Barksdale's STARBASE program threatened by government shutdown, Bossier schools to fund it

The board voted unanimously to pull money from the Bossier Educational Excellence Fund (BEEF), a perpetual endowment created in 1985 with Louisiana Downs tax revenues, to fund the program through Dec. 12.

How much this would cost wasn't discussed at all, and Rowland said there was no guarantee it would be reimbursed. Sonja Bailes, Bossier Parish Schools' public relations liaison, told The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate the district would fully fund the program for the two remaining schools, paying salaries totaling a projected $33,000.

Bailes reiterated that the money won't come from sales or property tax revenues.

"The revenue [in BEEF] is derived from riverboat gaming in Bossier Parish," she said. "Only the interest can be used for educational enhancements; the principal cannot be touched and is constitutionally protected."

STARBASE has been sponsored by Barksdale's 307th Bomb Wing for over 25 years, according to the program's 2024 annual report, and Barksdale's STARBASE Advanced program for middle and high schoolers is one of the largest in the nation.

Nationally, the program has drawn some criticism, particularly from the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, who argue it serves as an effective military "pre-recruitment" of very young students, noting a 2018 DOD-sponsored RAND Corporation report that in part evaluated it as an outreach program intended to expose disadvantaged children to military careers and build positive sentiment toward the military.

This isn't the first time the school board has stepped in with money for STARBASE. Back in March, they approved $372,000 to keep the program running through Sept. 30, also without any guarantee of reimbursement. That's because the Trump administration slashed the program's funding earlier in the year, casting doubt on its ability to keep operating.

Before that vote, several board members sang STARBASE's praises.

"Unfortunately, the world that we live in today, it's not as fun for kids as it used to be, and I hate that," said Board Member Erick Falting in March. "But I think this has a huge impact on our kids, and every one of 'em, they loved it... I don't even think they realized they were learning."

"As a principal of a fourth/fifth-grade school for nine years, this is one of the best programs in the nation," added Board Vice President Sherri Pool. "We're very fortunate to have it. It's always a concern to spend that kind of money, but there's nothing I can think of that would be more worthy of that because all our fifth graders go through that."

Justin O'Connor is a Report for America corps member covering Bossier government. Email him at Justin.OConnor@TheAdvocate.com.

Source: https://www.shreveportbossieradvocate.com/news/bossier-schools-barksdale-starbase-shutdown-funding/article_4c074678-1721-422e-9ed6-d628e230c35e.html