1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

As a former educator living in the St. George area, I am writing to express my strong opposition to House Bill 6. This is a proposed constitutional amendment that would revive the "zombie" school district in southeast Baton Rouge. I want to call your attention to serious concerns I have about the potential financial impacts of this legislation on existing school systems. As you may know from news reports, a 2019 simulation showed that the creation a St. George school district would result in a 15% cut in funding for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. This would be disastrous, as EBR public schools already face significant challenges and resource constraints. Reducing their funding further could have devastating consequences for students and teachers across the district. Although the Legislative Fiscal Office is unable to determine the full financial impact of this bill, it has stated that the potential costs could be substantial. The uncertainty around the fiscal implications could negatively affect taxpayers if the new school district requires additional funding or leads to cuts in existing districts. In a time of tight budgets and limited resources, it is irresponsible to pursue a constitutional amendment that could destabilize existing school districts and divert critical funding away from the students who need it most. I urge you to oppose HB 6 and instead focus on finding ways to strengthen and support our public education system as a whole.