L’Observateur / May 9, 1999

School officials in St. John the Baptist Parish are pledged to continue thefight for additional teacher pay, promotion of programs such as alternative schooling and more computer technology and, for that, they should be commended.

However, the fact remains that a majority of voters in last Saturday’s election rejected the 25 mills proposed to finance those programs.

Therefore, school officials not only need to find the funding for these programs, but also they need to improve the lines of communication to the public in order to better serve the needs of the system.

The fact that the loss was a narrow one demonstrated, at least, that a sizeable amount of the electors supported the funding. With improvedcommunication, more voters could possibly be drawn to the polls should these matters again come to a ballot.

One criticism of the tax proposals was that alternative funding sources were not exploited to their maximum potential. That may be the case, butthen again the system is constantly in search of funding to support a host of programs. And while grant money is out there, it is not sure, steady andreliable income for a continuing program.

And, while the concept of teacher pay raises is a commendable one, it seems the school system must demonstrate to the public that not only are pay raises needed for teachers, they are deserved. Here, of course, ongoingand reliable funding is absolutely necessary.

Superintendent Cleveland Farlough commented that the school system was not asking for anything more than what was needed to improve the schools.

We as parents and voters should be vitally concerned with the quality of education afforded to our children. Our parish’s economic future is basedon that foundation. “I think the majority of the people don’t want to seepublic education go down the drain,” Farlough commented, as well he should have.

Elections are determined not by the majority of the people or even a majority of the voters, but by a majority of voters who take time out to go to the polls and participate. Voters must take more of an interest ineducation matters on the ballots, because even if they have no children in the school system the quality of graduates from that system help a community in countless ways, from attracting jobs to cutting crime.

Farlough commented after the election he didn’t feel he had done a good enough job in educating the public as to the need of the system for approval of these taxes. However, he wisely added that people cannotcontinue to complain about local public schools if they do nothing to help correct the problems.

Either local educators need to become better teachers of the public, finding ways to reach the reluctant voters and persuading them of the needs of the children, or the people need to become better students, heeding the advice of those to whom they have entrusted the future of the parish through our children.

There are no easy answers. The questions, though, demand attention by all.

L’Observateur

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