St. Tammany Parish School Board Packet Summary — August 13, 2026
Meeting Overview
The St. Tammany Parish School Board packet includes materials for a Public Hearing on the proposed budget for the 2026–2027 fiscal year. The agenda identifies the public hearing as including a staff presentation/comments on the proposed budgets and public input concerning the proposed budgets.
The public hearing notice states that the hearing is scheduled for August 20, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex in Covington, Louisiana.
Key Items on the Agenda
Proposed 2026–2027 Fiscal Year Budgets
The packet presents proposed budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027. The budget message states that the submitted budgets are balanced and were developed through a process focused on financial planning, review of revenue and expenditure items, and alignment with School Board goals and policies.
The agenda identifies the proposed budgets as a staff presentation/comment item and includes the Budget Message FY 2026–2027, the General Fund Original Budget FY 2026–2027, and other budget documents for review.
Major Financial Items
General Fund Revenue Changes
The proposed General Fund budget projects several significant revenue changes:
- Local revenue sources are projected to increase by $5.6 million compared with the prior original budget, including a projected $4.4 million increase in ad valorem property tax collections and a $2.6 million increase in sales tax revenue projections.
- State funding through the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) is projected to decrease by approximately $24.8 million. The budget message attributes the projected decrease to enrollment changes, a new K–8 charter school opening in the parish, state stipend funding requirements, projected student losses, and other MFP funding changes.
- Total General Fund revenues in the proposed FY 2026–2027 budget are listed at $488,931,784, compared with $509,207,930 in projected FY 2025–2026 revenues.
Budget Balancing Transfers
The proposed budget uses transfers from other funds to address the decrease in MFP funding. The packet describes proposed one-time transfers of $19.8 million from the Community Disaster Loan Fund and $5 million from the Parishwide Construction Fund, totaling $24.8 million reflected as transfers in.
The proposed General Fund budget includes changes in projected expenditures:
- Salaries and benefits are projected to increase by $98,800 in FY 2027. The packet notes changes related to retirements, employee pay raises, and stipend payments.
- Group and retiree health insurance costs are projected to increase by 6%, representing an increase of approximately $5 million.
- Utilities are projected to increase by $5,007,008 compared with FY 2026, with the packet explaining that FY 2027 reflects the full cost of district-wide utilities.
Student Services and Program Funding
School Food Service
The packet states that the School Food Service Fund is projected to have a surplus for FY 2027 of approximately $493,000 and an ending fund balance of approximately $2.8 million. The district plans to continue providing free meals to all students in FY 2027, with the School Food Service fund balance used to support meal costs.
School Security Fund
The proposed budget includes a reduction of $1.5 million in transfers to the School Security Fund for school resource officers and mental health providers as part of balancing the FY 2027 budget. The packet states that a projected FY 2026 School Security Fund balance of $1.9 million will be used for FY 2027.
The agenda includes a public input opportunity concerning the proposed budgets for fiscal year 2026–2027.
The packet identifies the hearing as a forum for presentation of the proposed budgets and public comment rather than a document of final budget adoption actions.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- The presentation of the proposed FY 2026–2027 budgets and supporting financial documents.
- Public input concerning the proposed budgets.
- Discussion of projected revenue changes, including the decrease in MFP funding and use of one-time transfers.
- Budget updates and future amendments, which the packet states will be recommended for variances of 5% or more, with updates provided to the School Board in December and March and a final amended budget presented after year-end.
