By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LUTCHER – The St. James Parish School Board recently adopted a pair of resolutions aimed at stemming the flow of state funding out of the hands of the district administration.

The first of these was in opposition to proposed legislation that would administer 80 percent of the district’s funding directly to the schools. Called “student-based budgeting,” the plan would call for the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to implement a budgeting model in which funds are allocated to schools based on their enrollment.

Although the aim of the legislation is to ensure that more money goes directly to the classroom, Superintendent Alonzo Luce and members of the school board are unsure of the effects such measures would have on the district.

“This seems very like the charter school movement,” said Luce. “The concern that we have … is that it basically does away with the central office and the school board.”

Luce said under this system he fears each school would become its own business operation. Such a situation would not only drastically change the function of a school’s principal — or perhaps even necessitate the creation of a new school-level position — but also destroy any attempts to create districtwide coherence.

Luce said it also muddles the issue of what type of school system exists in Louisiana.

“The issue is how do we want governance of local schools,” said Luce, adding, “The elected school board should be able to make decisions.”

Luce explained that a number of local school boards, including St. Charles Parish, opposed the proposed legislation, but state Superintendent Paul Pastorek has called it a “done deal,” according to Luce.

The state of Hawaii as well as a number of local districts throughout the nation have already implemented the plan, but Luce said he has yet to see how the system would work in a rural area.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions,” he said.

The other resolution adopted unanimously by the board dealt with restoring funding to K-12 schools. It was drafted in reaction to a series of budget cuts and unfunded mandates at the state level.

In Louisiana, only education and healthcare may be cut without a constitutional amendment. Consequently, schools have been the target of recent budget cuts.

The resolution also mentioned Louisiana’s failed bids for Race to the Top funds.

The resolution calls for the state to “fully fund and support pre-K-12 public education programs and initiative” throughout the state and to fund all unfunded mandates. It also asks the state to “seriously consider the negative impact that the lack of funding and funding cuts have on local districts as it relates to the state accountability program.”

According to Luce, by adopting the resolution St. James joined a number of other school districts in Louisiana that have put similar measures in place.