The House budget committee chairman is unhappy that next year's proposed public school funding formula strips a requirement for how much money must be spent in the classroom. Photo by Robin May
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The House budget committee chairman is unhappy that next year's proposed public school funding formula strips a requirement for how much money must be spent in the classroom.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Fannin says lawmakers pressed for the mandate in the annual multibillion-dollar formula that 70 percent of the funding pay for instructional items at the "school building level."
John White
Superintendent of Education John White says the requirement was removed from the proposed 2013-14 formula because of legislative concerns that the formula should be a mathematical divvying of dollars, but not dictate policy decisions.
Fannin says he believes lawmakers will disagree with the removal of the instructional requirement.
The discussion was part of Wednesday's budget hearing for the Department of Education, as the Appropriations Committee combs through next year's spending proposals.