The  Lafayette  Parish  Association  of  Educators  believes  that  the  citizens  of  Lafayette  Parish  deserve  a  greater  understanding  of  the  causes  of  this  budget  shortfall.    We  urge  a  careful  accounting  of  the  shortfall  through  school  board  oversight.  The  following  are  facts  to  consider:    

• Lafayette  Parish  has  had  four  years  of  continuous,  unprecedented  growth  in  sales  tax  revenue  –  adding  to  the  amount  available  to  the  general  fund  each  year.  

 • Our  general  fund  budget  has  expanded  over  the  last  four  years  by  almost  $30  

million  dollars,  surpassing  our  ability  to  maintain  a  balanced  budget.      

• Over  half  of  the  $23  million  budget  shortfall  is  attributed  to  the  decision  by  this  administration  and  our  BESE  member,  Holly  Boffy,  to  aggressively  pursue  for-­‐profit  charter  schools  in  our  district.  

 • In  the  past  3  years,  over  1000  teachers  have  left  Lafayette’s  public  schools.  

 The  Lafayette  Parish  Association  of  Educators  urges  the  Lafayette  Parish  School  Board  to  continue  their  efforts  to  mitigate  the  impact  on  the  classroom  of  the  $23.5  million  budget  shortfall  in  the  general  fund.    

• Research  is  clear:  lower  teacher/student  ratio  is  critical  to  increasing  student  learning.  The  current  proposal  to  increase  ratios  will  directly  impact  our  students.  

• Cuts  to  materials  of  instruction  cut  directly  into  classroom  instruction.    • Eliminating  assistant  principal  and  counselor  positions  in  certain  schools  will  

be  detrimental  to  school-­‐based  management.      • Cuts  to  employee  earnings  ($2,000-­‐3,000)  will  negatively  impact  the  long-­‐

term  stability  of  our  system.  The  2002  teacher  tax  is  the  only  vehicle  we  have  to  assure  competitive  salaries  for  Lafayette  Parish.  Any  attempts  at  using  this  dedicated  fund  as  a  short-­‐term  fix  ignores  the  long-­‐term  intent  of  the  voter.  The  purpose  of  any  dedicated  tax  is  to  prevent  its  use  as  a  remedy  for  overspending  in  the  general  fund.  

 “Pitting  employees  against  each  other  because  of  the  financial  mismanagement  of  this  administration  is  a  gross  injustice  to  the  people  of  Lafayette  Parish.    We  are  outraged  at  the  lack  of  fiscal  accountability  of  the  public’s  tax  dollars,”  says  Rodolfo  Espinoza,  President  of  LPAE.  

For  Immediate  Release  June  25,  2014  337.739.1490