Livingston Parish votes down tax for teacher pay raises

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Livingston Parish voters have said no to a new tax that would have funded pay increases for public school teachers and other school employees in that parish.

The proposal, on Saturday’s ballot, called for a new one-cent sales tax in the parish.

Fifty-four percent of voters rejected the measure.

School system leaders said the new tax would have provided for a ten percent pay increase for all school system employees.

The below statement from Livingston Parish Public Schools Superintendent Alan Joe Murphy was released:

Dear Livingston Parish Voters,
I know the past few months have been a difficult time for the people of Livingston Parish, as we have grappled with the issue of adding a 1-cent sales tax to some purchases in order to benefit our school teachers and staff.
The decision to place a 1-cent sales tax proposition on the ballot was made after much contemplation by school and community leaders who viewed this funding option as the best way to increase salaries in the Livingston Parish Public Schools System. The salary increases are needed to enable the district to hire and retain qualified personnel.
Nonetheless, the voters of Livingston Parish did not support this proposed funding solution as presented on the March 25 ballot. We know that low pay for Livingston Parish Public School employees will continue to present challenges for our system, but that our leaders will do all they can to manage available funds to give our schools the resources and personnel they need to provide our children with a quality education. We know that the vast majority of our employees are dedicated professionals who will continue to put forth their very best effort, every day, to positively impact every child in their care.
It is my hope that our parish can heal from any division that may have occurred during this election, and that other options to improve the wages of our school professionals may present themselves in the near future.
Alan Joe Murphy - Livingston Parish Public Schools superintendent

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