Orleans Parish School Board reviews proposed 2026–27 budget, highlights pass-through funds and school investments

Orleans Parish School Board members heard a presentation on the proposed 2026–27 budget at a June 4 public hearing, during which Chief Financial Officer Naisha Vil detailed revenue sources, major funds and targeted investments.

"We are presenting a balanced budget," CFO Naisha Vil said, explaining that the proposed plan is aligned with the district's NOLA strategic plan and complies with the local government budget act requirement to adopt a balanced budget. Vil said the general fund shows roughly $40 million in revenue against about $45.1 million in expenditures, and that the pass-through fund—money routed to charter schools—accounts for about $564.1 million.

Vil outlined the fund structure the board will consider: a general fund that covers systemwide needs and pass-throughs, a pass-through fund for charter campuses, a systemwide needs fund with about $5.4 million allocated for specialized programming and an opening fund balance of roughly $6.4 million, and special revenue funds (federal grants, Title, IDEA, early childhood and child nutrition) totaling about $32.44 million.

The CFO described the district's revenue mix as largely local: about two-thirds of funding comes from local sources such as property and sales taxes, with the remainder coming from the state Minimum Foundation Program (MFP). She said the district levies about 45.31 mills in property taxes, including roughly 27.65 constitutional mills and additional renewable millages earmarked for early childhood operations and instructional support. Vil also noted a local carve-out of $120 per pupil that funds systemwide needs.

On expenditures, Vil cited approximately $18.66 million for salaries and $7.84 million for benefits. She said professional-services spending was reduced from roughly $14–15 million in the prior year to about $9.81 million in the proposed budget as part of an efficiencies initiative intended to bring more work in-house.

Vil said the pass-through fund represents the largest share of proposed spending and described the systemwide needs allocation and fund balance. "This represents about 87% of our proposed budget," she said, referring to the portion flowing to charter operators.

Board members asked for clarification on changes from past budgets and where reprioritizations occurred. Vil said some allocations were shifted to support the newly onboarded direct-run Leah Chase School, including added positions and alignments across academic and leadership services so schools within the LEA receive comparable support. She described an "efficiencies plan" that freed resources to invest in the Leah Chase School and related LEA services.

The CFO and superintendent also described investments in special education and English-language learner supports, and a new "Rosa program" planned to start in July aimed at supporting diverse learners. Vil said the proposed budget increases resources for student and staff well-being, citing expanded mental-health initiatives.

Superintendent Dr. Fatima Fulmore thanked the finance team and division chiefs for their work on the budget and emphasized that the plan is student- and school-centered. "It took a lot of people across the organization to give feedback and input on what the budget turned out to be," Fulmore said.

Procedural actions at the meeting were limited to adopting the agenda and adjourning. The board moved to adopt the agenda (moved by a board member identified in the record as Bureau and seconded by a member identified as Borman) and the motion carried with no opposition reported on the record. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded later in the meeting; the chair announced the meeting closed at 5:13 p.m.

What comes next: Vil presented the proposed budget for board review at this hearing; any formal adoption or subsequent budget amendments will be recorded in future board actions as required under the local government budget act.