St. Landry Parish School Board Facing Budget Crisis
The St. Landry Parish School Board is facing a budget shortfall and will likely have to make budget cuts, before the end of this fiscal year.
"We're going to have to make up several million dollars," said Interim Superintendent Donnie Perron. "It's pretty much a crisis, financially."
The expected deficit is in part because of higher retirement and insurance costs, as well as legal fees associated with the recent settlement of a long-term desegregation lawsuit against the school system.
"The majority of our budget is personnel and salaries, so we're going to have to look at that," said Perron, who indicated that attrition is just one possible cost-saving measure.
"Cutting programs, cutting travel, reducing the amount of workforce, possibly furloughs, we're going to look at anything and everything we can do to reduce our costs," he said.
The school board will be involved in cost-saving discussions during a financial retreat, expected to take place in the next few weeks.
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