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A costumed frog is seen before the frog derby is held at the Rayne Frog Festival on Saturday.
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M o n d ay, M ay 11, 2026
$2.00X
Officials balk at overhaul of school funding
Jr. Teen Frog Festival Queens Paisley Lajaunie, 12, left, and Monroe LeBlanc, 10, meet a frog on Saturday.
UN-FROG-ETTABLE
Held each year on the second weekend in May, the annual Rayne Frog Festival showcases the town’s claim as the Frog Capital of the World. The amphibians take center stage in a slate of signature events, including racing and jumping contests, a derby and a kissing booth. The three-day festival kicked off Friday night with a parade and carnival games and ran through Sunday, with live music each night. Other festival features included frog eating contests, a croaking competition and the crowning of festival queens.
Report suggests sweeping changes to system BY PATRICK WALL
Staff writer
Louisiana’s decades-old system for funding public schools is “stagnant and outdated” and fails to send enough money to schools with the greatest needs, according to a new report that’s been presented privately to top state officials. Produced by national consultants and commissioned by Louisiana Kids Matter, an influential education advocacy group, the report includes potential sweeping changes to the funding system that the group says would better allocate money based on student needs and local resources. The changes would boost the dollar amount that schools receive for each student, and cost the state an additional $330 million. The people behind the report, which has not been publicly released, met privately last month with Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, state Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier and members
ä See FUNDING, page 4A
LAFAYETTE
On-demand transit program to launch Six-month pilot program has minivans without set schedules
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
Jockey Ava Bourgeois encourages her entry in the frog derby to jump during the festival on Saturday.
BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Contributing writer
he told Nungesser. He just needed Nungesser to promote it. In the ensuing months, the state wound up offering millions of dollars to the Saudi Arabian-backed golf tour, including hosting fees, marketing support and a “Mardi Gras themed” event to put on the
Lafayette’s transit system is set to introduce an on-demand, smaller-vehicle service this summer, a move city officials say could better reach residents without cars and ease strain on a separate paratransit program that serves more than 30,000 riders a year. The Lafayette Transit System presented a microtransit pilot to the Lafayette City Council last week, outlining a $300,000, six-month program that would deploy three minivans and one wheelchair-accessible vehicle in a service zone on the east side of the city. The zone was selected based on census data identifying
ä See LIV, page 4A
ä See TRANSIT, page 3A
An inside look at LIV Golf’s collapsed New Orleans deal $22M initial offer, nondisclosures were key elements
to Gov. Jeff Landry. esser sat beside an Norman, then CEO unusual passenger: reof LIV Golf, was tired professional Auslooking for potential tralian golfer Greg Norsites to host a new man, also known as “the summer tournament Great White Shark.” in New Orleans. As The rainy flight took BY SAM KARLIN Nungesser saw it, them over the sprawl- Norman Staff writer Norman was already ing oak-lined golf course On a helicopter ride across at New Orleans City Park in sold as they peered down from New Orleans two years a helicopter owned by Shane the helicopter. He was willing ago, Lt. Gov. Billy Nung- Guidry, a donor and top adviser to spend millions on the event,
WEATHER HIGH 82 LOW 65 PAGE 14C
Classified ..................10C Deaths .........................4B Nation-World ................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 315