Guest column: Change in school tax might turn opponents into supporters

As controversy continues to swirl around the half-cent sales tax increase proposed by the St. Mary Parish School Board, I would like to take the opportunity to publicly address the interested parties in this debate.
The fundamental issue at play is that both sides have compelling arguments for why the additional tax revenue is and is not needed at this time.
First and foremost, I do not think I am going out on a limb when I say that our teachers deserve better pay. Louisiana has historically lagged behind in teacher pay, and I am proud that the state has stepped up in recent years to provide raises to educators and support staff.
I supported these measures then, and I support continuing them this year. Our public school system is one of the most important investments that government makes in our future and making sure that we can attract and retain the best educators is vital to our school system’s success. Our school system has made great strides under the leadership of the School Board and past and current administrations.
I think that our Central Office would agree, though, that the vast majority of credit for our district’s rising scores goes to the teachers in the classroom. Our statewide ranking of 17th out of 70 school systems is something to be very proud of as a parish.
However, many business owners and taxpayers correctly point out that our current economic situation does not warrant additional tax burdens. And with oil trading at around $30 a barrel earlier in the week, the short and long-term outlook of the oil and gas sector is tenuous at best. It is very fair to ask if additional taxes, whether at the state or local level, are appropriate given current economic conditions.
As the new chairman of the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee, one of my main responsibilities concerns tax policy of the state and our political subdivisions.
I have never voted for a tax increase that was not absolutely necessary, and I will never support any tax proposal in perpetuity. As a matter of principle, government policy, especially tax policy, should never be enacted without the ability to review its effectiveness and necessity at a future date.
To the School Board’s credit, I was happy to see that the proposal was amended at a recent special meeting to an initial term of five years.
However, this does not alleviate all of the opposition’s concerns. This tax proposal was intended to be hidden on the spring ballot when voter turnout is historically low.
This would give the tax the easiest path to passage with an energized school system vote and an apathetic general public considering the election falls between the high-turnout governor’s race of last fall and the high-turnout presidential election to be held this November.
My disagreement has never been about teacher pay. Most reasonable people would agree that we need to improve the compensation of those that are instrumental in shaping our children’s future. I just do not agree that this proposed sales tax increase is the best way to get our teachers more money. Our total student population has gone down by about 900 students since the oil and gas downturn, yet our sales tax collections for the school system have rebounded by about $1.3 million since 2016 and property tax collections for the school system have rebounded by about $3 million since 2017. In addition, state Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) funding has increased by nearly $4 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020.
This equates to nearly $450 per student or roughly $10,000 per classroom in additional state funding for education.
In other words, it is fair to ask the question of whether this proposed sales tax increase is the only way to fund teacher pay raises. Revenues have recently been increasing for three major sources of school system funding (property tax, sales tax, and MFP funds), and many would like to know if these increases could be used to fund the pay raises. If these funds are not enough to cover the raises, then it is incumbent upon the School Board to explain to the public why they are not sufficient and why increasing taxes is a necessity and last resort rather than an attempt to capture more revenue from an economy that is far from being recovered.
My office has been receiving numerous emails and calls from both proponents and opponents of this proposal. It is a position that I am used to in my role as a state senator when various interest groups are fighting over the finite resources of government. I do want to make one thing clear, however.
I have never been against raising teacher pay, and I am not attempting to kill this proposal. In fact, I have asked the state treasurer to schedule the revised tax proposal with the five year-term for the next Ad Hoc meeting of State Bond Commission, keeping the proposal alive and to be decided at that meeting. I am hopeful that between now and then, continued discussions can be had to put this proposal in the best possible posture not only for our school system, but for our taxpayers and economy at large.
In the spirit of compromise, I am urging the School Board to further amend its proposal from a 0.5% increase to a 0.3% increase in order to alleviate the concerns of some businesses and taxpayers currently opposed to the measure.
I am also hopeful that the entire increase will be dedicated to raises for our deserving teachers and support staff. Coupled with the increases in funding listed above, I feel that a proposed 0.3% increase in sales tax accomplishes the goal of providing raises and has a much better chance of passing than the current proposal. Recently, sales tax initiatives have been unsuccessful in places like Terrebonne and Lafayette, and an identical proposal in Lafourche is currently facing growing opposition.
I just hope that St. Mary’s proposal is not hurt by an unwillingness by its elected leaders to improve its chances of success.
Bret Allain, R-Franklin, represents Louisiana Senate District 21, which covers all of St. Mary Parish.