JENNINGS — Looking to trim $1.4 million from its budget, the Jeff Davis Parish School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to cut operating expenses by reducing personnel through attrition and reassignments and discontinuing art and music programs.
“It is saddening that we have reached this point, but we have to tighten the belt,” Superintendent Kirk Credeur said.
“We are hoping that it is enough. We cut around $500,000 on the budget last year, but it really didn’t do what we hoped it would do. It wasn’t enough, so we are having to go a little deeper now.”
The budget reductions for the 2017-2018 fiscal year include cutting or reducing district-sponsored ACT boot camps; reducing funding for summer camps and summer teacher professional development; and reducing a general fund payment to the food services reserve account.
“These are tough cuts for me,” Credeur said. “They are hard. I value all these programs tremendously and it is difficult, but I am looking at sustainability for the district and fiscal health.”
Under the plan, Hathaway High would lose its second assistant principal through attrition, and Jennings High would lost its fourth assistant principal. Assistant principals at Elton Elementary, Elton High and Welsh-Roanoke would become administrative assistants.
The cuts also call for eliminating the Fenton assistant principal post and cutting four paraprofessional positions.
“It is no reflection on any of the jobs our people have done,” Credeur said. “They have done fantastic jobs.”
The plan also includes discontinuing art programs at Lacassine and Hathaway high schools, Lake Arthur Elementary and Elton Elementary, and discontinuing music programs at Fenton, Welsh Elementary, James Ward Elementary and Jennings Elementary. The cuts won’t affect band programs.
“We will still have students exposed to art and music, but it will be done by the regular classroom teacher,” Credeur said.
Credeur said the board has seen an increase in the cost of doing business, including the cost of teacher retirement, which has increased from 15 percent to 28 percent in the last five to six years, while faced with continued cuts at the state and federal level.
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