Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Ouachita Parish finance committee adopts 2025–26 operating budget, cites end of ESSER and use of reserves
Summary
The Ouachita Parish School Board finance committee voted to adopt a balanced annual operating budget for fiscal year 2025–26. CFO Regina Mecas highlighted the end of ESSER funds, a projected 100‑student enrollment decline, conservative revenue assumptions and planned use of fund balances and routine transfers to maintenance-and-operations funds.
The Ouachita Parish School Board finance committee voted to adopt the district's annual operating budget for fiscal year 2025–26 during its meeting, approving a balanced operating plan that relies in part on existing fund balance.
Chief Financial Officer Regina Mecas presented the budget and said the district is adjusting to the end of federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding. “ESSER has completely gone away now,” Mecas said, and the district must now absorb ongoing inflationary costs and previously subsidized items.
Mecas told the committee the budget assumes a projected enrollment decline of about 100 students (the district previously projected a 100‑student decline but…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
