BusinessReport.com

Posted on February 26 at 3:04 p.m.

Let's see... school enrollment declined by roughly 4600 students from 2005-06 to 2007. Perhaps that was due to post-hurricane evacuees returning home, but I guess it didn't occur to you to find out why the decline.
Also if you had attended the myriad of EBRPSS workshops concerning the Tax renewal you would know that part of that decline is due to general out-migration from the parish. In other words, young families leaving the state. Didn't bother to publish the internals of the numbers though. And about those star ratings,,, you say EBRPSS's one star equates to an "F". Hmmm.. well the lauded Ascension and Livingston school districts only got 2 stars.. by your calculations a "D". Yet they all have La State Dept of Ed ratings in the 90's. Doesn't make much sense. And would you look at this,,, according to the 2006 LA Dept of Ed website, EBRPSS has a rating of 73.1, nothing to throw a party about,but certainly no failing grade. You also failed to give any suggestions, should this Renewal fail, as to what to do about the dire facilities needs of one of the best performing schools in the Southeast, Baton Rouge Magnet High? Just let it crumble away? You also failed to note that with the federal deseg order just ending in July of 2007, the district is expanding magnet, gifted and talented programs into schools in the booming Southeast part of the parish. There are waiting lists, by the way. And comparing private school tuitions to the $8,000 per public school student doesn't wash either. There is more than one private school with tuition costs higher than 8,000, not to mention that many families must contribute thousands of dollars more for fees, sports participation,transportation costs, tithing to Churches and capital improvements. Believe me, I have first hand experience.
All sarcasm aside, please let us not punish the many because a few (3 poverty stricken schools) have failed to succeed. Even if there are 11 more schools that are slated for state takeover (my guess is that these are in ravaged socio-economic areas as well)there are 75-80 schools that are on track for continued improvement. Very easy to see the glass half empty when that's all you want to see. I will vote "yes" and seek ways to help the public school system. I want to be an example of the change I wish to see.

On Vote ‘no’ on school taxes