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Superintendents and district CFOs urge 1.375% base increase, permanent stipends and a fresh cost study
Summary
Public commenters representing district superintendents and a parish CFO urged BESE to boost the MFP base by 1.375%, make teacher/staff stipends permanent, and commission a new cost study (last widely cited in 1996) to account for rising costs and the end of ESSER funding.
At the MFP task force meeting, public commenters and district finance officers urged BESE to increase the MFP base per pupil and to secure sustainable funding for personnel stipends.
Michael Faulk of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents told the task force he and his organization "would like to support a 1.375% increase in the base per pupil." Faulk argued the increase is needed to offset rising costs — health insurance, property insurance spikes, technology replacement after ESSER funds end and other inflationary pressures — and he urged that the $2,000/$1,000 stipends become permanent parts of the formula. Faulk also requested department documentation from the 1996 cost estimate and said a sustained indexing approach would reduce repeated annual requests from districts.
Amy LaFleur, chief financial officer for a school system in Evangeline Parish, described the strain on small and rural districts and asked the committee to "consider the support of the growth factor" so districts can budget for fixed costs such as property insurance and staffing. LaFleur said some local revenue streams are legally restricted and that unrestricted MFP growth is essential for fiscal stability in small districts.
Staff and members discussed the historical basis for the 2.75% factor and the scope of a comprehensive cost study. Beth said the original cost work used a school-finance expert and that a modern study would likely require an independent consultant and about a year of data collection and analysis. Members asked staff to provide the 1996 study and related spreadsheets and to prepare options for BESE’s March consideration.
