpclFDSMtkVaqu-79tLAxIVzGxZE1qVlwtmXk5fyvWmNvOvhgGyT1ZkAI4rcuKUddh9oRwopTeo7G6zUyG8ErSD1jmBaRBo0y3aojTdaQhsDgk4vPamoBGiV6F32dqwsi4bfuK-oYK76p-wwRvHUhHXbpD~Y870TVV1hLbBJjknu8C5HQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ouachita Parish Finance Committee discussed a proposal to add an equipment allotment for high school bands and voted to table the proposal so staff can return with more detailed allocation options.

Regina Mecas, staff member, told the committee there is a funding disparity between middle and high school band support. “We fund $25,000 per middle school on an 8‑year rotation,” Mecas said, and high schools currently receive uniform funding on a 10‑year rotation but not a corresponding equipment allotment. She proposed filling the five open years in the high school rotation with a $25,000 equipment allotment to each of the five high schools, funded from the M&O budget.

Mecas and committee members noted the cost of larger instruments is high—some brass instruments can cost $4,000–$5,000 and even so‑called “cheap” instruments can top $1,000—so a flat $25,000 allocation might not cover major needs. Committee members suggested a student‑weighted allocation that mirrors the uniform schedule or otherwise adjusts for band size.

Robbie Freeman, identified in the discussion as a band director and district music coordinator, had previously visited board members and staff about band needs; Mecas said she had discussed the proposal with him. Committee members asked for a more detailed plan and Mecas agreed to return with options; the committee made a motion and second to table the item and revisit it at the next finance committee meeting in August.

No final dollar allocation was approved; the item remains under consideration. Mecas said staff can prepare alternative allocations (flat rate versus per‑student) and bring them back for committee recommendation to the board.","The finance committee discussed adding a $25,000 equipment allotment to each high school on a 10‑year rotation to address costly instrument purchases, but members asked for a student‑weighted allocation and voted to table the item for further detail.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6540375,"Ouachita Parish finance committee recommends budget revision after enrollment drop",1489,152000,1641000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25&start=152&end=1641","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3416532-ad49d3a28bb56c25890d87c212d43f25/thumbnail_152000.jpg","/articles/6540375/Louisiana/Ouachita-Parish-finance-committee-recommends-budget-revision-after-enrollment-drop","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540375-2c55cc42fb9f9238765015b0c89b94df/orig.mp4?Expires=1775365755&Signature=UBw-tcg5XCzrJRSbjEIElonbvRycw6GxzU9i9pBbXGJ4vMfFRMqj2HeNk1sQkg018Ki~~164PyQxm1OP657T~uNv5og7uvSBz9SeFsprlGf3-aOnUQxNmjkUJIt7zI7py5fLhyNeqfp9-ckzoSvjRjUjDFEidGNR3GwyyjZcYBzLJ7gkqzZg1iOxRhyAFsFuF~pMlvbUxGj~0YQouXg3l11O7BMxRmy6jliynXtflB7P7petyPeEBZRZqvNPUVJnHnl9RjAuyQoOFt74AQMLYbPyMMf5iCrTYHJDm5dLsGyzIzgW-s7jRuy94Dtd1SkZxMxOd1icxwn2XGlAIjKp3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ouachita Parish Finance Committee recommended that the school board adopt an operating budget revision for fiscal 2024–25 after staff presented adjustments driven mainly by lower state funding tied to a decline in enrollment.

Regina Mecas, staff member, told the committee the district is 274 students below projections for the year and that the shortfall reduced expected state funding by about $1,700,000. “We have lost students... we’re 274 students down for the year,” Mecas said. She said the enrollment loss accounted for about $1,100,000 of that reduction in the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) allocation, and that the draft revision currently shows a net change in general fund balance of negative $878,000.

The committee’s recommendation matters because it sends the revision to the full board for final approval. Committee member Mr. Geiss said he appreciated Mecas’s work and noted continuing uncertainty from the state legislative session in Baton Rouge; he also flagged several bills circulating that could further affect revenue. The committee voted to recommend the revision to the board without recorded opposition.

Mecas walked members through other notable changes in the draft revision. She said ESSER (federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding—a one-time federal grant the district had used in prior years—has largely ended and earlier ESSER allocations had supported recurring items the district prefers to keep. “We did not make any long term commitments out of those funds, but we have purchased some things out of those funds that we would like to keep,” she said, adding that reconciling those purchases into the operating budget will require tradeoffs.

Mecas reported several revenue and cost movements that shaped the revision: a local revenue representation payment to charter schools increased from an expected $500,000 to about $1,500,000; property tax collections for the 2024 calendar year were higher than budgeted (she cited 6–8 percent increases); projected general fund year‑end balance was about $21,700,000; and the district’s M&O (maintenance and operations) fund balance was projected near $28,900,000. She also noted a roughly 6 percent increase this year in employee health insurance costs, with employees picking up about 25 percent of the increase and the district absorbing the remainder.

On transfers and reserves, Mecas said the budget includes a $300,000 transfer from the general fund to district M&O for routine facility maintenance, a transfer to support the district’s self‑insured workers’ compensation program, and an internal printing fund transfer. She told the committee the general fund balance remains within the district policy range of 10–15 percent.

Committee members discussed staffing and ongoing enrollment uncertainty. Mr. Geiss said district leaders are managing hiring and staffing decisions in light of lower student counts and potential state changes to funding. Mecas cautioned that the figures presented are preliminary and that she will continue to refine the numbers before the board acts.

The committee made a motion and second to recommend the operating budget revision as presented; the chair called for the ayes and there were no recorded objections.","The Ouachita Parish finance committee voted to recommend an operating budget revision for fiscal 2024–25 after staff reported a 274‑student enrollment decline and a roughly $1.7 million reduction tied to state funding. The committee unanimously recommended the revision to the full board.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee approves raising visitor prices for school breakfasts and lunches

Committee tables proposal to add $25,000 equipment allotment for high school bands

Ouachita Parish finance committee recommends budget revision after enrollment drop