Removes requirement for publication of local notice by school boards under certain circumstances. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 224 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:56(A)(1) and (E) to modify the notice requirements that school boards must satisfy when voting on changes to member compensation and mileage allowances. Under present law, school boards must advertise meetings concerning compensation changes in the official journal of the parish on at least two separate days during the fifteen days immediately preceding the meeting. The bill replaces this newspaper publication requirement with a mandate that school boards post notice of such meetings on their official website for fifteen days before the meeting. Similarly, the bill modifies the notice requirement for proposals to change from per diem compensation to an expense allowance basis, eliminating the requirement for publication in the official journal on at least two separate occasions within fifteen days before the meeting and substituting a requirement that the school board post the proposed change on its official website for fifteen days preceding the meeting. The effective date of these changes is August 1, 2026.

The practical effect of this legislation is to shift the burden of public notice from print media to digital platforms operated by school boards themselves. School boards will no longer need to pay for advertisements in parish official journals to notify the public of compensation-related meetings and proposals. Instead, they must maintain accessible websites where such notices are posted. This change primarily affects school board members and the general public in each parish and city school district. Members of the public who wish to monitor school board compensation decisions will need to check school board websites rather than consulting newspaper notices. School boards will need to ensure their websites contain current notice postings and remain operational during the fifteen-day notice periods required by statute.

This amendment operates within the existing statutory framework of Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 17, which governs education and school boards throughout the state. The statute has long required some form of public notice before school boards vote on compensation matters, reflecting a policy of transparency in how public officials handle their own compensation. The change from official journal publication to website posting reflects a modern shift toward electronic notice while maintaining the same fifteen-day advance notice period that existed for certain compensation decisions. This modification preserves the substantive notice requirement and voting procedures while altering only the mechanism of delivery, allowing school boards to comply with their transparency obligations through digital means that may be more cost-effective and accessible to a broader audience.