Breakaway school district feasibility study unlikely to be ready in time for Legislature’s vote

A study analyzing the feasibility of the proposed breakaway school district in East Baton Rouge Parish is unlikely to be ready before the expected vote by the state House of Representatives on Thursday. While the study, commissioned by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and performed by economist Jim Richardson, may not be available to inform the Legislature’s vote, BRAC spokesman Mike Odom says it will serve as a resource for voters if they are asked to consider approving the district this fall. Odom says it could also provide a template for other independent school districts in the future. The study will go beyond simply looking into the proposed district in southeast East Baton Rouge Parish to examine “the infrastructure and legacy costs issues of multiple independent school districts to determine their feasibility based on potential revenues, liability infrastructure capacity, and student demographic perspectives,” chamber CEO Adam Knapp says. —David Jacobs