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Financial Information
2026-2027
BUDGET SUMMARY
Budget Year 2026-27
Monroe City School Board serves approximately 47,000 citizens of the 31.6 square miles of the City of Monroe. The district is divided into seven educational districts, each served by a representative of the Monroe City School Board. The district consists of twelve elementary schools, three junior high schools, three high schools, and one alternative school.
Monroe City Schools strives to implement instruction that maintains grade-level consistency as well as vertical alignment to prepare students for the future. All management decisions are designed to maximize teaching and learning within the district.
Priorities
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High Expectations for All: Ground, energize, and inspire the Monroe City Schools Community with a unified district-wide vision and mission that promotes high expectations and the success and potential of all students.
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Equitable and Rigorous Instruction: Build and foster teacher and school leader capacity to effectively implement high-quality curricula with fidelity through rigorous, intentional, and differentiated systems of support.
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Thriving and Connected Students: Foster safe, welcoming, and supportive school cultures that ensure that every student feels a strong sense of belonging.
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Unified and Accountable Team: Implement transparent processes and team structures that enhance collaboration within the Central Office and between schools, fostering trust and increasing the implementation of the strategic plan.
Monroe City School Board’s proposed budget for 2026-27 reflects the district’s theme - “Going for the Gold: One Team, One Goal, Every Child, Every Day”. The district continues to provide the necessary resources to uphold its commitment to providing
educational opportunities to the student population; to monitor and improve the quality and performance of the school system; to assume a leadership role; to employ staff that is dedicated to the maintenance of an outstanding school system; and to emphasize
continued improvement by the citizenry for the benefit of the young people of the district.
The budget reflects the Board’s following goals:
⮚ Interpret the educational needs and aspirations of the community through the formulation of policies which stimulate the learner and the learning process;
⮚ Manage the school system in accordance with statutory requirements;
⮚ Provide leadership in each school in order that the goals and objectives of the school system can be effectively carried out;
⮚ Maintain two-way communication with the various publics served by the schools in order to interpret public attitudes, to identify policies and procedures of the schools, and to encourage public involvement with the understanding of the schools; and
⮚ Develop and provide the data appropriate for the management functions of planning, evaluating,
organizing, controlling, and executing.
Monroe City School Board continues to prioritize spending to best protect its students and employees.
The budget will be closely monitored to ensure that the Board’s goals are met within its financial capacity.
The documents provided in the following budgets will illustrate in further detail the monetary resources put in place to provide a Gold Medal education to the student population of the Monroe City School Board.
Minimum Foundation Program (MFP)
The Minimum Foundation Program formula that is adopted by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and approved by the Legislature determines the cost of a minimum foundation program of education in all public elementary and secondary schools and helps to allocate the funds equitably to school districts throughout the state of Louisiana. The Minimum
Foundation Program is the largest source of revenue for Monroe City School Board and its General Fund. After all required mandates are met; Monroe City School Board has the flexibility to spend MFP funding to meet the needs of its schools and students as deemed necessary.
Because MFP is directly tied to student enrollment, Monroe City School Board has faced the challenge of unstable enrollment in the district’s student population and the addition of Other Public Schools (Local and Virtual) over the past few years. Louisiana Department of Education obtains student enrollment counts twice during each fiscal year. The initial count of the district’s student enrollment is submitted for October 1st, and the second count is submitted for February 1st. Any fluctuation in the enrollment count from February 1st to October 1st and from October 1st to February 1st, requires a mid-year adjustment reflecting either an increase or
decrease of MFP funding as determined by the changes in enrollment. The following chart illustrates the student enrollment for the last five years, based on the February 1st enrollment for each fiscal year.
The Louisiana Legislature did not approve a new Minimum Foundation Program formula; therefore, the previously approved formula for the 2022 Regular Session remains in effect. As a result, there are no changes to the components of the formula for 2026-27. The per-pupil base remained unchanged from the prior four years at $4,015 in Level 1 funding. In addition to Student Enrollment, the MFP also determines weighted add-on student units in the following categories, also applicable to Level 1 per pupil funding:
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Economically Disadvantaged
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Career & Technical Units
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Students with Disabilities
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Gifted & Talented Students
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Economy-of-Scale: If Feb 1st membership is less than 7,500 (Not applicable)
The MFP Level 4 funding for 2026-27 consists of Certificated and Support Worker raises and associated retirement costs, the Supplemental Course Allocations, High Cost Services, Mentor Teacher Stipends, and the Career Development Fund. With the Supplemental Course Allocation ($240,520 for initial allocation for 2026-27) and the Career Development Funds of $241 per student enrolled in a Career Development Fund qualifying course ($140,804 for the initial allocation for 2026-27) in MFP, the district maintains JumpStart Programs throughout the district’s three high schools. This program continues to prepare students for the workplace through integrated curricula, state-of-the-art equipment, acquisition of industry-based certifications, and other opportunities uncommon in K-12 education. The core areas of implementation are:
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Business & Entrepreneurship
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Healthcare
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Information Technology
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Manufacturing & Skilled Trades
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Architecture & Construction
With these programs, the district continues to experience growth in both student participation and student opportunities. The district continues to collaborate with local businesses in the community to build partnerships and student internship opportunities, with hopes of awarding students valuable workplace experience, graduation credits, and other possible rewards upon successful completion.
On June 2, 2026, the Governor announced Executive Order 26-047 to reduce the MFP funds appropriated in HB 1 to cover the cost of a $2,000 stipend to classroom teachers and a $1,000 stipend to support staff, including the employer retirement contribution (TRSL – 19.11% and LSERS – 19.5%).
The stipend calculations were determined by the Fall 2025 staffing data collections submitted to the Louisiana Department of Education, which were calculated as follows:
Sales & Use Taxes
Sales tax revenues are the second largest source of revenue for Monroe City School Board. In 1968, the voters of Ouachita Parish authorized the Monroe City School Board and the Ouachita Parish School Board to jointly levy and collect a ½ cent sales and use tax. The net proceeds of the tax are to be allocated and prorated between the two school boards annually on the basis of average daily membership for the preceding school year. The sales and use tax revenues received by Monroe City School Board are designated and allocated in the following manner:
• 88% - Certified Salaries
• 12% - Classified Salaries
In 1994, the voters of the City of Monroe approved the levy of ½ cent sales and use tax. The net proceeds of the tax are to supplement salaries and benefits of certified teachers and other personnel and to provide additional funds for instructional activities. The sales and use tax revenues received are designated and allocated in the following manner:
• 60% - Certified Salaries and Benefits
• 10% - Classified Salaries and Benefits
• 30% - Instructional activities
In 2001, the voters of the City of Monroe approved a 1 cent sales and use tax for additional support for the district. The sales and use tax revenues received are designated and allocated in the following manner:
• 55% - Instructional programs, technology programs, and maintenance and operations
• 31% - Certified Salaries and Benefits
• 14% - Classified Salaries and Benefits
The local sales tax revenue recorded increases throughout the year for an overall total increase of 10.63%. For 2025-26, the district’s sales tax revenue increased by a total of $3,796,380.
The following chart illustrates the fluctuation of sales tax revenue for 2025-26 compared to the previous year, 2024-25.
The chart below provides the total Sales and Use Tax revenues for the last five years.
Ad Valorem Taxes
Ad valorem, or property tax, revenues are the third largest source of revenue for Monroe City School Board. The Sheriff of Ouachita Parish bills and collects property taxes on behalf of Monroe City School Board using the assessed values determined by the tax assessor of Ouachita Parish.
Each year millages are levied for Monroe City School Board to generate revenues for the district that are expended for operations, maintenance, and debt service. The following chart illustrates the ad valorem tax revenue for the last five years, including an estimate for June 30, 2026.
Expenditures
Salaries and benefits account for 76% of the district's estimated expenditures. Below is a chart that illustrates the estimated expenditures for Monroe City School Board’s major operating funds, which included the following:
• General Fund
• 1968 Sales Tax
• 1994 Sales Tax
• 2001 Sales Tax
• School Food Service
