From Citizens for a New Louisiana With recent tax propositions being rejected in St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes area voters needed to be ever vigilant about the methods and tactics politicians will employ to place taxes on low voter turn out ballots. We have told you about the upcoming DDA tax occurring during Festival International in downtown Lafayette on April 30, but why is no one talking about the Vermilion Parish tax hike election on the same day.
If you are a resident of Vermilion Parish, you may be surprised to learn there’s a new tax on the April 30th ballot. According to public records, the Vermilion Parish School Board voted unanimously (one member was absent and one member abstained) at the January 20, 2022 regular meeting in favor of a proposition to hold a special election on April 30, 2022 to increase taxes. The proposition seeks to levy $4,362,000 by way of a ½ cent parish-wide sales tax “solely for the purpose of increasing the salaries and benefits of school employees.”
Of note, “employees” doesn’t necessarily mean teachers, but any employee of the system. In may systems, the percentage of employees at the school system office exceeds the number of employees who actually teach. Although the system’s most recent annual audit doesn’t list the number of employees by job function, we can extrapolate percentages from relevant expenditures contained therein. On page seven (7) of the report, the system’s largest expense is listed as $78.8 MILLION in salaries and benefits. Then, jump over to the second-to-last page of the report (page 138 but numbered page five (5)). There, we see that only thirty-six percent (36%) or $28.5 MILLION goes directly to teacher salaries. If we add in benefits, it’s a little better fifty-five percent (55%) or $43.4 MILLION.
Of note, “employees” doesn’t necessarily mean teachers, but any employee of the system. In may systems, the percentage of employees at the school system office exceeds the number of employees who actually teach. Although the system’s most recent annual audit doesn’t list the number of employees by job function, we can extrapolate percentages from relevant expenditures contained therein. On page seven (7) of the report, the system’s largest expense is listed as $78.8 MILLION in salaries and benefits. Then, jump over to the second-to-last page of the report (page 138 but numbered page five (5)). There, we see that only thirty-six percent (36%) or $28.5 MILLION goes directly to teacher salaries. If we add in benefits, it’s a little better fifty-five percent (55%) or $43.4 MILLION.
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