2023 Regular Session ENROLLED SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 204 BY SENATORS FIELDS, ABRAHAM, BARROW, BERNARD, BOUDREAUX, BOUIE, CARTER, CATHEY, CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, DUPLESSIS, FESI, FOIL, HARRIS, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JACKSON, KLEINPETER, LUNEAU, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS, ROBERT MILLS, MIZELL, MORRIS, PEACOCK, POPE, PRICE, REESE, SMITH, STINE, TALBOT, TARVER, WHITE AND WOMACK A RESOLUTION To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to recognize and include increased funding, as provided in House Bill No. 1 of the 2023 Regular Session, when developing and adopting a minimum foundation program formula for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year and in future years. WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 13(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to develop and adopt, annually, a formula which is to be used to determine the cost of a minimum foundation program (MFP) of education in all public elementary and secondary schools; and WHEREAS, on March 8, 2023, BESE adopted such a formula to determine the cost and allocation of funds for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year, and on March 15, 2023, submitted it to the legislature; and WHEREAS, an instrument providing for legislative approval of the formula was introduced for consideration, Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2; and WHEREAS, the proposed formula includes, among other components, provisions for: increased funding for pay raises and associated retirement costs, funding for differentiated compensation, funding for an apprenticeship program, and funding for Ecole Pointe au Chien; and WHEREAS, the formula includes an across-the-board two thousand dollar pay raise plus the current year applicable retirement contributions for certified personnel; and WHEREAS, the formula includes an across-the-board one-thousand dollar pay raise plus the current year applicable retirement contributions for non-certified personnel; and Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 204 ENROLLED WHEREAS, in order to provide for funding these components of the formula in an amount determined by the legislature, the legislature intends to amend House Bill No. 1 of the 2023 Regular Session in order to provide for this funding outside of the formula by directing the state Department of Education to allocate such funds in the same manner in which they would have been allocated pursuant to the MFP formula; and WHEREAS, it is the intent of the legislature that this increase in funding, although provided for outside of the MFP formula for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year, be recognized and included by the BESE in future years. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to recognize and include provisions for increased funding to provide the two-thousand dollar pay raise for certified personnel and the one-thousand dollar pay raise for non-certified personnel, along with related employer retirement contributions, as provided in House Bill No. 1 of the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature, when developing and adopting a minimum foundation program formula for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year and in future years. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, state superintendent of education, commissioner of administration, and governor. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Page 2 of 2