LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY) – The St. Landry Parish School District could be ending the school year with a budget deficit of about $2 million. The SLPS Finance Director, Tressa Miller explains that’s less than the $3 million originally projected. Miller notes that the deficit can be reconciled through the district’s General Fund Balance or “reserve fund” that has about $12.5 million. Miller calculates $9 million to be unreserved dollars.

Miller explains that June was a month of heavy expenses and factor-in the nine month salaries of how teachers get paid. They work nine months but get paid over 12 months. Miller suggests the solution to the budget deficit is to align spending with resources.

Resident Vincent Ware says it’s been a while since his children were in school. Ware says the district needs to avoid spending what it doesn’t have. “They got to tighten-up on the budget because a lot of people are do things they shouldn’t do.”

Miller notes that the district already looked at salaries, payroll, and cutting where it could without while maintaining a healthy teacher to pupil ratio. “We have to be vigilant and as I said fiscally responsible,” says SLPS Finance Committee Chairman Albert Hayes.

Hayes says MFP dollars will remain stable and the needs of students will not be affected. “As a percentage we are not speaking of a catastrophic loss of funding that would cause anyone to panic,” says Ware.

Ware says a projected deficit means the school district will have to count every penny going out – and prepare for some new revenue sources to bring-in money. “Especially grants that are available to districts like ours with a unique problem of a high percentage of failing schools,” adds Ware.

Miller says future plans need to include streamlining facilities. More students are attending charter schools leaving the school district with facilities under-populated and under-utilized but costing money to maintain.