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Caldwell Parish board warned of nearly $1M shortfall and flags new disclosure law burden
Summary
Business officials told the board the district faces a projected deficit near $900,000–$1 million and raised concerns about Act 370, which they said would force detailed online disclosure of contracts and payroll data the district's software cannot easily produce.
The Caldwell Parish School Board heard a sobering financial update and a policy concern about recently enacted state disclosure requirements.
The business manager told trustees the district is projecting a general-fund deficit approaching $900,000 and possibly rising toward $1 million if current trends continue. He said rising insurance and staffing costs, combined with enrollment-driven funding pressures, are squeezing the budget.
"If we hit $900,000 deficit that might be some celebration," the business manager said, summarizing the risk and warning that without changes the district faces difficult fiscal choices. Board members discussed staffing meetings and possible nonreplacement of positions as options to limit layoffs.
Officials also discussed Act 370, which the presenter said requires detailed contract-page disclosures and itemized payroll reporting. The speaker described technical and privacy concerns: their financial software does not easily produce the requested employee-by-employee line items, and posting that level of payroll detail online could expose personal information and create additional workload.
Board members asked staff to raise those problems with legislators and seek clarifications or exemptions. The business manager said he would coordinate with other districts that use the same software to seek a common response and pursue a one-time exemption if possible.
No formal budget action was taken at the meeting; trustees scheduled further finance-committee work and a staffing review to develop options ahead of the fiscal-year deadline.
