§88.  Budget of expected revenues and expenditures; boards' duty to adopt; submission to state superintendent of education with a copy to the legislative auditor

A.  Except as otherwise provided in Subsection F of this Section, each city and parish school board shall adopt no later than September fifteenth of each year a budget for the general fund and each special revenue fund for the fiscal year, July first through June thirtieth.  The revenue/receipts shall be those normally expected from constitutional, statutory, and regular sources and shall not include probable revenues/receipts that may arise from doubtful or contingent sources.

B.  The revenues/receipts and expenditures/disbursements in this budget shall be listed and classified in such manner and substance as shall be prescribed by the state superintendent of public education, and shall detail as nearly as possible the several items of expected revenue/receipts and expenditures/disbursements, the total of which shall not exceed the expected means of financing composed of the beginning fund balance, cash balances and revenues/receipts.  No item of expenditure unless included in a subsequent revised budget, not included in the detailed estimates shall be paid by the treasurer, or ex officio treasurer, of the school board, under the penalty that he and his surety or bondsman, shall be personally liable for any items so paid and not included in this budget of expenditure.  The payment of debts arising out of the current operation of previous years shall be taken care of in accordance with law.  If, during the course of the fiscal year, it becomes evident that receipts or disbursements will vary substantially from those budgeted, then the school board shall prepare and adopt, in like form, manner and substance and upon like penalties, an amended budget or revenues, expenses and disbursements.

C.  Except as otherwise provided in Subsection F of this Section, each  school board shall submit to the state superintendent of education a copy of its adopted budget no later than September thirtieth of each year which shall include the same line items as prescribed by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for inclusion in the financial and statistical report as well as a general summary of the adopted budget.  The general summary shall include projected revenues and receipts, expenditures and disbursements, beginning fund and cash balances, and ending fund and cash balances.

D.  The state superintendent of public education may require the parish school boards to operate the schools within the receipts normally expected and set up in the school budget.  The authority herein granted shall include the right to advise the school board in parishes participating in the state equalization fund in all matters relating to the preparation and adoption of their budgets and the right to require change when it is clearly evident that the budget fails to comply with the intent and purpose of the state equalization fund.

E.  All action necessary to adopt and otherwise finalize and implement the budget for the current year* shall follow R.S. 39:1301 through 1316, as applicable.

F.(1)  Effective for the 2005-2006 school year, the provisions of Subsections A and C of this Section relative to the required dates for school boards to adopt budgets and submit such budgets to the state superintendent of education shall not be applicable.  This provision shall not be construed to require any school board to complete or adopt its budget as required by R.S. 39:1306(A)(introductory paragraph) or 1309(A)(introductory paragraph).

(2)  The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education may adopt rules effective for the 2005-2006 school year to provide relative to the adoption and submission of such budgets.

Amended by Acts 1972, No. 693, §1; Acts 1981, No. 183, §1, eff. July 10, 1981; Acts 1992, No. 914, §1, eff. July 9, 1992; Acts 1995, No. 940, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2005, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 20, §1, eff. Nov. 29, 2005.

*As appears in enrolled bill.