St. Mary Parish board reviews proposed amendment to 2024–25 federal programs budget

St. Mary Parish School Board members spent significant time discussing a proposed amendment to the district's 2024'25 federal programs budget that staff said would raise the variable federal programs total to about $20.8 million.

Miss Poisson, a district staff member, told the board: "So what we're proposing is to have a revised final variable federal programs budget of the 20,800,000.0." She said the district received preliminary federal allocations of $14,251,000 in June and later received carryover and final allocations that together add roughly $6.6 million to those preliminary funds.

The amendment matters because it brings the district's internal accounting records into alignment with federal grant records and addresses an auditor finding from the 2023'34 audit, staff said. "Our auditors advised that simply adjusting the electronic federal programs, grants, and eGMS is just not sufficient," Miss Poisson said, adding that the Local Government Budget Act requires adoption of amended budgets when revenues or expenses vary by 5% or more.

Board members pressed staff for details about how the additional federal dollars are being spent. Miss Griffin, a school board member, asked: "So are you saying that we're $6,000,000 over budget with this?" Miss Poisson and other staff explained the numbers reflect timing and additional federal allocations rather than a transfer of general-fund obligations.

Staff said most federal funds must be spent by the end of the federal grant year (many federal grants end Sept. 30) and that only certain grants, specifically Title I and IDEA, typically carry over. Miss Poisson said positions paid from federal funds are identified on job descriptions and regularly flagged as "federally funded" when allowable. She gave examples of federally funded roles including some deans of students, a literacy coach, and English Learner paraprofessionals; the district verified 26 EL paraprofessionals currently funded through Title programs.

Board members asked whether salaries previously paid from the general fund had been moved to federal funding. Staff answered that such questions must be examined on a case-by-case basis and cautioned that federal funds cannot be used to supplant general-fund expenditures unless explicitly allowable under the grant. Miss Poisson said she would provide follow-up detail when requested.

Several board members objected to receiving a large, detailed packet shortly before the meeting. "It's very hard as a board member to get this document two hours before a board meeting," Miss Griffin said. Miss Poisson acknowledged the concern and said she would better prepare and provide materials earlier.

The transcript records substantial discussion and clarifications but does not record a formal motion or vote on the amended federal programs budget during the portion of the meeting provided.

The budget amendment discussion included these key technical notes from staff: preliminary federal allocations are provided in June at roughly 90% of the prior year's funding; carryover from the prior fiscal year and a final allocation later in the fiscal year together produce the final federal total; eGMS (the electronic grants management system) had been updated previously but the district's general ledger budget (Alio) had not been adjusted to reflect all federal revisions. Staff said the amendment is intended to reconcile those records and comply with state/local budget-adoption rules.

Board members asked for a follow-up that includes line-by-line identification of positions and costs the district proposes to charge to federal grants, and for future distribution of the materials earlier in the board packet cycle.

Votes or other formal outcomes on the proposed 2024'25 federal programs budget amendment were not recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.