School District Salary Supplements, Staffing Levels Under Review

The twice yearly salary supplements – often called 13th and 14th checks – paid to employees of the Lincoln Parish School District are under review, along with district staffing levels, Superintendent Mike Milstead told last night’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish School Board.

Said Milstead, “Staffing is going to be an issue for us. We’re anticipating a much larger reduction in sales tax receipts. With a 40, 50, 60% decline (in sales taxes), that’s problematic for us.”

Milstead noted that four sales funds make up the monies that pay the salary supplements, and they are looking at a $1 to $1.5 million deficit. He added that he’s asking all non-essential spending to be curtailed, including maintenance and operation items.

One of the sales tax funds helps fund the insurance program, and it will see a cut, Milstead said.

Even though the remainder of the school year has been cancelled, some classes have been conducted online, Milstead said. “The educational process continues for us.”

Graduating seniors hopefully will be able to have ceremonies conducted in June, but that may not happen, Milstead said.

Milstead said that students who missed the ACT test this spring would have an opportunity to make up the test in June or October.

In other business, the board tabled action on a tax exemption for a Raeford Farms feed mill under construction near Simsboro.

The board unanimously approved purchase of supplies, and bleachers for I. A. Lewis.

The meeting was conducted via the remote meeting app ZOOM, and was also broadcast over the internet on the district’s Facebook page. With the ZOOM app, the individual participants could be seen and heard from their computers.