Prioritizing Our Future: How cities and states dedicate funds for early care and education Recent public exchanges between state education leaders, legislators and the Governor’s Administration make clear there is no agreed upon approach to addressing the $86 million down-payment a state-commissioned report said was needed to bring Louisiana Early Child Care programs into line with public need and quality standards set forth by federal and state agencies. But one non-profit that has studied this issue for years has researched multiple options that can be acted upon right now by the State of Louisiana, if there is a will, as other states have done, to explore viable options related to what are commonly known as “sin taxes” on tobacco, gaming and other sources of revenue. “We spent the Fall discussing with state lawmakers, educators, business and childcare advocates how to develop a sustainable source of funding in Louisiana for more accessible, affordable and quality Early Child Care and Education options for working parents, and we now have a report that identifies how other states are doing it,” said Louisiana Policy Institute for Children Director Melanie Bronfin. Prioritizing Our Future: How Cities and States Dedicate funds for Early Care and Education explores voter-approved funding models for early childhood care and education used in other states. “Our report responds to increasing demand from Louisiana decision-makers for significant and sustained public sources of investment in early childhood,” said Ms. Bronfin. “And here are the facts about what others are doing.” Legislators and the Governor have supported discussions already underway about dedicating new revenue from sports betting, should it be adopted by voters in Louisiana, to early childhood education, but while providing a source of funds, it could not solely address the $86 million price tag needed right away…or the 10-year path of required investment outlined by the State Early Childhood Care and Education Commission convened by State Representative Stephanie Hilferty. LPIC Director Bronfin added that federal funding for children is projected to make up a shrinking percentage of the national budget. “In Louisiana, early childhood programs are unable to count on a sustained investment. While recent and time-limited increases in federal funding have allowed the state to serve over 90 percent of 4-year-olds in need, the only state administered program for children under age four has gone from serving almost 40,000 to 15,000 today. There is no secure, stable funding specifically for early care and education in Louisiana.” The new LPIC reporton revenue sources notes holes in funding for comprehensive, affordable early childhood systems force an unrealistic financial burden upon working parents. In Louisiana, child care is becoming increasingly cost prohibitive: Families with one infant and one preschooler experienced a 35 percent increase in child care costs between 2010 and 2016. Single parents pay 38 percent of their income for infant center care, and 45 percent of the state’s children are in single parent families. “We’re not alone in needing to address this need,” said Ms. Bronfin. “Some states and localities have developed creative public financing mechanisms for sustainable funding by dedicating voter-approved funding streams specifically for early care and education from sources like tobacco taxes, lottery funds and dedicated sales taxes.” Below is a review of some of these funding sources covered in the report and how they are similarly adopted or utilized in Louisiana: Funding Streams in Other States Tobacco Tax: Arizona and California voters approved a dedicated tax, generating $143.3 million and $358.3 million, respectively, in Fiscal Year 2018 for early childhood. Louisiana’s tax rate of $1.08 per pack of cigarettes is among the lowest third of tax rates in the country. Tobacco tax revenues generated in Louisiana $314 million in Fiscal Year 2017 and are allocated to healthcare, Medicaid, and the state general fund. Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement Funds: Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, and Missouri allocated some or all of their settlement funds for early childhood, with annual allocations ranging from $10 million to $40 million. Louisiana divides its settlement funds between bonds, children’s healthcare, and education. Education allocations provide funding for TOPS, $58 million in Fiscal Year 2018, and instructional enhancements in pre-K through grade 12, including $13 million for grades K-12, and under $3 million to pre-K. Lottery Funds: Georgia dedicates 25% of lottery revenues to fund the state pre-K and HOPE scholarships programs, generating $358 million in 2017. In Tennessee, $25 million of excess lottery taxes are allocated for voluntary pre-K. In Louisiana, state lottery revenues are predominantly allocated to the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), which funds grades K-12. In Fiscal Year 2017, $176.5 million was allocated to the MFP. Sales Tax: South Carolina levies a one-cent sales tax of which $15.5 million in Fiscal Year 2017 funds half-day Pre-K slots. The entirety of Louisiana’s sales tax revenues, $3.86 billion in Fiscal Year 2017, is allocated to the state general fund. School Funding Formula: Colorado, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin fund pre-K programs through the state’s school funding/education finance formula. Allocations range from $19 million in Maine to $1 billion in Texas. Louisiana’s school funding formula, the MFP, provides funding only for grades K-12 in public schools. In Fiscal Year 2018, the allocation was $3.7 billion. “The purpose of this report, as we prepare for a fiscal-only Legislative Session, is to educate our lawmakers and our families that there are ways to allocate specific funding streams at this critical time of life,” said Ms. Bronfin. “Ironically, sin taxes have been the most popular funding source for this purpose, and it is sports betting revenue that has recently been most often mentioned as doable in Louisiana. “Louisiana spends less than one-half of one percent of its general funds on early care and education. It is serving less than 15 percent of its children in need under age four while two-thirds of young children in Louisiana have both parents working. Moreover, child care costs almost as much as a public college tuition. It’s clear we have to do something and here are some ways to do it.” Link to the full report is here: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/43cca3_6be1d33d83bf4475bb7374d5ce620727.pdf About Louisiana Policy Institute for Children The mission of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) is to advance policies to ensure that Louisiana's young children are ready for success in school and in life. LPIC is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as an independent source of data, research, and pertinent information for policy makers, stakeholders and the public at large around issues related to young children in Louisiana. LPIC develops policy proposals informed by research, best practices and the experiences of other states and conducts educational and outreach activities around these recommended policy solutions.
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The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office will be holding question and answer sessions to help business owners better understand how to manually file their LAT 5 Business Personal Property Self-Reporting form as well as learn how to complete the form electronically at nolaassessor.com, announced Orleans Parish Assessor Erroll Williams.
The sessions are free and will offer direct staff assistance regarding completion and online submittal of the form, as well as general questions about the form itself. “We’ve continued to make the online submission process more user-friendly and as intuitive as possible,” said Assessor Williams. “We’ve seen steady growth in online submissions from year to year but we’re really still not where we’d like to be. A major focus of these sessions will be to simplify the online process for filers.” The LAT 5 is a declaration of a business’s merchandise/inventory, if applicable, and the cost and year of purchase of fixed assets, such as equipment, furnishings and leasehold improvements. Assessor Erroll Williams and Business Personal Property Supervisor Lonese Varnado will host the sessions. Session locations, dates and times are listed below. Businesses and private citizens alike can now view a comprehensive list of all Business Personal Property Self Reporting Form filers online by visiting nolaassessor.com. LAT 5 “Info Sessions” will be held: Wednesday, March 13 9:30 a.m. Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office City Hall 1300 Perdido 4th Floor AND Wednesday, March 27 9:30 a.m. Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office City Hall 1300 Perdido 4th Floor It is recommended that interested parties make reservations, as space is limited. To make a reservation call (504) 897-6110 or email bcodevin@aol.com. Young Audiences Charter School will hold its 6th Annual YACS Fest on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the Kate Middleton Campus at 1407 Virgil St Gretna, LA. The entire community is invited to join the family-friendly fun.
The event will feature performances by OperaCréole, Ivoire Spectacle, and YACS students, as well as carnival games, inflatables, a dunk booth, and arts and crafts booths led by professional teaching artists. Refreshments, including sweets from the YACS Parent Community Organization bake sale, will be available for purchase. Christine A. Guillory is generously supporting this event as lead sponsor. Other sponsors include the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council New Orleans. Proceeds from YACS Fest will support the academic and artistic growth of our creative learners, particularly as the school expands to additional campus space to accommodate YACS’s extension to pre-K through high school. Business Leaders, Legislators Join United Way of Southeast Louisiana to mark Louisiana Early Ed Week2/14/2019 Business leaders and legislators from across the Greater New Orleans Area joined the United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA), Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson Business Council at an event today in honor of Louisiana Early Ed Week.
The event is one of several other events across Louisiana from February 11-15 hosted in partnership by the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children and United Ways across Louisiana to highlight the need to increase access to high-quality early care and education for Louisiana’s children and families. “Our mission is to help our families achieve their potential and live healthy, financially stable lives,” said Michael Williamson, UWSELA President and CEO. “We believe that must begin with access to affordable, high quality early care and education. It is impossible to overstate the importance of early education for our children today. It sets the child up for a successful education and career, while allowing working parents to do just that- work!” The Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy (Discovery) charter school community presented a huge $36 million Valentine to the families of Kenner and Jefferson Parish by breaking ground on construction of a new high school made possible by a partnership between its dedicated school family and the leaders at Jefferson Parish Public Schools.
CEO Dr. Patty Glaser joined Jefferson Parish Public School System Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley, the Friends of Discovery Board of Directors and Jefferson Parish community and civic leaders turned shovels at a site near Kenner City Park Pavilion, as the Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy Band and students cheered them on. Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy (Discovery), an open enrollment top rated public charter school, will hold its 5thAnnual Discovery Bash Gala on Saturday, February 16 with a VIP Patron Party from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Rivertown Campus at 415 Williams Blvd. The Discovery Bash Gala will take place from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at The Crossing at 519 Williams Blvd. in Kenner.
General Admission Gala tickets are $100 and include entrance to the Discovery Bash Gala at The Crossing with dinner by La Bella’s, open bar, music, dancing, and a silent auction. Tickets to the VIP Patron Party are $150 and include entrance to an exclusive event at the Rivertown Campus with light hors d’oeuvres and special student performances as well as entrance to the Gala. Earlier today at Audubon Charter School’s Broadway Campus, First Lieutenant Eddie Dollis surprised his daughter, Emyni, a Pre-K 4 student at Audubon. Dollis has been deployed for in the Middle East for six months with the Air Force and Emyni has not seen him until today! Check out the emotional and beautiful surprise!
Certified teachers, teachers working on certification, and instructional support professionals seeking employment in a Louisiana charter school are invited to attend the 13th annual free Teacher Fair presented by the Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools on Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hynes Charter School Gym, 990 Harrison Ave., New Orleans, LA. 70124.
Hynes Charter Schools has appointed Leon Mathes as its new Chief Financial Officer. Hynes Charter Schools operates a Lakeview Campus at 990 Harrison Ave. and a new Hynes Charter School at UNO will open in Fall 2019 in a temporary location at 6101 Chatham Dr. Hynes is the highest demand, non-selective admissions elementary school in Orleans Parish.
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