PAY RAISE PROPOSAL ON MARCH 25 BALLOT
A 1-cent sales tax proposal to fund a pay raise for all Livingston Parish Public School employees will be on the March 25, 2023, ballot. The new tax is projected to raise $24 million each year in recurring revenue, enabling the district to give a 10% across-the-board pay increase, including a minimum of $2,500 per year increase for the district’s lowest paid employees.
The pay increase is needed to allow the district to compete with neighboring school systems. Currently, Livingston Parish Public Schools ranks last in the local region in pay, causing many qualified employees to leave for higher-paying positions elsewhere.
Members of the Livingston Parish Educational Facilities Improvement District (EFID) met last year and voted to seek voter approval of the funding proposal to address the urgent need. The 1-cent sales tax will NOT apply to purchases made on groceries, prescriptions, and gasoline. It is dedicated to paying LPPS salaries and benefits and subject to a 20-year renewal.
Election Day is March 25, 2023, and Early Voting will be held March 11-18. Visit Livingston1Cent.com for more information.
SUMMER SCHOOL DATES AND GUIDELINES ANNOUNCED
The district has announced dates and guidelines for summer remediation courses that will be provided to students, following the results of end-of-year testing and/or course results this school year. Those programs include:
- 8th Grade Summer Remediation – June 19-23
- High School Summer Remediation – June 19-23 and June 26-29
- 3rd & 4th Grade Summer Boost – July 17-21
Supervisor of Assessment and Accountability Kelly LaBauve said this year’s summer remediation sessions for 8th graders and high school students will be fewer days, but classes will be held for six hours per day; while the session for 3rd and 4th graders will be held later in the summer, and those classes will extend for eight hours per day.
She said summer remediation will be recommended to those 8th graders who do not pass due to pupil progression requirements, and to high school students who need help with improving LEAP assessments that are required for graduation.
The summer boost session will be offered to students in grades 3 and 4 who score below the “core” rating on the state’s DIBELS 8 literacy screening test that is given near the end of the school year. The session is being provided in response to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (BESE) policy revision; most notably, Bulletin 1566, which addresses students at-risk in developing grade-level literacy skills.
Those students in 4th grade who do not meet pupil progression requirements will also attend the Summer Boost session.