Avoyelles Parish board approves $400,000 bus air-conditioning set-aside and other needs-assessment allocations

The Avoyelles Parish School Board on Monday approved its 2026 needs-assessment plan, allocating $400,000 to retrofit school buses with air conditioning and approving additional maintenance and facility set-asides from a $621,133 pot.

Amy, the staff member presenting the plan, said the committee first deducted fixed costs — utilities, leases, debt service and maintenance — and then produced a needs-assessment amount that the committee of three board members used to make recommendations. "This year we had $621,133," she said, outlining the committee's allocations.

Why it matters: the board said the spending stems from a long-standing set-aside process and from a renewal tax that voters will see in June. Amy told the board the measure up for the June ballot is a renewal, not a new tax, and that passing it would allow the district to continue funding needs such as bus air conditioning.

Key details: the committee recommended $50,000 for maintenance items (dumpsters, tree cutting, warehouse rollup doors and security cameras), $50,000 for ceiling tile, and up to $400,000 to air-condition as many buses as the funds allow. The allocations leave roughly $100,000 in the set-aside; the staff said the district plans to pursue another $400,000 next year to complete air-conditioning for the remaining buses. Amy also recapped a prior $500,000 indirect-cost allocation for athletics: $79,000, $78,000 and $53,000 were assigned to three high schools and about $290,000 remains for work including relocating a baseball field at Marksville High School.

Board action: Mr. Adams moved to approve the needs-assessment plan, Miss Gry seconded, and the motion carried; a board member registered opposition during the voice vote but the record did not name that member.

Quotes: "If they want bus AC they need to go to the polls," Amy said, urging public awareness of the renewal vote. Mr. Delo, who served on the committee, said the group tried to be "fair and equitable" in dispersing funds.

What’s next: the board approved the allocations and staff will move forward with purchases and planning for bus retrofits and other maintenance projects. The tax renewal that underpins continued funding is on the June ballot.