Voters have chance to continue success in Bossier schools
Ten years ago, Bossier Parish voters approved the renewal of three property taxes – each by better than 80 percent of those casting votes. On May 4, the Bossier Parish School Board is asking voters to renew those three property taxes for another 10 years.
BPSB Proposition 1 on the May 4 ballot is the renewal of a 10-mill property tax for the purpose of funding “salaries and bene ts for employees” of the parish’s school system. It would begin in 2014, expire in 2023 and generate an estimated $9.1 million per year. This millage has been rolled back over several years to 7.54 mills from the original 10 mills.
Proposition 2 on the same ballot is the renewal of a 10-mill property tax for the purpose of “the improvement, maintenance and operations of public school buildings” in the parish. This renewed tax would begin and expire at the same time as the Proposition 1 renewal and would generate the same estimated $9.1 million per year. This tax is levied at 7.54 mills, having been rolled back from its original 10 mills.
Finally, Proposition 3 is the renewal of a 26.5-mill property tax, which has been rolled back over the years to 20.79 mills. The purpose of the tax is “providing funds for the payment of salaries, and bene ts directly related to said salaries, of teachers and other employees of the Parish School System.” Renewed, this tax would not begin at the original rate until 2015; it would expire in 2025 and would generate an estimated $24.1 million annually. Most Bossier Parish residents are more than satis ed with the parish’s school system and don’t mind voting favorably for tax renewals to support the system. However, what appears to be a sticking point in this renewal election is the school board’s propositions to renew the taxes at the original rates. In 2014, that increase would be a little less than ve mills; in 2016, there would be an additional increase of about 5.71 mills. But BPSB of cials make a credible and convincing case for renewing the subject property taxes at the original rates, and it’s likely that over a dozen Bossier Parish voters attending the recent Bossier Republican Parish Executive Committee meeting are convinced enough to share information received at their meeting with other voters. BPSB of cials made a short presentation to PEC members about the school system, state funding losses, unfunded mandates and how these millages can help make up for some of those losses and maintain the system’s excellent reputation in the face of unrelenting growth. In response to a question of renewing at the original rates, BPSB Superintendent D.C. Machen agreed that this circumstance will increase tax millages. But he said that because the school board was trying to be scally responsible, the three subject millages had been rolled back periodically since the last renewal. He noted that the board could have “rolled forward” to generate additional revenues, but that was not their choice.
That additional $10 million is needed for such issues as the mandated and ever- escalating contributions to the teacher’s retirement system. School system Public Relations Liaison Sonja Bailes explained that mandated contributions had increased over recent years from 15.55 percent to 24.5 percent – totaling a jump of about $10 million annually. And the school system has already been noti ed of a 2.07 percent contribution hike for the 2013-2014 school year – another $3.5 million annually.
Then there’s the issue of school safety – the school board hopes to expand the security resource of cer program to its 22 elementary schools at a cost of about $2.3 million per year. These of cers would be employed by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Of ce and would be police of cer and training standards-certi ed; the BPSB would reimburse the sheriff the cost of these of cers. Machen said school security is a system priority, and it doesn’t stop with the SRO program. New school designs have been reviewed to ensure that every facility built from now on is as secure as possible, Machen said.
The increasing costs of upkeep, maintenance and repairs of the system’s facilities is also a factor necessitating additional funding. Machen said when Parkway High School, Legacy and W.T. Lewis Elementary Schools were opened, the board did not increase the maintenance department. But as the system grows, this department – and its related costs – must necessarily grow.
Increased costs are also a factor in the school system’s goal of adding much-needed technology improvements and additions to initiatives for state-of-the-art education through technology. New funding will be required to maintain and sustain these programs, but Machen said the board “continues to assess the process and seek venues to diminish the costs.”
At an early April meeting in south Bossier, Bailes summed up the loss of these millages. Failure of the salary/bene ts renewals would mean a pay cut for employees. Failure of the maintenance funding would compromise the system’s ability to keep the system’s facilities in shape – to name only a few issues. However, there would be other signi cant rami cations as well of a failure of these renewals to pass.
“We have a school system that many envy,” Bailes said. “We have the voters to thank for our success.”
Marty Carlson, a freelance writer, has been covering local news for the past 13 years. She can be reached via email at m_carlso@bellsouth.net.
