Early voting light for tax proposition

Fewer than 3% of St. Mary Parish voters took advantage of early voting on a School Board tax renewal.
The proposition that would renew a 0.45% sales tax is on Saturday’s ballot parishwide.
Polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Bring a photo ID when you vote.
The Registrar of Voters Office said 435 voted in person during the Sept. 27-Oct. 4 early balloting period. Another 416 absentee ballots have been received for a total of 851 early votes.
The parish has 30,415 registered voters, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.
If voters approve, the parishwide sales tax would be extended for five years beginning in July 2026. It’s expected to raise $5.1 million a year, or $1.3 million more than estimated when voters first approved the tax in March 2021 by a 62%-38% margin.
The new levy was attended by some controversy, but not enough to generate much voter interest. The turnout on election day was just short of 15%.
Objections surrounding the tax centered on its effect on the local economic impact and the timing of the vote during a low-turnout election.
But supporters said the planned $3,000 raise for certified personnel and $1,500 for other staff members were needed to attract and keep talented people.
The intervening years have done little to make teachers more available across the nation.
Some sources say that as many as one of every eight teaching positions is either vacant or held by an unqualified person.
The National Conference of State Legislatures identified English as a second language as a shortage area in Louisiana during the last school year.
This year, the U.S. Department of Education identified math teachers at every grade from fourth through 12th as a shortage area for the state.
The Learning Policy Institute, an education think tank, identified more than 411,000 teacher positions that are open or filled with uncertified employees.
The institute said the number of people seeking training as teachers dropped sharply during the Great Recession. Only a fifth of the people leaving teacher positions are retiring, the institute said. Others cite a need for more pay, pursuit of other opportunities or dissatisfaction with their current positions.