BATON ROUGE - On Thursday, the East Baton Rouge School Board discussed its budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

With fewer students projected to enroll Fall 2025, the school system said it expects a funding drop entering the next operating year, about a $5.6M decrease.

"As we review the enrollment trends over the past decade, we're seeing a decline," EBR Schools Chief Financial Officer Kelly Lopez said.

Lopez said the budget has an emphasis on dollars going into the classroom following the system's strategic plan:

-$11.6M to early childhood education

-$20.5M to literacy and foundational learning

-$15.5M to workforce development and career readiness

-$6.3M for school safety and security

-$39.5M toward improving facilities

The school realignment plan closed nine school campuses and cons

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