Louisiana

Louisiana education leaders push back on proposal to base school funding on attendance

Published

5 months ago

October 18, 2025

Louisiana education leaders push back on proposal to base school funding on attendance

Several members of a new study group to examine Louisiana’s high rates of student absenteeism pushed back this week against proposals to tie school district funding to attendance, warning that doing so could backfire without addressing the root causes of why students miss school.

Louisiana’s absenteeism rate rose between 2022 and 2024 before dropping slightly last year. Members of the state’s new Truancy Study Group suggested brainstorming ways for school systems and local agencies to better communicate with families and one other to figure out what’s driving absenteeism. Those reasons can vary widely, they said.

Made up of nearly two dozen education professionals, including principals, superintendents, district attorneys and school counselors, the study group’s creation came at the behest of the Legislature. State Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, proposed a bill in the spring that would have tied attendance data to school funding through the Minimum Foundation Program, which is Louisiana’s formula that determines the cost of educating public school students.

Freiberg ultimately pulled the bill, saying the issue needed to be studied, and the Legislature instead passed a resolution to create the Truancy Study Group. But she said at the time that she wanted to ensure districts became “more involved in making sure students are there daily.”

The committee will meet periodically in Baton Rouge until February 2026, which is the deadline for them to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature.

“There’s a disconnect sometimes between theory and practice,” said Sharon Clark, a member of the state education board and the study group’s chair, during Wednesday’s meeting. “We want to make sure we’re coming up with solutions that work across the state.”

Pressing concerns

The number of students frequently missing school in Louisiana skyrocketed during COVID, mirroring national trends.

In many states, chronic absenteeism fell after the pandemic.

But in Louisiana, absenteeism rates continued to grow, spiking at 24.5% during the 2023 to 2024 school year before dipping to 22.5% last year.

State education leaders and lawmakers have said they’re worried those numbers could hinder the state’s recent academic progress.

To push districts to tackle the problem, Freiberg’s bill suggested allocating money based on daily attendance numbers, which schools are now mandated by the state education department to regularly collect and submit. That’s a change from the current formula, which bases funding on head counts that are taken once in February and once in October.

Those in favor of linking attendance to funding said it would incentivize districts to do more to reduce absenteeism. But opponents warned that doing so could unfairly penalize public school systems that are already financially strapped.

During Wednesday’s meeting, several study group members shared their frustration over what they said was a lack of supports for high-need students, who are often the ones most at-risk of becoming chronically absent. Many noted that basing funding on attendance would reduce districts’ ability to afford resources that could help students.

“Kids come to us in survival mode. Some don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Robert Wells, principal of Bonnabel High School in Baton Rouge. “If the goal is to do better and support kids to produce better outcomes, to help them leave high school and be able to go out and do whatever it is that they want to do, we can’t cut funding.”

Freiberg told committee members this week that she understood the pushback and that they needed to find alternative methods to tackle absenteeism.

“I hope you’ll come back to me with legislation that I can carry in the spring that’s not just tied to the [Minimum Foundation Program],” she told them.

Pros and cons

Beth Scioneaux, chief financial officer for the state education department, said in a presentation Wednesday that while basing funding on attendance can encourage districts to “hyper-focus” on chronically absent students to avoid losing money, it also comes with drawbacks.

Average daily attendance data doesn’t take into account students who miss school for reasons outside of their control, like prolonged illness, she said. She also noted that districts with higher numbers of economically disadvantaged students usually struggle the most with chronic absenteeism.

As a result, she said that attendance-based funding can make it even more difficult for school systems to address absenteeism’s root causes. Education experts widely say those often stem from problems outside of school.

If Louisiana were to make the switch, “there would have to be some kind of phase-in period,” Scioneaux added. “You can’t take millions and millions of dollars away and expect the same level of educational experiences to be delivered.”

To date, six states — California, Kentucky, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas — allocate money based on average daily attendance numbers. Some of those, including Mississippi and Texas, have made recent moves to explore other formulas.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing

6-8-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing

3-6-7-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing

0-8-3-2-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

Published

17 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, is accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years. Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office

The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.

He was arrested in October.

Booking photo of Misty Clanton Roberts. — Brandon’s sister, Misty, the ex-mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, allegedly raped her son’s teenage friend. AP

That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.

Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.

She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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