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NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans City Councilmembers have released the following statements responding to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s refusal to honor her own administration’s November 2024 agreement settling the longstanding legal battle with NOLA Public Schools and providing funding for kids with mental health challenges, incarcerated youth, and teenagers in the workforce:
“The refusal to fund the settlement is illegal. The Council not only made this deal to help the children of New Orleans, but also expected it to be honored. The Administration’s refusal to help children is indefensible,” said District 'A' Councilmember and Budget Chair Joe Giarrusso. “The Administration stood arm-to-arm with members of the Council and the Orleans Parish School Board in November when the $20 million agreement was announced. The Mayor signed the budget ordinance approving the first installments of money for these programs. Any cash flow issues stemming from the Trump administration’s federal programming cuts were foreseeable. These are not reasons to reduce spending on our children. They are excuses. To see this funding – which directly and immediately affects New Orleans’ children, families, and educators – be withheld is against the law and defies common sense.”
“The Mayor and City Attorney have completely disregarded what is best for our children and families in New Orleans in favor of petty politics. The City Attorney has failed to negotiate a settlement in this outstanding lawsuit that Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) has had for over 7 years,” said Council President JP Morrell. “The City Council, in concert with CAO Montano, negotiated a structured settlement that finally relieved the City of its larger potential burden, while working with OPSB, to strengthen public schools and provide for them during a budget crisis."
Morrell continued, "Rather than take the win on a settlement structured around increased unbudgeted revenue from Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl, the Mayor instead seeks to starve our schools of revenue in order to keep more cash for the Administration. If the City Attorney is concerned about money being misspent, she wouldn’t have taken a junket to DC Mardi Gras with the rest of the Mayor’s senior staff on the City’s dime. We’ve known for a while that the Administration doesn’t have its priorities straight, and this Council will do right for our families and taxpayers. We will do what is necessary to make sure all money is spent correctly and that our authority over the budget exists year-round, not just in December.”
"The Council took a firm stance during the 2024 budget process to address the school board’s financial challenges by allocating $20 million to ensure a strong public education system our children deserve and their future depends on,” said City Council Vice President Helena Moreno. “The 2025 budget ordinance was adopted by unanimous Council approval, therefore, it is illegal for the Council allocation to now be disregarded. This is an alarming move because it hurts the children of our city. The Council should take any necessary steps to ensure our commitment and legislatively-approved allocation is met.”
“The City Council made a commitment to support our schools, our children, and their future. Breaking that promise now is not only illegal but a moral failure,” said District 'B' Councilmember Lesli Harris. “The Administration’s refusal to honor this agreement directly harms students, families, and educators who depend on these essential programs. The City cannot pick and choose which approved budget allocations to follow. Our children deserve stability, and I stand with my colleagues in taking all necessary action to ensure these critical funds are delivered as promised.”
“This settlement was negotiated and agreed upon months ago,” said District 'C' Councilmember Freddie King III. “Our teachers and children are depending on these funds. It’s time to move forward and honor the settlement.”
The City Council, in partnership with City Administration and NOLA Public Schools, agreed in November to pay Orleans Parish School Board $20 million over two payments to help staunch the agency’s budget shortfall caused by a district accounting error. The first installment was scheduled for December 31.
The agreement also ended a 2019 lawsuit between OPSB and the City over tax revenue collection. Outside of the $20 million, the Council also committed roughly $6 million annually to educational support programs such as ThriveKids and vocational training programs.
All funding was approved in the 2025 Budget on November 21, 2024. Mayor Cantrell approved the operating budgets on November 26.
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