To: The Louisiana State House, The Louisiana State Senate, and Governor John Bel Edwards
SAY “NO” TO THE SOUTHEAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND PROTECT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS LOUISIANA
Please vote "NO" on Senate Bills 73 and 199, which create the Southeast Baton Rouge Community School System within East Baton Rouge Parish. This breakaway school district will further segregate and irreparably harm the East Baton Rouge Parish School System that strives to serve all children regardless of race or socioeconomic background. It also poses a threat to school systems across the state by setting a dangerous precedent of allowing a neighborhood to withdraw from an existing school system without regard to racial or economic equity.
Why is this important?
The breakaway district proposed by Senator Bodi White in Senate Bills 73 & 199 is unfair to the East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS) and its current students and poses a threat to school systems across the state by setting a dangerous precedent of allowing an unincorporated area—a neighborhood, not a city—to withdraw from the existing school system without regard to racial or economic equity.
The Proposed Breakaway District:
--Further Segregates Our Schools:
The creation of a Southeast Baton Rouge System will further segregate what is already a racially identifiable school district. According to Dr. James Richardson, Professor of Economics at Louisiana State University who conducted a study sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the area EBRPSS serves is currently 46.94% African-American. Its student population is 81.06% African-American. In contrast, the area of the proposed district is only 23.08% African-American (Richardson 3). If the Southeast Baton Rouge School System is created, EBRPSS will become 86.02% African-American. Such segregation will likely prompt another desegregation lawsuit.
--Exacerbates Economic Inequity:
The proposed area is not only predominantly white. It is also wealthier. The mean family income of the southeast area is $93,856. The mean family income of the current EBRPSS area is $74,097. If the breakaway district is allowed, that will fall to $70,205 (Richardson 6). Currently, 80.2% of students in EBRPSS qualify for free and reduced lunch (District At-A-Glance). Only 67.4% of current EBRPSS students in the southeast area qualify for free and reduced lunch. If the southeast area, one of the wealthiest in East Baton Rouge Parish, is allowed to withdraw, the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch will increase in EBRPSS and decrease in the proposed southeast school system. It is generally known that students living in poverty face significant barriers to academic success. Overcoming these barriers becomes more difficult with higher concentrations of poverty within a student body. Further concentrating poverty in our public schools will not improve educational outcomes for the greater Baton Rouge area.
--Subverts Laws Providing for Parental and Student Choice:
In addition, the proposed Southeast Baton Rouge Community School System would deny approximately 3,800 students access to schools they currently attend. Remarks made by breakaway proponents—the spokespersons for Local Schools for Local Children and Senator Bodi White, the sponsor of the legislation—indicate they regard separating from EBRPSS as a means to avoid complying with state and federal mandates that children be allowed to attend the school of their choice. They repeatedly criticize EBRPSS for busing students to schools outside their attendance zone. Senator White even criticized the busing conducted in the 1980s which was required by the federal desegregation order. That forced busing ended in 2007 following the resolution of the desegregation lawsuit. Students who are currently bused to schools outside their attendance zone are bused at their request, either to allow them to attend a specialized program, including magnet schools created to comply with the federal desegregation order, or when, as required by state and federal laws, the child chooses to escape a “failing” school. Breakaway proponents dismiss the significance of these facts. Senator White insists busing is wasteful and creates distrust in the southeast community. The creation of this district appears to be a means of subverting state and federal laws by prohibiting children from exercising their right to attend the schools of their choice.
--Unfairly Burdens EBRPSS with Construction and Legacy Costs:
The proposed district would deprive EBRPSS of access to new buildings for which it paid $98 million, and, even after protracted debates during last year’s session concerning unfair financial burdens to EBRPSS, the legislation fails to require the proposed district to adequately compensate EBRPSS for its share of more than $10 million in bonded debt from the building projects in the southeast area as well as for "legacy costs" for employee benefits for retirees.
In his report, Dr. James Richardson, the LSU Professor of Economics, estimated legacy costs would range from $42 million to $242 million (13). An amendment to last year’s bill provided the new district *may* pay EBRPSS a mere $2.5 million. This year’s bill does not even provide that woefully inadequate amount, and requires the new district to pay for *only* those teachers it hires from the EBRPSS. This is not a true accounting of legacy costs (10-14). Roy Heidelberg, co-author of the BRAF/BRAC report with Dr. Richardson, notes, "Legacy costs have to do with broad promises made to workers, and if you are not accounting for every worker to which this promise has been made then you are not accounting for legacy costs. Thus, if in attempting to account for legacy costs the bill states that the breakaway will only be responsible for those workers who leave EBRPSS and enter into employment with SE, then they are not accounting for legacy costs at all. They are simply altering the employment agreement with a small sector of workers."
In regards to the bonded debt, the bill’s language, whether by design or oversight, is legally ambiguous and does not specifically require the new district to reimburse EBRPSS for the portion of the debt attributable to construction projects in the southeast area.
--Threatens Steady Improvements Made By EBRPSS:
EBRPSS is not a “failing” district as proponents claim. EBRPSS received a District Performance Score of “C,” rising 6.7 points from last year and 18.8 points since 2008. It is one of only seven districts with a concentration of poverty above 80% to earn a C. It is doing a remarkable job when compared to districts with similar demographics and it continues to improve,...
The Proposed Breakaway District:
--Further Segregates Our Schools:
The creation of a Southeast Baton Rouge System will further segregate what is already a racially identifiable school district. According to Dr. James Richardson, Professor of Economics at Louisiana State University who conducted a study sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the area EBRPSS serves is currently 46.94% African-American. Its student population is 81.06% African-American. In contrast, the area of the proposed district is only 23.08% African-American (Richardson 3). If the Southeast Baton Rouge School System is created, EBRPSS will become 86.02% African-American. Such segregation will likely prompt another desegregation lawsuit.
--Exacerbates Economic Inequity:
The proposed area is not only predominantly white. It is also wealthier. The mean family income of the southeast area is $93,856. The mean family income of the current EBRPSS area is $74,097. If the breakaway district is allowed, that will fall to $70,205 (Richardson 6). Currently, 80.2% of students in EBRPSS qualify for free and reduced lunch (District At-A-Glance). Only 67.4% of current EBRPSS students in the southeast area qualify for free and reduced lunch. If the southeast area, one of the wealthiest in East Baton Rouge Parish, is allowed to withdraw, the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch will increase in EBRPSS and decrease in the proposed southeast school system. It is generally known that students living in poverty face significant barriers to academic success. Overcoming these barriers becomes more difficult with higher concentrations of poverty within a student body. Further concentrating poverty in our public schools will not improve educational outcomes for the greater Baton Rouge area.
--Subverts Laws Providing for Parental and Student Choice:
In addition, the proposed Southeast Baton Rouge Community School System would deny approximately 3,800 students access to schools they currently attend. Remarks made by breakaway proponents—the spokespersons for Local Schools for Local Children and Senator Bodi White, the sponsor of the legislation—indicate they regard separating from EBRPSS as a means to avoid complying with state and federal mandates that children be allowed to attend the school of their choice. They repeatedly criticize EBRPSS for busing students to schools outside their attendance zone. Senator White even criticized the busing conducted in the 1980s which was required by the federal desegregation order. That forced busing ended in 2007 following the resolution of the desegregation lawsuit. Students who are currently bused to schools outside their attendance zone are bused at their request, either to allow them to attend a specialized program, including magnet schools created to comply with the federal desegregation order, or when, as required by state and federal laws, the child chooses to escape a “failing” school. Breakaway proponents dismiss the significance of these facts. Senator White insists busing is wasteful and creates distrust in the southeast community. The creation of this district appears to be a means of subverting state and federal laws by prohibiting children from exercising their right to attend the schools of their choice.
--Unfairly Burdens EBRPSS with Construction and Legacy Costs:
The proposed district would deprive EBRPSS of access to new buildings for which it paid $98 million, and, even after protracted debates during last year’s session concerning unfair financial burdens to EBRPSS, the legislation fails to require the proposed district to adequately compensate EBRPSS for its share of more than $10 million in bonded debt from the building projects in the southeast area as well as for "legacy costs" for employee benefits for retirees.
In his report, Dr. James Richardson, the LSU Professor of Economics, estimated legacy costs would range from $42 million to $242 million (13). An amendment to last year’s bill provided the new district *may* pay EBRPSS a mere $2.5 million. This year’s bill does not even provide that woefully inadequate amount, and requires the new district to pay for *only* those teachers it hires from the EBRPSS. This is not a true accounting of legacy costs (10-14). Roy Heidelberg, co-author of the BRAF/BRAC report with Dr. Richardson, notes, "Legacy costs have to do with broad promises made to workers, and if you are not accounting for every worker to which this promise has been made then you are not accounting for legacy costs. Thus, if in attempting to account for legacy costs the bill states that the breakaway will only be responsible for those workers who leave EBRPSS and enter into employment with SE, then they are not accounting for legacy costs at all. They are simply altering the employment agreement with a small sector of workers."
In regards to the bonded debt, the bill’s language, whether by design or oversight, is legally ambiguous and does not specifically require the new district to reimburse EBRPSS for the portion of the debt attributable to construction projects in the southeast area.
--Threatens Steady Improvements Made By EBRPSS:
EBRPSS is not a “failing” district as proponents claim. EBRPSS received a District Performance Score of “C,” rising 6.7 points from last year and 18.8 points since 2008. It is one of only seven districts with a concentration of poverty above 80% to earn a C. It is doing a remarkable job when compared to districts with similar demographics and it continues to improve,...