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Posted on March 7 at 7:43 p.m.

catch22 wrote "Of course we should not vote for a new tax WITHOUT ANY RESULTS!!!"

This is not a new tax. This is one penny renewal. Please, at least when you make a statement, make a correct statement.

On The case against EBR's school tax: More innovation, not more money

Posted on March 5 at 6:28 p.m.

Mr. Roemer rightly points out that a high number of students served by the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) come from single parent homes and live below the poverty line. In fact, The EBRPSS currently serves 45,000 students. Of that number, 36,100 live at, or below, the poverty line. This is 80% of the students that the School System serves daily. Of the 90 schools in the school system, 38 serve a student population where 90% or higher of their students live at or below the poverty.

The writer points out that “others have been successful at teaching at-risk kids”. In fact, the Louisiana Department of Education recently highlighted schools that have had success teaching “at-risk” children. 20 public schools, out of the 1,572 public schools in Louisiana, have reached this success. Let me repeat that again…only 20 out of 1,579 public schools. 19 of those schools are Elementary schools.

And while the Zachary School System should be applauded for the success they have in being ranked number one in the state after reaching three stars. I think the fact that the top school system in the state ranks only three out of a possible five stars says more about the failure at the state level than anything else.

Is it any wonder the state keeps loosing the best and brightest? Is it any wonder that the state ranks at the bottom of all the good lists, and the top of the bad? This is not only a local problem, this is a state problem.

On The case against EBR's school tax: More innovation, not more money

Posted on March 4 at 5:59 p.m.

While Mr. McCollister has written the editorial and included many numbers and facts, let’s take a closer look at some of the issues he raises.

He urges voters to vote “no” because of the decline in enrollment in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System over the last 3 years. He fails to take into account two important events.

During the 2005 – 2006 school year, the student count for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) was 48,454 students. This includes all of the students that were taken in by the school system in the aftermath of the Hurricanes. The school system enrolled over 6,000 students in the months following the hurricanes. More than 4,000 students have returned to New Orleans.

He also states that the 2007 school population was 44,154. During the 2006 – 2007 school year, Central was still a part of the EBRPSS. After losing close to 4,000 students when Central formed its own school system, the current daily student attendance for the EBRPSS system is 45,000 students. So rather than a decrease, the EBRPSS has actually increased enrollment over the last year by over 1,000 students, with steady growth expected over the next ten years. 252 of the newly enrolled are students from private and parochial school who have returned to the public school system.

The Editor also reaches back almost 30 years in time to 1979 to point out that the numbers of students attending public schools has declined. This was before forced cross- town bussing was implemented causing “White Flight”.

In talking about per-pupil expenditure, he fails to mention that the tuition cost for private and parochial schools are but the tip of the iceberg. You also have to factor in the cost of uniforms, lunches, transportation, extra-curricular activities, lab costs, etc. And if a stadium or classrooms need to be added, you can expect that the cost of that capital improvement will be shared by parents.

The editor also writes about the increase in business, new construction, population, and economic strength. With all these increases also comes the increase by almost 30% in the cost of construction materials and the added cost of labor.

The school system spent some of it’s reserves already on teacher pay increase at the end of 2007. In addition, the school system plans to use $20 million of the current surplus for proposition one. The school system will still have an estimated 10% operating surplus, which is what the State Department of Education suggests of any economically sound school system.

While the State Department of Education announced that it will temporarily take control of 4 schools within the school system, the school system will still be responsible for the daily upkeep of those schools. So actually the school system does not have fewer schools to manage.

I expect the editor knows the meaning behind the numbers, but rather than explain them, he uses them to fit his views of the school system’s situation.

On Vote ‘no’ on school taxes