White: No new taxes needed for proposed southeast EBR school district

While organizers are still crunching the numbers, state Sen. Bodi White, R-Central, says the proposed community school district in southeast East Baton Rouge Parish could support itself without new taxes. Speaking at the Press Club of Baton Rouge this afternoon, White said about $18 million to $20 million is raised in property taxes inside the proposed district—which consists of the portion of the parish south of Interstate 12, north of Interstate 10 and east of the 10/12 split—along with an estimated $19 million to $20 million in sales taxes. White says about 10,000 school-age children live in the district, and says organizers’ best guess is that about 6,000 to 7,000 students would enroll in the district, bringing their state funding allocations with them. He says the existing 10 schools likely would have enough capacity for the most part, although temporary buildings might need to be added at Woodlawn High. He expects about 25% to 35% of the students would be minorities. White says there might be a study of the district’s legacy costs, primarily health care expenses for retirees who worked at the 10 schools, and that those costs might be part of a negotiation with the EBR system if the breakaway district is approved by lawmakers and voters. The breakaway districts in Central, Baker and Zachary were allowed to leave behind their legacy costs, EBR system officials say. —David Jacobs