DeSoto Parish board opens budget hearing, approves audits and millage rates by consent

The DeSoto Parish School Board on July 2 opened a public hearing on the fiscal year 2026–27 budget and, in a single consent motion, approved multiple finance items including school audits, the superintendent’s contract renewal, the annual operating budget and the district’s 2026 millage rates.

The board chair opened the public hearing and invited comment before members later took a consent vote on five items recommended by the finance and operations committee. Mr. Dufol reported the finance committee met June 25 and presented five items for approval: acceptance of school audits; consideration of the superintendent’s contract renewal; approval of the annual operating budget and resolution; adoption of millage rates for 2026; and designation of the official journal for 2027.

Pastor Mars moved to take the items together, and Mrs. Mayweather seconded the motion. By a voice/show‑of‑hands vote the chair declared the motion passed and the items approved.

The consent vote covered the formal adoption of the budget resolution and the millage rates as presented to the board; the meeting record does not include a numerical roll‑call tally. The board previously discussed many of these items in committee and at earlier meetings, and staff indicated the budget documents and contract language had been provided in board packets.

Board members previously approved changes in principle and were presented a final, formatted salary schedule at the same meeting. A motion to approve the June 4 minutes and a separate motion to adopt the 2026–27 salary schedule both passed by voice vote during the session.

The public hearing on the budget was opened to allow comment; meeting minutes show the hearing was then closed by motion, after which the consent items were considered. The board did not record any formal amendments to the budget at the July 2 meeting. The board adjourned at the close of the agenda.

Note: The meeting record identifies movers and seconders for several motions (for example, the consent motion was moved by Pastor Mars and seconded by Mrs. Mayweather). Numerical vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript; where the record uses voice vote or show‑of‑hands, this article reports the outcome as declared by the chair.