School Board eyes $1 million in cuts

• By JAMES MINTON
• Advocate Baker - Zachary bureau
• Published: Nov 4, 2009 - Page: 5B

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CLINTON — The East Feliciana Parish School Board on Tuesday set a Nov. 13 meeting to discuss possible ways of cutting this year’s spending by up to $1 million.

The 1 p.m. session will be a joint meeting of the board’s Personnel and Finance committees, but the notice will note that a quorum of the full board may be present.

“It’s not going to be easy to come up with a million dollars to cut out of the budget,” Finance Committee Chairman Tony Rouchon said.

Representatives of an accounting firm that advises the board reported on Thursday that a three-month review of the board’s finances shows a possible shortfall of $850,000 in revenue by the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

The accountants projected a shortfall of $200,000 because of lower sales tax revenue and a drop of $650,000 in state appropriations through the state Minimum Foundation Program.

The shortfall is before this year’s drop in enrollment is calculated, which could mean the loss of $200,000 more in state aid, committee members said.

Superintendent Douglas Beauchamp said the state has increased the parish’s MFP appropriation by 2.75 percent each year to help school systems pay for “step increases” mandated by the formula.

This year, because of state budget problems, the 2.75 percent increase was not added, Beauchamp said.

The Nov. 13 meeting will be a “working session” at which the committees look at class sizes and staffing to see where the board can cut positions, Beauchamp said.

The superintendent asked the board to postpone hiring a speech pathologist, whose name was listed on the personnel agenda, and to delay action on a proposal giving special education Director Michaela Wells a $1,200 boost in salary from federal funds because she is also filling the post of pupil appraisal director without extra compensation.

Board members initially started to vote for or against the raise, but Wells put the issue to rest by saying she had asked that it be tabled because of how it would appear to employees who soon may lose their jobs.