School board fears $7 million budget cut

Published 12:09 am Wednesday, April 22, 2015

RESERVE — St. John the Baptist School Board unanimously voted to approve Superintendent Kevin George’s resolution opposing Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed cutting of inventory tax credits.

Jindal and his staff are expecting a great opposition to the plan, especially from the oil industry, as they will be most impacted by the cut. Jindal is said to be open to a repeal of the tax, and if that occurs, the St. John the Baptist School District is estimated to see a ghastly $7 million cut in funding.

Cutting the tax credit is a part of Jindal’s newly unveiled budget plan for the upcoming year that would contribute to solving one-third of the state’s $1.6 billion shortage by cutting tax credit programs by about $526 million. These programs provide a full refund for inventory taxes, a property tax paid by businesses to local governments in Louisiana.

The board also unanimously voted to adopt a resolution issuing the sales tax of refund bonds for 2015. This action will save the parish $52,000 a year over the lifetime of the bonds.

Under the current bond series, the parish is paying a 4.5 percent interest rate, and with the new plan, will be refinancing at a 3.08 percent interest rate.

The board took unanimous action to change the last day of school to May 21 from May 22. This will have all parish schools finishing the school year on the same day, allowing for all entities, including buses and teacher development, throughout the parish to be on the same page.

Peter Montz of East St. John High School requested the Board’s approval to solicit proposals for the removal of 7,000 square feet of damaged flooring at the school. Montz, staff and contractors who assessed the situation wish to replace the impaired flooring with polished concrete, a project estimated to cost $76,000. The board unanimously approved Montz’s request.

Senior basketball player Maya Trench and girls basketball coach Lester Smith from West St. John were awarded All- Metro Small Schools Player and Coach of the Year. Martha Herty received recognition, as well, for earning her doctorate degree in educational leadership.

The district’s literary rally winners from East St. John High School were recognized for their outstanding performance at the state and district level of the literary rally.

— By Kristen Higdon