BATON ROUGE, La. - The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and Department of Education today announced the intended membership and meeting schedule of a task force to advise BESE on public funding for education. Each year, BESE must determine the cost of educating all public school students in Louisiana, known as the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), and develop a formula to distribute funding to public schools. The task force will offer guidance on how best to improve the formula to most equitably and effectively fund schools and students.
"BESE created the MFP Task Force because it values and desires broad stakeholder input and engagement in the development of our state's school funding formula," said Jay Guillot, BESE member and chair of the Administration and Finance Committee. "Considering the state's limited resources and educational reforms of the last several years, the goal of the task force is to recommend reasonable MFP modifications for improved alignment, and public involvement in this process is critical."
"The goal of this task force is to provide a forum for statewide discussion and collaboration leading up to the development of the 2014-2015 MFP formula," said State Superintendent John White. "By starting the process early, and by gathering diverse perspectives, the task force will provide guidance to BESE on what is one of the Board's most important tasks."
BESE conceived of the task force at its March meeting in an effort to better engage educators, districts, policy experts, and communities. Designated membership roles were approved at BESE's June meeting, and today, a BESE committee approved the nominations of individuals to serve in these roles, pending final approval from the Board tomorrow. The task force will be chaired by Guillot, of Ruston, as chair of the Administration and Finance Committee. Other members of the task force include legislators, the Louisiana School Boards Association, professional educator associations, superintendents, classroom educators, parents, and community organizations. For a complete list of task force members, please click here.
The first meeting of the MFP Task Force will be held September 4. Meetings will continue every month through the end of the calendar year; for a full calendar, please click here. At its first meeting, the task force will hear public testimony to inform policies and topics to be addressed at future meetings. In addition to this testimony, the task force will discuss topics such as:
- September: Cost of a Minimum Foundation Program of Education
- October: Local and State Revenue
- November: Distribution of Minimum Foundation Program Funds
- December: Final Recommendations for Questions, Comments, and a Vote by Members
All meetings will be open to the public with the goal of using their suggestions and discussion as a guide to strengthening Louisiana's funding formula. More information about the MFP Task Force will be available on the BESE website, including schedules and agendas. |
