A new one-cent sales tax proposal that would raise salaries for teachers and other school district employees in Livingston Parish will appear on Saturday’s ballot.
That proposition is among a number of tax proposals and municipal and judge elections on the ballot in the Baton Rouge region.
Livingston Parish school leaders have spent several months ramping up efforts to convince voters to approve the measure, which they hope will help return the district to among the best-performing school systems in the region.
The parishwide proposition would allow for a 10% pay raise for all employees or a minimum $2,500 yearly increase, district leaders have said. Should it pass, the measure would be up for renewal in 20 years.
School district leaders have doubled down on their reasons for asking residents for further funds: They argue budget limitations have created a hiring crisis and hampered their ability to recruit the best teachers and support staff — partially leading to the school system slipping out of Louisiana’s top 10 districts for academic performance last year.
Meanwhile, bus drivers have voiced their discontent with pay and treatment as the district faces shortages in various critical support personnel.
Late last year, the district convened the Livingston Parish Educational Facilities Improvement District Board of Directors to address the salary issue. That board decided to ask voters for the new tax.
Officials have emphasized that the sales tax will not apply to groceries, prescriptions and gas.
Although academic leaders say the proposal is critical to maintain the level of excellence expected by parish families of their school system, some argue the district should cut spending elsewhere in its budget to pay for the raises.
Those critics have expressed deep concern about how the school board and superintendent manage the funds they already have, pointing to a recent case where the school system was scammed out of $2 million in a phishing attempt, though the school district was eventually able to recover most of the lost money.
Also on the ballot in Livingston Parish are a District 5 parish council race and a Killian sales and use tax proposition.
Voters in other area parishes will be deciding the following races and taxes:
- East Baton Rouge — a 19th Judicial District judge’s race among four candidates and four parish school system property tax renewals.
- Ascension Parish — three school district property tax renewals.
- Iberville Parish — St. Gabriel municipal elections.
- Pointe Coupee Parish — a firefighting property tax.
- Tangipahoa Parish — a Village of Tangipahoa property tax.
- West Feliciana — Parishwide Communications District property tax renewal.
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