NOLA Voters Support School Maintenance Proposition

NEW ORLEANS, La. — On Dec. 6, Nearly 60 percent of voters supported a ballot proposition that will fund school repairs and upkeep projects across New Orleans for the next decade. The proposition will renew a 4.97-mill property tax currently used to pay off district debt and funnel those funds, an estimated $15.5 million annually, directly into much needed school maintenance projects through 2025. With additional funds from a district sales tax redirected by the state legislature, schools will eventually have an estimated $30 million for repairs at their disposal per year.

This renewed tax will allow each New Orleans public school, the majority of which operate as independent charters, to establish and manage an account to support its maintenance needs. This would allow schools to direct their own maintenance projects, however, schools will not necessarily be given cart blanche in terms of spending. Instead, the money will earmarked specifically for larger, more costly repairs such as roof or boiler replacements.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and State Senator Karen Carter Peterson, a Democrat representing New Orleans and the fifth district, supported the proposition, as did a number of local civic organizations, including the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and the New Orleans Business Council. However, many throughout the community opposed the measure as it also includes the controversial Recovery School District.

The Recovery School District, a state agency established in 2003 by the Louisiana Department of Education to intervene in the management of low-performing schools, will also receive a portion of the proposition funding. This was a primary point of contention for many opponents who maintain that improved schools should return to local control. The Recovery School District took over almost 80 percent of the community’s schools following Hurricane Katrina and currently maintains control over 68 schools within the community.

Both the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board will now be required to hire staff and establish offices to manage a central account that will administer emergency repair funds. Should their own coffers prove insufficient, schools can seek additional funding from these central accounts in the event of a maintenance emergency. These offices will also ensure schools are spending proposition funds on projects that meet proposition requirements.

Though the 80-campus community is also benefitting from $1.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds for school construction, not all schools will be impacted by the money, which does not cover upkeep.