OPELOUSAS, La (KLFY) – The St. Landry Parish School Board will soon start looking at ways to address the continued budget shortfall.

Just last year the school board experienced a budget shortfall and as we come upon another school year, the school system will once again be in the negatives.

“Probably around $2.5 to $3 million,” said St. Landry Parish School Board Member, Anthony Standberry.

Standberry says the board is once again exploring options to see where funds could possibly be cut or saved to address the budget deficit.

“What has happened is the state has appropriated some programs then all of a sudden they pull back from them and it becomes an unfunded mandate, things that the system has to continue doing, but yet and still the state or the fed is not providing the monies for it,” said Standberry.

With last year’s budget shortfall, adjustments were made resulting in the loss of jobs.

“Payroll was a great part of our budget, too much of our budget, and that’s the reason why we had to wind up cutting staff,” said Standberry.

Standberry says right now it’s uncertain what cuts if any will be made.

“The comment was made that the only other resolution or the only other solution could possibly be the consolidation of schools,” said Standberry.

Standberry says the comment was made at the board’s last finance meeting by the St. Landry Parish School’s Finance Director, Tressa Miller.

However, Standberry says the board has not discussed closing or consolidating any schools in the parish.

“That hasn’t even been a topic to be discussed,” said Standberry. “It hasn’t become an agenda item for this board, it hasn’t been discussed in any form of that sort.”

Standberry says he’s hoping that tax revenue will start generating in order to avoid another shortfall.

“Regardless of the financial shortfall, I’m hoping that the educational process can take place the way it should,” said Standberry.

School starts for St. Landry Parish students on August 11.