BEEF SCHOOL FUND – Dedicated Funding for education programs in schools has always been a key metric for a school system’s stability. Yesterday, the Bossier Parish School System held a special reception at the Bossier Instructional Center commemorating a unique savings account created three decades ago to improve classroom instruction for Bossier Parish Schools.
30 years ago, then state-Sen. Foster Campbell, who was also a former school teacher, lobbied then-Gov. Edwin Edwards to tap into state taxes paid from Louisiana Downs Racetrack to create a savings account that would enhance educational programs in Bossier Parish.
The Bossier Educational Excellence Fund nicknamed BEEF for short, has grown from $500,000 dollars to
more than $50 million dollars today. The name of the fund was then-Governor Edwin Edwards’ idea… he explained it’s origin to those who attended the reception.
The funding principal behind BEEF is simple: Only interest earned on the fund is spent, and only on approved classroom instruction. BEEF grants can go toward early childhood education, remedial instruction, instructional technology, career and technical programs, as well as other needs. Grants can be awarded to public, private and charter schools.
In 1999 Foster Campbell used BEEF as the model for a statewide endowment for education funded with a portion of the state’s $4-billion Tobacco Settlement. The “Educational Excellence Fund” provides dollars for classroom instruction in public and private schools throughout Louisiana. Its current balance is $476 million.
