Tax for teacher raises is finally on ballot

It’s finally official: A new 0.45% sales tax for St. Mary public school teacher and staff raises is on the ballot.
But some things have happened since December, when the St. Mary Parish School Board first asked for the public vote on the tax.
The Louisiana State Bond Commission’s Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Monday approved the resolution calling for the vote on the tax.
The School Board originally proposed a half-cent tax that would raise $4.25 million each year. The tax was to finance a $3,000 annual pay raise for teachers and $1,500 raises for other staff members, and support a fund for technology enhancements.
The new tax was to be collected “in perpetuity.”
But the State Bond Commission deferred action Feb. 20 on the call for an election. State Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, sits on the commission and objected to the lack of a sunset provision in a proposal up for vote in what appeared certain to be a low-turnout election.
On March 3, the School Board amended the resolution to add a five-year limit, after which voter approval would be required for renewal.
But there was more opposition, most of it about the tax’s potential impact on St. Mary’s fragile economy. Allain also objected to the inclusion of technology in the dedication and suggested a 0.3% proposition.
So the School Board amended the resolution again March 12, dropping the technology spending and reducing the proposed tax to 0.45%.
That was enough to persuade Allain not to oppose the election.
But the next day, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a far-reaching executive order that, among many other measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, led to the postponement of the May election to July 25.
The original resolution said that if the tax was approved, collections would begin July 1. School Board members said they wanted the tax and the raises in place in time to recruit teachers for the 2020-21 school year.
Now the timeline will have to be changed again if St. Mary voters approve the tax July 25.