SLS 17RS-2863 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 179
BY SENATOR MORRISH
BESE. Requests BESE to reconvene the MFP task force.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reconvene
3 the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) task force to determine the actual cost of
4 providing public education in Louisiana and identify all potential funding
5 mechanisms to enable school systems to meet this cost and to submit a written report
6 of findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education and the
7 House Committee on Education not later than February 1, 2018.
8 WHEREAS, the Constitution of Louisiana requires that the legislature provide for
9 the education of the people of the state and further requires that the legislature establish and
10 maintain a public education system; and
11 WHEREAS, the Constitution of Louisiana further provides that it is the goal of the
12 public education system to provide learning environments and experiences at all stages of
13 human development that are humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that
14 every individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential; and
15 WHEREAS, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has
16 the constitutional responsibility of annually developing, adopting, and submitting to the
17 legislature for its approval and funding a formula to be used to determine the cost of a
18 Minimum Foundation Program of education in all public elementary and secondary schools
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SLS 17RS-2863 ORIGINAL
1 as well as to equitably allocate the funds to local school systems; and
2 WHEREAS, the constitution provides that the legislature may not amend the formula
3 that is adopted by the board and submitted to the legislature for its consideration, but may
4 only return an unsatisfactory formula to the board along with recommendations to the board
5 for an amended formula; and
6 WHEREAS, for the purpose of providing BESE with advisory recommendations for
7 the MFP formula for 2014-2015 and beyond, BESE formed a MFP task force that met from
8 September of 2013 through January of 2014 and adopted several recommendations relative
9 to the formula; and
10 WHEREAS, at the urging of legislative resolutions, BESE authorized the
11 reconvening of the task force to develop recommendations for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017
12 MFP formulas; and
13 WHEREAS, many education stakeholders feel that various issues relative to the MFP
14 formula warrant further study so the needs of students and the school systems that educate
15 them are sufficiently met; and
16 WHEREAS, in order to fulfill the state's constitutional duty of affording every
17 student an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential, it is imperative that there be
18 continued study of the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula so that determinations
19 can be made as to how the state can best provide experiences and opportunities to students
20 that help them succeed in all aspects of life.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
22 does hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to
23 reconvene the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) task force to determine the actual cost
24 of providing public education in Louisiana and identify all potential funding mechanisms
25 to enable school systems to meet this cost and to submit a written report of findings and
26 recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on
27 Education not later than February 1, 2018.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the task force include but not
29 be limited to individuals representing the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
30 Education, the state Department of Education, the Louisiana School Boards Association, the
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SLS 17RS-2863 ORIGINAL
1 Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, the Louisiana Association of School
2 Business Officers, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Louisiana Association of Business
3 and Industry, the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, the Louisiana
4 Association of Educators, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, and the Louisiana
5 Developmental Disabilities Council.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
7 president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state
8 superintendent of education.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SR 179 Original 2017 Regular Session Morrish
Requests BESE to reconvene the MFP task force and submit a written report of its
recommendations to the senate and house committees on Education by February 1, 2018.
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