School board directs monthly budget reports, journal‑entry verification and AFR delivery
July 19, 2026 | St. John the Baptist Parish, School Boards, Louisiana
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The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board on Feb. 10 unanimously adopted motions directing the superintendent to provide more detailed and regular financial reporting to the board.
Board Member Debra Schum moved — and Mrs. Nia Mitchell‑Williams seconded — a set of directives requiring administration to deliver monthly budget‑to‑actual and monthly income vs. monthly expenditures reports dating from July 2021 to the present and ongoing thereafter. The motion carried (roll call recorded 6 yeas; 5 absent).
Why it matters: Board members said the information is necessary for fiscal oversight after months during which the administration reported gaps in month‑end closeout procedures and backlogged transactions. Schum said the board cannot be fiscally responsible without accurate, regular reports; Superintendent Dr. Lynett Hookfin explained the district’s finance office has been recovering from earlier staffing and reconciliation problems and promised to provide the requested materials.
In related motions, the Board directed the superintendent to verify in writing that all outstanding journal entries have been entered and updated no later than March 15, 2022, and to provide weekly status updates toward that goal. The motion passed (mover: Schum; second: Holden) with the vote recorded as 6 yeas and 5 absent.
The board also approved a motion directing the superintendent to provide a copy of the Annual Financial Report to the Louisiana Department of Education and to the board no later than March 1, 2022 (mover: Schum; second: Holden). That motion carried with the same roll‑call plurality.
Superintendent’s explanation: Dr. Hookfin told the board that, due to a backlog of transactions and earlier turnover in the finance office, accurate monthly reports have not been consistently available. In the meeting record she summarized the district’s recent finance staffing and reconciliation history and said reconciling complex funding streams requires additional staffing and time. She said the district would work to meet the board’s deadlines.
What the motions require (as recorded in the meeting minutes): monthly budget‑to‑actual and monthly income vs. expenditures reports from July 2021 forward; a written verification that outstanding journal entries are entered by March 15 with weekly updates; and delivery of the AFR to the board and LDOE by March 1. The minutes record roll calls and the specific board members voting in favor.
Board Member Debra Schum moved — and Mrs. Nia Mitchell‑Williams seconded — a set of directives requiring administration to deliver monthly budget‑to‑actual and monthly income vs. monthly expenditures reports dating from July 2021 to the present and ongoing thereafter. The motion carried (roll call recorded 6 yeas; 5 absent).
Why it matters: Board members said the information is necessary for fiscal oversight after months during which the administration reported gaps in month‑end closeout procedures and backlogged transactions. Schum said the board cannot be fiscally responsible without accurate, regular reports; Superintendent Dr. Lynett Hookfin explained the district’s finance office has been recovering from earlier staffing and reconciliation problems and promised to provide the requested materials.
In related motions, the Board directed the superintendent to verify in writing that all outstanding journal entries have been entered and updated no later than March 15, 2022, and to provide weekly status updates toward that goal. The motion passed (mover: Schum; second: Holden) with the vote recorded as 6 yeas and 5 absent.
The board also approved a motion directing the superintendent to provide a copy of the Annual Financial Report to the Louisiana Department of Education and to the board no later than March 1, 2022 (mover: Schum; second: Holden). That motion carried with the same roll‑call plurality.
Superintendent’s explanation: Dr. Hookfin told the board that, due to a backlog of transactions and earlier turnover in the finance office, accurate monthly reports have not been consistently available. In the meeting record she summarized the district’s recent finance staffing and reconciliation history and said reconciling complex funding streams requires additional staffing and time. She said the district would work to meet the board’s deadlines.
What the motions require (as recorded in the meeting minutes): monthly budget‑to‑actual and monthly income vs. expenditures reports from July 2021 forward; a written verification that outstanding journal entries are entered by March 15 with weekly updates; and delivery of the AFR to the board and LDOE by March 1. The minutes record roll calls and the specific board members voting in favor.
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