At a Jacksonville North Pulaski School District workshop, district staff said the district faces an operating-gap projection between $1.8 million and $2.7 million as federal ESSER pandemic-era funds expired and enrollment fluctuated.

Dr. Oa, a district presenter, said ESSER funds “expired, in December,” and that some staff positions previously paid with ESSER were rolled into the operating fund, contributing to a tighter budget this year. Dr. Oa said enrollment is roughly 4,098 students, down slightly from last year.

The presentation said about $1 million in salaries previously covered by ESSER now appear in the operating budget and that utilities and other recurring costs have risen. The slides summarized a range of options and estimated that the combination of proposals being discussed would add between $1.8 million and $2.7 million in operating expenses — a swing of about $900,000 depending on choices on devices, transportation and other items.

Why it matters: district officials described the meeting as proactive planning to avoid sudden cuts. The team proposed relying primarily on attrition and selective nonrenewal of positions, while keeping roles tied to demonstrable student-impact during the transition.

Key details reported at the workshop:
- ESSER rollover and salaries: about $1 million in salaries previously paid from ESSER were moved into the operating budget.
- Utilities: the district projected roughly $1.3 million in utility costs this year; Entergy charges alone were cited at about $1.2 million last year.
- Staffing and efficiency: the district’s overall pupils-per-staff ratio was reported at about 14.02, below the state average cited in the presentation (14.7) and well under the illustrative target of 17 used in the slides; the staff team estimated about 35 more teachers than several years ago given similar student counts.
- Attrition and savings plan: the staff spreadsheet identified roughly $1.7 million in additional savings targets achievable over two to three years, primarily through attrition, reassignment and nonrenewals; total projected adjustments over the period were described in the slides as about $4.7 million with roughly $3.33 million feeding back into operating costs that must be covered.
- Teacher-pay funding: the district said it receives state funding tied to the teacher minimum (the presentation cited $1.3 million coming from the state toward a proposed $50,000 teacher minimum), but that the state allocation does not fully cover the operating cost of implementing the schedule locally.

Discussion vs. decisions: presenters repeatedly emphasized this session was informational and that most staffing actions would come later as personnel recommendations brought to the board. The administration said hiring remains frozen except for essential positions and that personnel actions (contract renewals and any reductions) would be returned to the board as formal items.

Concerns raised: board members and staff asked about preserving specialized positions (reading specialists, literacy staff) that had been previously paid with ESSER funds. The administration said the goal is not to cut these roles and that student-growth funds and other one-time sources will be used where appropriate to avoid immediate layoffs.

Ending: presenters said detailed personnel actions, contract renewals and any formal rezoning proposals would be brought to the board in coming weeks for action; the workshop concluded without a budget vote.