Superintendent warns pre-K could face cuts after state MFP change; tuition option used to avoid classroom closures

Mr. Holly, the district superintendent, told the Beauregard Parish School Board on June 11 that the district’s pre-kindergarten program is not fully state-funded and faces pressure from recent state changes to MFP distributions.

He said the district employs roughly 17 pre-K teachers (and a similar number of aides), that about 30% of those teachers are funded through grants and 70% are paid from local funds, and that maintaining those locally funded positions costs the parish about $1.1 million annually. “We’re about people, but at the end of the day, we have to run as a business and an organization,” Mr. Holly said, explaining why the board is discussing a tuition-based option at one campus.

To preserve classrooms after low enrollments threatened a staff reduction, the district opened tuition-based enrollment at South (referred to in the board papers as South Bulgar). Superintendent Holly said the district’s sliding scale ranges from roughly $100 a month up to $350 a month depending on household income; the totals he cited would generate about $13,425 per month from families who participate, or about $120,825 for the nine months the district is in session. That figure, he said, would cover roughly one teacher salary and an aide, but is not a substitute for the larger funding gap.

Mr. Holly warned the board that the state Department of Education had notified districts of a reallocation affecting the district’s MFP allocation. He said the district faces the loss of approximately $1.428 million from its MFP allocation that will be redistributed by the state, a change he described as a significant fiscal challenge for pre-K and other locally funded services. “We are doing our best to keep it solvent and keep it working,” he said, noting the district’s priority is to avoid layoffs.

Board members asked for the numeric details, and Mr. Holly said staff would distribute additional spreadsheets and outreach materials. The superintendent emphasized that pre-K is not universally state-funded: “Yes, as a resident of [Beauregard] Parish, your child is entitled to a free and public education, but pre-K isn't free. Pre-K is only funded for one small segment of the population,” he said.

The superintendent presented the pre-K figures during the superintendent’s report; the board did not vote on program changes at the June 11 meeting but continued routine budget planning for FY2027.

The board is scheduled to hold another open meeting at 5:45 p.m. before the next regular session to receive public comment on rolling forward two millages; Mr. Holly told members the rollforward will require a two-thirds vote (seven members) to pass.