Will the MFP stand still?

Here's a sign of things to come: members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education are publicly asking what will happen to education's Minimum Foundation Program when Gov. Bobby Jindal announces his budget plans.

The MFP is a formula used to determine how much state money is distributed to local school boards.

Advocate reporter Will Sentell writes that BESE members are wondering what a "standstill" budget for the MFP would look like. Under normal circumstances, the MFP would grow by some $83 million even if no new budget is adopted. That's because a growth formula is built into the MFP.

But this year is not normal in any sense of the word. Watch for what comes next.