Latest news with #ParishSchoolBoard
American Press
23-06-2025
- Politics
- American Press
Governor signs off on sales tax vote for Jeff Davis
(Special to the American Press) Efforts by the Jeff Davis Parish School Board to secure additional funding for employee salaries are moving forward. Superintendent John Hall said Thursday, Gov. Jeff Landry has signed House Bill 57, introduced by Rep. Troy Romero, which now allows the school board to seek an additional half-cent sales tax. The state's approval was crucial because the parish is currently at its maximum sales tax rate. Hall said the bill enables local voters to decide in a referendum whether to authorize the school board to levy the additional sales tax specifically for salaries. The school board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 17, at 203 East Plaquemine Street, to consider adopting a resolution to call for an election this fall. The election will authorize the levy of a sales and use tax, which the board voted to pursue in May. If approved by voters, the half-cent sales tax is estimated to generate about $3,000 for certified teachers and $2,000 for support staff, depending on the amount of sales taxes collected. Hall said the proposed tax would create a stable funding source for annual salary stipends for the district's nearly 800 employees. The stipends would be distributed to permanent employees, including part-time custodians and aides, but would not be extended to substitutes or voucher workers. School board members are hopeful that the dedicated funding will help the district attract and retain qualified employees, especially classroom teachers. If approved by voters, the collection of the sales tax would begin in January 2026. The state is also moving forward on plans to improve salary for school employees. In the 2025-2026 academy years, K-12 teachers are set to receive a $2,000 stipend and support staff $1,000 funded by the state. Additionally, voters statewide will also consider a constitutional amendment for permanent raises of $2,250 for K-12 teachers and $1,225 for support staff. A similar amendment was rejected by voters in March.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Martin Parish seeks tax renewal for school upgrades
ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY)- The St. Martin Parish School Board has an important item on the ballot to renew an existing tax aimed at completing upgrades at schools parish wide. The Parish wide School District Proposition States: 'Shall St. Martin Parish School District, Louisiana (the 'District'), incur debt and issue bonds to the amount of not exceeding $30,000,000, in one or more series, to run not exceeding 20 years from date thereof, with interest at a rate of not exceeding 7% per annum, for the purpose of financing capital expenditures for school purposes for the District, including constructing, acquiring and/or improving schools and other school related facilities, together with equipment and furnishings therefor, including, to the extent feasible, those specific school projects set forth in the 'Capital Improvement Plan' to be approved prior to the election, title to which shall be in the public; which bonds will be general obligations of the District and will be payable from ad valorem taxes to be levied and collected in the manner provided by Article VI, Section 33 of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974 and statutory authority supplemental thereto, with no estimated increase in the millage rate to be levied in the first year of issue above the 21.50 mills currently being levied to pay General Obligation Bonds of the District?' The item on the ballot for the May 3rd election includes funds to continue essential school operations at in St. Martin Parish. The St. Martin Parish Superintendent, Frederick Wiltz, said the tax renewal will focus on improving the infrastructure all seventeen schools in the parish. 'The primary purpose of this tax renewal is to help us to support maintaining our facilities,' said Wiltz. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The $30 million dollar bond would allow for renovations to deteriorated educational buildings, and facilities, expand technology in the school system, and strengthen security systems used to increase safety of school staff. 'Some of our facilities are 20 plus years old, so maintaining our facilities and making sure that we are able to use them for the next 25 to 30 years is something that we want to ensure we can do, because the cost of actually building a new facility is probably more than $30 million,' said Wiltz. Wiltz said though people will be enjoying the Crawfish Festival this weekend, he encourages voters to head to the polls. 'We're the largest educator in St. Martin Parish,' said Wiltz. 'So having the support of the community is something that's very vital to us, as a system we don't want to waste, we want to make sure that we use the money very wisely and take care of the items that need to be taken care of throughout the district.' Polls will open at 7am and will close at 8pm on Saturday. To learn more about the proposed projects, visit the St. Martin Parish School Board Facebook Page. To find your nearest polling location, click here. LHSAA Softball State Playoffs postponed due to weather Storms Overnight, Nice & Cooler Weather for Most of the Weekend… St. Martin Parish seeks tax renewal for school upgrades Abbeville man charged with arson to defraud insurance Crawfish farmers recover from drought with solid harvests Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
Woodlawn High adding security upgrades after gun found in student's wheelchair
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board is taking immediate steps to improve safety at Woodlawn High School after multiple incidents of weapons being found on campus. On Wednesday, 17-year-old Kevin Evans III was arrested after authorities found a gun hidden in the cushion of his wheelchair, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. In a letter to the Woodlawn High community, District 6 board representative Nathan Rust called firearms on school grounds unacceptable. 'Our schools should be safe havens where young people can learn, grow, and thrive without fear. Our families deserve that comfort, and I assure you that we are taking the necessary steps to address your concerns,' Rust said. Superintendent calls for policy changes after fights, guns in East Baton Rouge schools Rust said the board has approved several new security measures to protect students, staff, and families, including: Installing advanced weapon detection systems on campus this month to quickly identify weapons and reduce human error. Discussing the addition of a private security team to work alongside the school's drug task force to address safety concerns. However, Rust emphasized that technology and security staff alone won't solve the problem. He urged parents, teachers, students, and the community to promote accountability, respect, and vigilance. 'The majority of students and staff at Woodlawn High are doing the right thing every single day, and they deserve our full support,' Rust said. Rust encouraged community members to share concerns and ideas, adding that the board is committed to keeping Woodlawn High a safe and supportive place for all students. Trader Joe's sets purchase limit on eggs nationwide 'Passionate Chiefs fans' lead overnight surge in Super Bowl ticket price Democratic Women's Caucus criticizes federal funding freeze Members of Congress denied access to Department of Education New Orleans hotel has plan to stop pole-climbing Eagles fans Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Landry Schools Pronoun Policy, 'They talk about the closet for a reason'
OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY)– St. Landry Parish School Board is discussing adopting a new pronoun policy that does not require teachers to call students by their preferred pronoun. This policy aligns with state rules. The was adopted by the state last year, requiring each public-school governing authority to adopt the policy ensuring students' legal names and pronouns are used at school. The policy being discussed in St. Landry Parish reads, 'An employee of the St. Landry Parish School Board shall not be required to address a student by a name other than the student's legal name, or a derivative thereof, and the employee shall not be required to use a pronoun that is inconsistent with the student's sex.' Louisiana legislative session ends with big wins for conservatives on social issues, compromises on major policies The policy outlines consequences for those who don't comply. 'lf a school employee refers to a minor student by a pronoun that is inconsistent with thestudent's sex or refers to the student by a name other than the student's legal name, or aderivative thereof, the parent may seek corrective action by the school principal so thatthe student will be addressed according to the student's sex.' 'lf the school principal intentionally refuses to implement corrective action, or, if after theschool principal implements corrective action, an employee intentionally refuses to honorthe corrective action, then the parent shall have remedies as follow:An employee, parent of a minor student, or a student who has reached the ageof majority aggrieved by an intentional violation of La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 917:2122by a public school shall have a private cause of action for injunctive relief,monetary damages, reasonable attorney fees and costs, and any otherappropriate relief.' Lafayette Parish School Board adopted the same policy last month. Local LGBTQ+ activist Matthew Humphrey (he/him) told News Ten this policy creates consequences for queer children. 'These kids already feel different inside. They're struggling with something that even their educators don't understand and refuse to try to understand,' Humphrey said. 'They're navigating uncharted waters, and now they're being told that the place that is supposed to be safe for them, that they go every day, and the teachers that are supposed to teach them how to do life, don't even have to respect how they feel inside.' He also said the pronoun policy seems to serve no purpose. 'I don't think it actually serves any sort of purpose for the school board. I don't think it serves a purpose for the school or the children that are in it,' Humphrey said. Humphrey said if he could tell lawmakers who pushed the 'Given Name Act' anything, he would ask them to 'leave the kids alone.' 'If I were sitting with a group of trans kids, and we were reading over this policy, I would tell them that, 'Okay, well, then just hide yourself in school, because that's what they're telling you to do,'' Humphrey said. 'It's not as though we haven't always been doing this.' He continued, 'They talk about the closet for a reason, and we get put there. We get told that we have to stay in there, so that other people are comfortable with pretending that we don't exist. And we do exist.' One school board member told News Ten this discussion is to determine whether or not this policy will be brought before the board to be voted on in the next board meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
