Hearing on school budget set for Thursday

St. Mary Parish residents will have a chance to weigh in on the School Board’s proposed 2020-21 budget at a public hearing at 4:45 p.m. Thursday
The public hearing will precede the regularly scheduled 5 p.m. meeting of the board at the Central Office Complex in Centerville.
The School Board budget may resemble a puzzle more than in most years.
The COVID-19 pandemic creates uncertainty on three fronts: the amount of time school will be in session, either in-person or through virtual learning; the availability of state and federal aid; and the availability of local property and sales tax income.
Last Thursday, the board voted 7-2 to delay the opening of school from Aug. 10 to Sept. 8, the Tuesday after Labor Day.
It was the second time the board moved to push back the opening of the 2020-21 school year. Both times, the new opening date came just after the administration of Gov. John Bel Edwards has been due to make a decision about the level of coronavirus protection Louisiana should be in.
Currently, Louisiana is in Phase Two of federal coronavirus restrictions with the addition of mandatory masks in public places, the closure of bars except for to-go sales and a 50-person limit on public gatherings.
Last week, Edwards signed a proclamation keeping those measures in effect until at least Aug. 28.
Aid to state and local governments is among the points of contention between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who have yet to reach agreement on other items such as another federal enhancement for state unemployment benefits and a second stimulus payment to individuals.
Parishwide, tax revenue is running at least even and in some cases a little ahead of 2019.
But tax income has yet to feel the impact from the end of federal coronavirus aid programs.
Also this week, the St. Mary school system is launching a series of overview sessions to introduce parents to the system’s virtual learning program.
Parent overview sessions will be hosted over the course of several days beginning Tuesday, with two time slots to accommodate a parent’s schedule:
—Elementary School: Tuesday, Aug. 11 (1-2 p.m.) and (5:30-6:30 p.m.)
—Middle School: Thursday, Aug. 13 (1 -2 p.m.) and (5:30-6:30 p.m.)
—High School: Wednesday, Aug.12 and Monday, Aug. 17 (5:30-6:30 p.m.)
“At the conclusion of these overview sessions, parents will have until Aug. 19 to make adjustments to their selection of online learning,” a school system news release said.
“The district will not be able to honor any educational option changes after Aug. 19 as student schedules for both on-campus and virtual schooling will be finalized.”