Harlan Kirgan
By Harlan Kirgan
Editor
OPELOUSAS — The St. Landry Parish School Board will continue a discussion about a plan to raise employee salaries and make capital improvements funded by a property tax.
Superintendent Patrick Jenkins presented a proposal to the Board’s Executive Committee meeting Monday. Because a special meeting had been held prior to the committee meeting, the full board was present.
The proposal also had been presented at the School Board’s retreat on Jan. 28.
“I’m just asking for approval so we can move forward,” Jenkins said Monday.
“The initial proposal this year was a $90 million capital improvement program. That number could go up or down,” he said.
The proposal is for new schools and renovations, he said. A next step in the process would be to have a facilities assessment done, he said. The district would also need a demographic study, he said.
There would be a proposition for a tax to fund salaries increases and another for capital improvements, he said. Both would have to be passed, he said.
The salaries would be funded with a 10-mill property tax and an 11.3-mill tax would be for capital improvements, he said.
The tax would be on top of the 20.3 mills levied now.
“These numbers are fluid,” he said at one point.
The 10-mill tax would generate funds to give teachers a $3,000 raise and support staff a $1,500 raise.
The combined extra annual cost for a house valued at $150,000 would be $160 and for a house valued at $250,000 the cost would be an extra $372 a year, he said.
Jenkins said each mill generates about $615,000 a year.
“We’ve done all we could with the monies we have and the existing budget can’t afford raises or capital improvements,” he said.
One reason Jenkins noted for a capital improvement program is that the newest building in the district is 26 years old.
“We haven’t asked for almost 10 years asked for anything from citizens,” he said
In recent years the millage rate peaked at about 35 mills for the construction of Northwest, Beau Chene and North Central high schools, he said.
Jenkins said taxpayers are tapped out on sales taxes in explaining the focus on property taxes.
School Board member Kyle Boss said the plan would have to something for every area of the parish to pass.
Eunice area board member Albert Hayes Jr. suggested the plan look at one elementary school in Eunice to reduce costs such as administration transportation and food service in the future. There are five elementary schools in Eunice.
Milton Ambres, an Opelousas board member, said elementary schools in Opelousas could be consolidated.
Jenkins said an election could be held this spring. If held in conjunction with other elections the cost would be to $10,000 to $13,000. If held alone, the cost would be about $100,000.
Boss said the School Board election would stand the best chance of passing if it was held without other issues on the ballot.