Acadia Parish committee adopts revenue plan, approves salary book and several routine agreements; discusses millage options

The Acadia Parish School District Budget & Finance Committee on April 5 adopted a revenue plan for fiscal 2025–26 and approved a set of routine items, including the district salary book, a hunting lease, a right-of-way renewal with Entergy Louisiana LLC and authorization to pursue a three-year cybersecurity pilot grant.

The action came after staff reported year-to-date collections and recommended revenues for the upcoming fiscal year. "We were able to actually close that deficit. So we are currently at a breakeven budget," Justin (staff member) said, summarizing year-to-date general fund revenue and expenditures. The committee then voted to consider the revenue projection for the 2025–26 budget; the motion carried.

The revenue picture and why it matters

Finance staff told the committee that general fund revenue collections stood at about 74.56% ($68,200,897) with expenditures at 68.44% ($62,931,863). Staff attributed improved results in part to savings from a Medicare Advantage plan for retirees. For 2025–26, staff proposed total projected general fund revenues of $91,007,062, a roughly $475,000 decrease from the current year driven largely by an assumed drop in student count and the end of certain federal ESSER funds. The staff memo budgeted a 50‑student decrease for planning purposes; the presentation noted that figure was conservative and subject to revision as enrollment data and state funding detail become final.

Board members and staff discussed state voucher applications (referred to in the meeting as the "Gator" program), noting an assessor report to superintendents that showed a drop of about 93 applications in parish‑resident charter/voucher filings; staff said it was not clear how many were new students versus renewals and that the application deadline had just closed. If the district were to lose students to vouchers, the board noted the potential revenue impact could be substantial—staff estimated roughly $6,200 per student in basic funding, meaning 200 students could represent more than $1.3 million annually if those were district students not being counted for MFP funding.

Salary book, residency stipend and child…