EPSB joins lawsuit for MFP funding

The Evangeline Parish School Board voted to join a request for the 2.75 percent MFP (Minimum Foundation Program) funding increase for the 2013-2014 school year that school districts across the state have not received.
The MFP is a formula used to determine how much funding school districts receive per student. Without the 2.75 percent annual increase in MFP, Superintendent Toni Hamlin said the district has operated with an MFP shortfall of over $900,000 each year.
According to Toni Hamlin, Superintendent of Education John White is requesting a 1.375 percent increase. Though she also added a recent proposal from Governor Bobby Jindal would cut the Louisiana Department of Education’s operating budget by 48 percent.
Although receiving the 2.75 percent funding request is a long shot, the board approved joining the suit.
In other business, the board:
•Approved the purchase of library books from Follett at a cost of $8,776.49.
•Approved the purchase of a security system for Ville Platte Elementary, using parishwide maintenance funds, to the tune of $6,450 from Millennium Security of Acadiana.