Budget issues?

By: ELIZABETH WEST
Associate Editor

The possibility of cuts next year could make budgeting difficult for Evangeline Parish Schools come January.
Evangeline Parish School Board CFO Amy Lafleur presented the 2014-15 budget to school board members informing them of the $1,152,558.98 deficit. EPSB President Wayne Dardeau asked, “With the price of oil and gas as low as it is now and with the budget deficit that we have right now with the state, how is our budget’s ability to take major cuts that will probably be state wide next year regardless of who is governor?”
Lafleur responded, “In the 15 years that I have prepared a budget, we are getting to a point where we are so tight that any amount of revenue loss is going to devastate us. We can’t take many more hits without making major adjustments.”
While the cost of some expenditures like retirement have gone down, Lafleur said, “Retirement went down ever so slightly but hospitalization went up and it is projected to be double digit increases for the upcoming plan year, which is January.” The cuts may come even if the parish cannot handle anymore.
For the districts that heavily depend on local dollars from oil and gas for funding, if state funds decrease as well as local funds these districts could experience a major hit.
Dardeau said, “The state budget was allocated at $75.00 a barrel but right now it at about $40.00 a barrel. Anyone can see there will be major cuts.”
Other items approved during the meeting:
•Executive committee meeting dated August 26, 2015.
•Approve minutes.
•Approve action of the executive meeting.
•Permission to change meeting date from September 16, 2015 to Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
•Permission to ratify low quote from Ace Roofing Inc. of $39,956.00 for new Durolast roof on media center warehouse using general fund.
•Permission to ratify low quote from Ace Roofing Inc. of $13,858.00 for new Durolast roof for VPHS band room using parishwide maintenance
•Permission to approve the following requisitions.
•Mac to school - $6,705.00 for 45 ipad.
•Compass learning - $7,800.00.