[StBernard] St. Bernard to vote on tax renewal

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard to vote on tax renewal
Millages help support parish's public schools
Monday, March 30, 2009 
By Bob Warren
St. Bernard bureau
St. Bernard Parish voters will decide the fate of three separate property
tax propositions for the parish's public school district on April 4. 

Combined, the propositions seek 31.25 mills, which, at current school
district projections, would bring in around $8.4 million annually. 

Each of the taxes is a requested renewal of an existing tax, and each would
have a 10-year life span. Each proposition will be voted on separately. If
approved, the amount of property tax home and business owners pay for the
school district would not change. 

"This is the total millage that we operate on," school Superintendent Doris
Voitier said. 

This marks the first time the district has come before voters for taxes
since all of its buildings and facilities were destroyed in Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. 

Shortly after the floodwaters receded, the district embarked on an ambitious
rebuilding plan. Currently, the district educates 4,800 students in eight
schools. Before Katrina, there were about 8,500 students and 14 schools. 

"I think people -- I hope people -- are confident we've been good stewards
of the public money," Voitier said. "This is not any additional money we're
seeking. These are renewals." 

Although the district educates fewer students than it did before the storm,
Voitier said state financial support, which is tied to enrollment, is down
from $29 million to $16 million. And although there are fewer employees,
from 1,200 to 740, the district's retiree health insurance costs shot from
$3.8 million to $6 million, she said. "After the storm, anybody who could
retire, did," Voitier said. 

Voitier said the average starting teacher salary in St. Bernard Parish is
about $38,000, which she said is competitive with local school districts.
Statewide, the average for starting teachers is about $36,700, according to
the state Department of Education. 

There appears to be little organized opposition to the tax renewals. In
talks with civic groups, Voitier said the propositions have been received
positively. 

Proposition No. 1 is the renewal of a 19-mill tax first adopted in 1999 to
upgrade employee salaries and benefits. This tax would bring in around $5.1
million. 

Proposition No. 2 seeks the renewal of 3 mills first adopted in 1999 for bus
replacement, asbestos removal and purchasing instructional materials. It
would bring in around $810,000. 

While the district has replaced many buses post-Katrina, it still must
replace some of the older buses in its fleet, Voitier said. 

Proposition No. 3 seeks the renewal of 9.25 mills for general operating
expenses ranging from building maintenance to salaries. The current tax is
not set to expire until 2012, but the district is seeking an early renewal
in order to put all of its millages together on the same ballot, Voitier
said. 

It would bring in around $2.4 million.