Calcasieu voters will vote on three School Board tax renewals on Saturday, Dec. 7.

On the ballot will be one 10-year 3.50 mill property tax renewal and two half-cent 10-year sales tax renewals listed as “parish-wide school board propositions.” These three taxes alone generate almost $83 million annually, which is used for CPSB’s operation expenses in the general fund.

Superintendent Jason VanMetre told the American Press that if the renewals are not passed in December, employee salaries and benefits (and the board and district’s decision-making process) would be affected.

Seventy-five percent of the property tax renewal and all of the sales tax renewals are used for salaries and benefits.

The most important resource for student success is the teacher, and a vital component of teacher support is salary, so these taxes are vital for the district’s operation, he explained.

“In the past few years, roughly $16,000 per year in teacher salaries have come from these three renewals,” he said. “We are in the people business and investing in our people is critical.”

The remaining percentage of the 3.50 mill property tax renewals is used for various expenses paid for by the General Fund.

“Whether we are talking about the buses used to transport our students to school, the utilities used at the school, the computers or other instructional materials, or even the school resource officer and other security expenses, the General Fund is used to cover a variety of expenses that we use every day,” VanMetre said.

The funding generated by the taxes is invested in the individuals at every level of the school district to ensure CPSB has “the best teachers, administrators and support staff possible” to serve Calcasieu students, he said.

“Education is our product but people make the education happen. … It is all about people, all the time.”

And it pays off. Last week, the Louisiana Department of Education released the 2024 school performance scores. CPSB’s district score increased by 1.7 points to 80.2, exceeding the district’s pre-pandemic score. VanMetre said these laurels should be given to every single person who contributes to the district, be it by working to educate Calcasieu’s students or by going to the polls to keep CPSB properly funded.

“Our continued success is due not only to the hard work of our students, teachers and staff, but also the support of the community,” he said. “We appreciate all the support that the citizens of Calcasieu Parish have given and we look forward to continuing to serve our students.”

Two of the taxes have been previously. The property tax originated in the early 90s and one of the sales taxes started in 1995. The other sales tax was authorized by voters in 2015 and is up for its first renewal.

“We have been so fortunate to have had the support of our community with these renewals for years, in some cases decades,” he said.