If everyone can take their seats, please, we'll get started. Good afternoon and welcome to Bessie. At this time, I would like to call this July 23rd, 2026 special call meeting of Bessie to order. Can I get a roll call, please?
>> Mr. Appel, Mr. Dr. Pel is present. Dr. Armstrong. Dr. Armstrong is present. Mr. Berkin. >> Mr. Berkin's present. Mr. Cow. Mr. Cow is not in attendance. Mr. Castile >> here. >> Mr. Castile is present. Miss Champon
>> here. >> Miss Shampon is present. Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark is not present. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris is present. Miss Holloway. Miss Holloway is not present. Miss Meerin. Miss Miller is not present. Mr. Morris,
Mr. Morris is not present. You have a quorum. >> Thank you. >> I want to just speak a little bit. Uh the executive order number 26-047 persu 8 section 13B reduce the uh fiscal year
2026 2027 minimum foundation MFP appropriation by 68 million and redirected those funds toward one-time stipens for classroom teachers and support staff for 2627
school year. According to the executive order, Louisiana Department of Education in consultation with Bessie was responsible for identifying the funding allocations to be reduced. At our last meeting, the board received a detailed
implementation plan from the Louisiana Department of Education. And today, the Department of Education will be providing additional guidance to school systems. As a reminder, any member of the public wishing to speak should fill
out a yellow comment card. Please ensure that all comments are gerain to the agenda item. Individuals be will be allotted three minutes and groups will be allocated five minutes for comments. I would like to also thank our members
for coming out today to this important special meeting. I would like to uh give special thanks to the department Beth and the department staff for working on these guidance. I I know it's been u a big task for y'all with all the calls
that y'all have gotten about guidance as well as the Bessie office and the governor's staff. So, thank y'all for doing that. We do appreciate it. First item, please. >> Good afternoon. First item on the agenda is approval of today's agenda July 23rd,
2026 special call meeting. >> Can I get a motion to approve the agenda? Miss Armstrong, Mr. Queso, is there any objection? Is there any objection? Seeing none, motion passes.
>> Next item, please. >> Next item on the agenda is item 3.1, consideration of a report by LDOE on the implementation plan process guidance for the governor's executive order number 26-047. Uh, I'd also like to report that this
morning the BA7 which will transfer the $168 million from OA collections to LDOE was approved by the joint legislative committee on the budget contingent upon action by the revenue estimating conference which will be held later
today. Uh, can I get a motion to receive the report? Mr. Conrad, Mr. Harris, >> Superintendent Brley. Uh thank you, President Shan Pine. Um I too would like to extend my thanks for everyone uh making it to the uh special meeting
today. Also extend my thanks to department staff and and Beth and the team that you lead um for working through uh guidance on this truly unprecedented action that we have not uh seen before. Uh we're certainly excited about the opportunity uh for teachers to
see uh a stipen again and and you know personally I'm hopeful that uh through some of the work that's taking place that that teachers can see increased pay uh not just in the form of a stipen but in in a permanent way moving forward. Um, I also want to recognize the
position that local school systems are in right now and that they're having to make um difficult decisions on the best way to serve the students under their care uh giving the shift in funding uh that they are uh receiving. Um, as I've
as I've previously done, I asked the the the general public and local communities to to show grace to those local systems as they work through um their budgets uh in contemplation of of these uh shifting priorities. Uh what you have uh before
you members are a couple items and I thank Bessie staff for um uh succinctly uh preparing the document. Uh but you do have uh before you the executive order uh from the governor. you have a a PowerPoint uh presentation um that
shares some of the contents of that executive order. And I think most importantly for the point of of today is information that school systems are waiting for and need so that they can finalize their budgets for the upcoming
year or make adjustments uh for the upcoming year. And this this guidance uh Beth uh worked hand inand with the governor's office, worked hand inand with uh Bessie leadership uh and Bessie council uh to try to make sure that this
is clear uh and this provides school systems with the information that they need uh moving forward. And so our intent uh with with this particular guidance is at the conclusion of this meeting uh and in this afternoon we would go ahead and submit this
information to the school systems across the state so that they would have uh this information as as soon as possible to help guide their decisions. Um I also want to thank uh members of of Bessie for being here in special meeting so that we are not asking school systems to
wait further to receive this information. But in fact uh on the heels of the JLCB meeting you all are meeting immediately to to process this so that we can go ahead and move it move it forward. So you have the guidance uh that will go to the local systems. you
have a more detailed um uh presentation around some of the content of the executive order and you have the order itself. Um and upon conclusion of of this meeting, we will go ahead and get that into the hands of of the school systems because we know that uh they
want that and they need that. >> Thank you, Dr. Brimley. Uh any comments, questions from the board? >> Mr. Madam Chairman, I um move that we receive the report and guidance from LDOE pursuant to the consultation
provision of the executive order contingent upon action of the revenue estimating conference later today. >> Thank you, Mr. Berken. Second, Mr. Castile.
Any public comments? I we have not received any cards on public comments. Is there any objection to the motion to receive? Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> That concludes the agenda.
>> Thank you. We are journed.