BESE considers increasing pupil cost by 2.75 percent

The Minimum Foundation Program Task Force – a group of legislators, BESE members and parent and school district representatives – has recommended that BESE increase the base pupil cost by 2.75 percent.

The MFP Task Force also recommended that BESE include $5.4 million in additional funds to meet the needs of students requiring high-cost special education and increase the per pupil cost from $26 to $35 to met the excess demand for dual enrollment and other course choices.

“I thank the MFP Task Force members for the time and commitment they put into this year’s consensus recommendations for funding our state’s schools,” said Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White in a statement.

The recommendations require BESE approval before becoming official, and the MFP Task Force asks BESE to engage in dialogue with the legislature as to the availability of funds before approving the recommendations.

“I urge both bodies to continue to support the needs of our students, especially those with disabilities and those pursuing Jump Start and other challenging coursework to prepare them for life after school,” White added.

The MFP is funding and finance program which allocates state dollars to all of the public schools in the state by way of a formula.

The formula distributes funds based on the number of children in each school district that fits within weighted categories including special education, poverty, English proficiency, gifted and talented and vocational education courses.

Louisiana schools received about $3.6 billion from the MFP during the 2014-15 school year. The proposed 2.75 percent increase would add about $70 million which would be distributed among Louisiana’s school districts for the 2015-16 school year.

Terrebonne Parish received about $90.1 million, and Lafourche received about $63.6 million last year through the formula. That resulted in a per pupil amount of $5,062 in Terrebonne and $4,594 in Lafourche.

A representative with the Louisiana Department of Education told The Times that it would be likely Terrebonne and Lafourche would receive more if BESE approves the recommendations, however figures of students fitting into the above mentioned criteria have not been determined therefore making it premature to predict an uptick.