A Baton Rouge judge issued a temporary restraining order against Gov. Jeff Landry’s executive order to reduce the Minimum Foundation Program by $168 million. The order would have funded one-time stipends for teachers and school support staff.

Background

The executive order, signed by Landry on June 2, aimed to provide $2,000 payments for classroom teachers and $1,000 payments for support workers, plus associated retirement costs. However, the lawsuit challenging the move argues that the governor cannot unilaterally reduce the MFP and then decide where the money goes next.

The court found that the plaintiffs had made an initial showing that the executive order may violate the separation of powers by taking over a funding decision reserved for the Legislature. The restraining order also questioned whether the governor’s limited authority to reduce an MFP appropriation allows him to redirect the money to a separate purpose of his choosing.

The reduction would have averaged about 5% of state aid to districts. Some categories of school employees, including counselors, nurses, principals, assistant principals, and some administrators, were not included in the stipend plan.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.