Central voters reject proposals

• By JEREMY HARPER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 20, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Central voters on Saturday handily rejected new sales and property taxes that would have funded a $98 million education complex for the new and rapidly growing district.

The proposal was divided into two propositions and both were defeated, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Secretary of State.

Voters rejected the 25-year, three-quarter-cent sales tax with 3,415 votes — or 56 percent — against the tax, and 2,732 votes in favor, or 44 percent.

The second proposition, which would have given the school system the authority to issue up to $49.2 million in 20-year bonds backed by a 29-mill property tax, also failed with 3,691 votes — or 60 percent — against the measure, and 2,440 votes in favor, or 40 percent.
Superintendent Michael Faulk said the state of the economy played a role in the rejection of the propositions.

“A lot of people became concerned about the way it affects their pocketbook,” he said.

Central formed its own school district from the East Baton Rouge Parish school system in 2007.

As Central continues to grow, school officials are deciding how to absorb 2,000 new students expected in the next four years, and possibly thousands more after that.

Faulk said the school system will already have 44 temporary classrooms housing nearly 900 students in the coming school year.

The vote forces the school system to devise another plan to handle its surging enrollment. Faulk said the school system would get more public input before drawing up another plan.

“You want to let things calm down,” Faulk said. “You want to reflect. You want to listen and see what people say, then you want to craft an approach that you can convince a majority of voters to support.”

A 29-member steering committee of community members recommended the plan to the School Board after a lengthy study.

The committee looked at several options, including reshuffling and expanding the district’s facilities. The committee determined that building a new complex would allow the district to handle its expected growth through 2012. Expansion of buildings would not, the committee concluded.

The expansion option, which would have still required the construction of a new $25 million middle school, would cost $79 million, the committee concluded.