Our recommendations for December 7th election

2nd December 2024   ·   0 Comments

ORLEANS PARISH
Member of School Board
District 2: Eric J. Jones
There is one fundamental question at stake in the last competitive school board race on the ballot; will the option of directly-run neighborhood schools be allowed in Orleans Parish as they are elsewhere in Louisiana and across the nation?

Charter school advocates have decried the decision by the Orleans Parish School Board to directly administer Leah Chase School, yet the original clarion call of charter advocates rested in the notion of educational choice. Parents should have the option of choosing the best school for their children, which makes the opposition to returning to a neighborhood school alternative so perplexing to our editors.

No one is suggesting the abolition of charter schools in Orleans Parish. Those that work will continue. However, charter schools that failed to educate should, at least, have the option to return to the neighborhood school model directly administered by elected officials. Many parents want the possibility of sending their children to the school literally “down the street” from their homes. That should be an option in the Crescent City, which right now doesn’t really exist.

To believe in school choice, one should believe that have a real choice, including the option of conventional public schools in their neighborhoods. That is the platform upon which both Mr. Jones seeks office, and our editors urged his election.

JEFFERSON PARISH
School Millage: VOTE YES
Approving this property tax would institute a 10.89-mill tax to provide a 16 percent raise, or an additional $8,300 a year, for certified teachers. Support workers would get an additional $2,000.

That would raise average teacher pay in Jefferson Parish to just under $61,000 per year. That is incredibly important because teacher attrition has reached almost five percent of the employed educators.

That’s much larger number than it may appear, as Jefferson Parish’s school system serves more students – about 48,000 – than any other in Louisiana. The effort to keep qualified teachers in the classroom costs money, and it’s essential to keep the system going. Proportional increases in per student funding to the six charter schools in Jefferson would also occur if the new tax passes.

If your home is valued at $250,000 and you have a homestead exemption, you’ll pay $15.88 more a month. If you’re home is valued at $400,000 and you have a homestead exemption, you’ll pay $29.49 more a month.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
CA No. 1 (ACT No. 405, 2024 – SB 177) – Provides relative to the investigative authority and membership of the judiciary commission: YES

This amendment would allow the supreme court to sanction a judge upon an investigation by the judiciary commission. Currently, Louisiana is one of the only states who prevent its Supreme Court acting in their oversight role. This would close that gap with other state judiciaries.

CA No. 2 (ACT No. 406, 2024 – HB 48) – Provides relative to the timing of consideration and required information of appropriations bills: YES

If you vote for nothing else, please support this amendment. Legislators love to rush things through the legislature before anyone knows what it is being voted up upon. This change would require that the legislature wait for at least forty-eight hours prior to concurring in a conference committee report or amendments to a bill appropriating money.

CA No. 3 (ACT No. 407, 2024 – HB 49) – Allows the legislature to extend a regular session for a limited time period for a specific purpose: YES

The Legislature can vote itself ended early, but lacks the power to extend a regular session when major finance bills are under consideration. This amendment would allow the House and Senate to extend a regular session in increments of two days up to a maximum of six days if necessary to pass a bill appropriating money.

CA No. 4 (ACT No. 409, 2024 – SB 119) – Provides relative to the administration of tax sales of immovable property: YES

This amendment would eliminate mandatory tax sales for nonpayment of property taxes and require the legislature to provide for such procedures by law; to limit the amount of penalty and interest on delinquent property taxes; and to provide for the postponement of property tax payments under certain circumstances.

In English, several parishes put obscene late fees on the late payment of property taxes, and can often move to tax sale with almost no warning. This amendment would place some legislative restrictions on that process that too often has been a little more than profiteering off of landlords who have fallen into a degree of distress.

This article originally published in the December 2, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.

Tags:  Endorsements, New Orleans, Voting