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Assumption Parish officials weigh $1.1M salary bump as state funding drops $1.4M
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Summary
At a school board meeting, district staff outlined a proposed $1.1 million salary increase while warning of a projected $1.4 million loss in state MFP funding next year tied to declining student enrollment; board members discussed using attrition and federal funds to bridge gaps and asked for enrollment detail.
The Assumption Parish School Board received a budget briefing in which staff explained a proposed salary increase that would cost about $1.1 million and a newly observed decline in state MFP funding.
A staff member presenting the third-quarter actuals said revenues were at about 76% of budget and expenditures at 64%, and that the district had seen an estimated $471,000 in MFP losses so far this fiscal year. "We just started seeing the loss in MFP funding now," the staff member said, adding that the district projects the MFP reduction will be about $1,400,000 next year on the new student count. The presenter said the district could amend the 2026 budget based on actuals to maintain a balanced plan.
Board members pressed for context and next steps. One committee member thanked departments for holding expenditures to 64% and said that, to pursue a pay raise, the district would likely rely on attrition rather than immediate job cuts and would shift some positions to federal funding where allowable. That member also requested a breakdown of where enrollment losses are occurring across campuses.
Staff and board members placed the enrollment discussion in a statewide context, citing reports the state has lost tens of thousands of students since COVID largely because fewer children are entering kindergarten and demographic shifts. The presenters said they can supply coded enrollment-exit data to show which schools and grades have the largest declines.
No formal board action was taken on the salary proposal during the meeting; the staff presenter said the raise would be formally introduced at the board's second meeting in May and could be adopted in June after the board reviews amended budget figures.
The board directed staff to return with the requested enrollment data and budget scenarios showing how the $1.1 million raise and the anticipated $1.4 million funding loss would affect the FY26-27 budget.
