St. John the Baptist Parish School Board sets April 29 special election to renew 10.56-mill tax for salaries

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board voted Feb. 16 to call a special election on April 29, 2023 asking voters to renew a 10.56-mill tax for 10 years to fund annual salary improvements and employee health care.

The resolution, approved by roll call (10 yeas, 1 absent), instructs the secretary to publish a notice of election, to seek State Bond Commission approval as required, and to canvass returns at the board’s May 11 meeting at Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria. The proposition summary estimates the tax would generate about $8,140,000 per year if renewed and sets the levy period from 2024 through 2033. The board-recorded estimated election cost is $73,000.

Board members and legal counsel framed the request as a renewal, not a new levy, with ballot language asking voters whether the district should "continue to levy and collect a special tax of 10.56 mills" for the stated salary and benefit purposes. The resolution directs the secretary and president to take administrative steps necessary to place the proposition on the ballot and to notify election officials, the Secretary of State and the State Bond Commission.

The renewal is tied in board discussion and the agenda to several recent personnel and salary actions, which supporters presented as part of a broader district effort to improve pay for teachers and staff. Several board members emphasized the need to complete public notice and required procedural steps before the election; the resolution includes standard provisions for publication of notice and canvass of results.

Next steps: publication of the notice for four consecutive weeks, submission to the State Bond Commission for approval and the board canvass of returns on May 11, 2023. If approved by voters, the tax renewal would be charged beginning in 2024 for the ten-year period stated on the ballot.