CAM JORDAN SIGNS ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH SAINTS 1C THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 17, 2026
Auditor: Funds available to pay teacher stipends
H
$2.00X
LCG to review plan for Bertrand project Boulet meets with business owners following pushback BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN BALLANCE
Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack speaks Tuesday to the Louisiana Audit Advisory Council about an executive order from Gov. Jeff Landry that would reduce public school funding for the 2026-27 school year.
Review shows most school systems have ample reserves to weather cuts proposed to fund bonuses, official says BY PATRICK WALL
Staff writer
School superintendents might not like Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to cut their budgets to pay for teacher stipends — but most school districts can afford it. That was the message from the state auditor and some lawmakers during a meeting Tuesday focused on Landry’s recent executive order calling for the state to reduce public school funding by nearly $170 million for the coming school year to cover the cost of $2,000 pay bumps for teachers and $1,000 for school support staff. Lawmakers have until next Tuesday to vote on the order, which needs the approval of twothirds of the Legislature to take effect. Superintendents and school board members have warned that the roughly 5% reduction in state funding could force them to cut positions or programs, and they have privately and publicly urged lawmakers to reject the plan.
the proposed cut, saying most have ample reserve funds to draw from. “I honestly think this executive order can be executed,” he told lawmakers on the Legislative Audit Advisory Council. In an interview after the meeting, he added that Landry’s plan could pose challenges for four or five school districts with little or no rainy-day funds, but he argued that “a large majority should have no issues doing this one year, one time.” According to data from the auditor’s office, school districts have about $1.8 billion in their “unassigned fund balances,” or extra revenue that has not been committed to a Janet Pope, executive director specific expense. Districts might use of the Louisiana School Boards the money to pay for future building Association, answers a question projects, cover expenses when revduring Tuesday’s meeting. enue is down or respond to emergencies, such as hurricanes. But Louisiana Legislative Auditor Most school districts could backfill Mike Waguespack told lawmakers the state funding cut with reserve Tuesday that his office reviewed funds, according to the data. Howschool system finances and conclud- ever, just over a third of districts, 25 ed that nearly all of the state’s roughä See FUNDS, page 10A ly 70 school districts could weather
Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet said she would reevaluate the design of a major section of Bertrand Drive during a meeting with business owners on Monday. Boulet told those in attendance her team would reexamine the roadway designs and reach a compromise with businesses. The revitalization project announced 18 months ago was once lauded by some business owners, including Tim Metcalf, owner of Deano’s Pizza. Metcalf, however, has since withdrawn his support and launched an online campaign opposing it. The project, Boulet reiterated after the meeting, isn’t being scrapped. Major changes are needed to the intersections at South College and Johnston Street and would proceed alongside drainage and communication upgrades. The roadway between the intersections and its improvements are where Boulet is looking to reach a compromise. During the meeting, she at times considered a redesign, but later called it a reevaluation.
ä See BERTRAND, page 10A
Flood threat grows this week for Acadiana Up to 10 inches of rain possible for region
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
Acadiana faces a heightened risk of flooding through at least Friday as tropical moisture, a stalled front and a developing low-pressure system combine to bring multiple rounds of heavy rain across the region. Forecasters warned that widespread thunderstorms capable of producing torrential rainfall could lead to localized flash flooding, urban flooding and rising waterways throughout south
ä See FLOOD, page 10A
‘They just keep coming’
be wrong?” Fla. Gulf coast population surges as that The story unfolding across this gleaming stretch of newcomers seek a laid-back lifestyle coastline is remarkable:
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer
SEASIDE, Fla. — Looking out the window of his family’s old grocery store, Charlie Modica sees few signs of the quiet beach town he moved to decades ago. Visitors with shopping bags now hurry across a busy square built on land that used to be filled with nothing but scrub oak. Cars playing country music pack streets that were once sandy and unpaved.
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 78 PAGE 12A
A wave of newcomers moving to the beach towns across Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A is transforming the region from an undeveloped outpost into one of the fastest-growing areas along the Gulf Coast. Some fear the population explosion is creating congestion that threatens their paradise. But Modica views it as a gift. “Look at all these people,” he said as he glanced out at the bustling sidewalk. “They’re happy. How could
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates more than 17,000 new residents have arrived since 2020, growing the region’s population by 24%. The shift, along with the county’s thriving tourism industry, is generating an economic boom and luring more businesses to meet the needs of families who have long dreamed of laid-back lives near the beach. It is also forcing county leaders to scramble as they
PROVIDED PHOTO
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates more than 17,000 new residents have arrived in Walton ä See SEASIDE, page 11A County, Fla., since 2020, growing the region’s population by 24%.
Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................8A Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 352