Teacher pay sales tax up for renewal

St. Mary voters will soon decide whether to renew a sales tax that funds teacher and staff pay.
The 0.45% sales tax will appear on the Oct. 11 ballot parishwide for a five-year renewal. Residents have until Sept. 10 to register to vote in person or Sept. 20 to register online.
Early voting will be 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 27-Oct. 4, excluding Sunday. You can vote early at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin or the Registrar of Voters Office, 301 Third St., Morgan City.
The tax will continue to raise an estimated $5.1 million each year, all of it dedicated to salaries and benefits for teachers and other School Board employees.
The tax was a source of controversy leading up to its passage in March 2021 by a 62%-38% margin with a 15% turnout.
The board originally proposed a 0.5% tax that included dedication to a technology fund as well as the pay raises.
But, as the proposal was being developed in 2020, opposition emerged. Then-state Sen. Bret Allain, a member of the State Bond Commission, objected publicly to the technology fund dedication and said he’d push to put the tax proposition on the November 2020 ballot, when turnout was likely to be larger than a typical proposition election.
The School Board eventually eliminated the technology fund dedication and reduced the proposed tax to 0.45%.
Supporters have said the tax is needed to keep pace with similar moves by other parishes in their scramble to attract and keep teachers.