Superintendent unveils consolidation and staffing ideas to address St. Landry Parish’s multimillion‑dollar shortfall

The St. Landry Parish superintendent on Saturday presented an internal cost‑reduction plan that would consolidate school sites, repurpose facilities and reduce central and school‑level staff to address a projected multimillion‑dollar operating shortfall.

The superintendent said the district faces a structural budget gap — staff described an expense‑over‑revenue projection of roughly $27 million for 2025–26 — and emphasized that the retreat was an ideation session, not a vote. "Today is just about ideas," he said, asking board members and community members to keep an "open mind, open heart." He also warned of near‑term cash pressure: "based on our financial reports we won't make payroll in October" unless steps are taken.

Why it matters: the district’s staff said falling student enrollment (roughly 11,000 students cited in the presentation), the outflow of state MFP (Minimum Foundation Program) dollars to charter operators, and a looming final bond payment complicate the budget picture. Staff estimated charter outflows of roughly $12–13 million combined and noted a single final bond payment of $9.7 million that fuels immediate liquidity concerns.

What the plan would do: staff described zone‑based consolidation ideas that vary by area but follow the same logic — reduce the number of operating buildings, reassign grade bands and repurpose empty classrooms. Examples discussed at the retreat included:

- Moving Cross Springs Elementary students (about 216 pupils) into nearby Port Elementary to raise utilization in that campus.
- Collapsing Central Middle and redistributing grade bands across adjacent elementary and high‑school campuses.
- Reconfiguring multiple Appaloosa‑area campuses to reduce the number of buildings in operation.
- Rolling the CAPS alternative program into a larger SLANT program to collapse multiple specialized sites and exploring public‑private arrangements for building maintenance to cut operating costs.

The superintendent repeatedly framed these as staff proposals: "these are internal staff conversations… this is not voted," he told the room.

Personnel, RIFs and legal constraints: board members and staff pressed how reductions in force (RIFs) would be handled. The district attorney advised that layoffs are position‑based (by job classification) rather than strictly by school site and that RIF procedures and evaluation criteria inform who is displaced. Staff broadly signaled efforts to protect certified teachers where possible while noting the district may need to reduce administrative and central office positions.

Transportation, special education and logistics: parents, principals and association representatives raised implementation concerns. Belinda Stevens, president of the bus operators’ association, urged attention to transportation staff and asked whether drivers who signed training contracts would be prioritized; staff said drivers could be affected and seniority and RIF rules would influence outcomes. Leonville Elementary’s principal and others cautioned about increased travel times for families and the need for portables and space planning if consolidations increase enrollments at receiving campuses.

Charter impact and funding notes: finance staff summarized charter-related outflows, saying type‑one charters drew about $2.2 million in 2024 and could rise to $7.3 million in 2025–26 under expansion assumptions; type‑two outflows were cited at roughly $6.6 million (2024) and $5.3 million (2025–26). The superintendent also described how local millage effort affects state MFP allocations and said the parish has not increased millage since 1986.

Alternative proposals and community reaction: several speakers offered alternatives. Park Vista Elementary principal Rachel Mall proposed expanding Park Vista into a pre‑K–6 magnet academy (arts/multilingual) to retain and attract students from charters and private options; she said Park Vista currently enrolls about 483 pupils and offered to pilot adding seats rather than wait for the full reconfiguration. A St. Landry Federation representative urged the board to study governance and operational changes, including studying board size and exploring a four‑day week as cost and recruitment strategies.

Next steps: the superintendent urged the board to reach a decision timeline (he recommended a decision by early July) and the board discussed special meetings and committee work to refine scenarios and review reorganization charts before taking any formal action. No motions or votes on closures or reorganizations occurred at the retreat.

What remains unresolved: the plan remains conceptual — staff repeatedly asked that the public not treat the proposals as final — and key details remain to be developed, including precise savings estimates by site, federal compliance checks on buildings funded with federal dollars, formal RIF processes for specific roles, and transportation and special‑education service plans.

The board scheduled further committee work and special meetings to refine proposals and asked staff to return with reorganization charts, detailed financials and implementation options before any formal vote.