Legislative Update for South Baton Rouge Independent School District

Breakaway school district clears another legislative hurdle

A Louisiana House committee Tuesday morning approved one of the bills needed to set up a new school district in southeast Baton Rouge, clearing the way for a showdown vote in the full House.

The plan, Senate Bill 73, is part of a two-bill package that would pave the way for the new school system.
 

It has already passed the state Senate.
 

The House Civil Law & Procedure Committee approved the measure without objection.
 

The panel reviews the wording of the ballot proposal, which would be submitted to voters statewide if the bills win final legislative approval.
 

The committee voted 5-4 to make a slight change in the wording.
 

State Sen. Bodi White, R-Central, sponsor of the package, initially objected to the change but later agreed to go along.
 

White’s plan would carve out 10 schools now in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system to form a new district called the Southeast Community School District.
 

Backers contend that a smaller school system would promote parental involvement and improve academic performance.

Opponents predict that another breakaway school district — it would be the fourth to leave the East Baton Rouge Parish system — would leave behind a school system dominated by students from poor families and one beset by financial problems.
 

The other bill, which is a change in state law, is already awaiting action in the full House.
 

It is Senate Bill 199, and White said it may get a House vote this week.
 

That measure requires majority approval, which is 53 votes in the 105-member state House.
 

However, since Senate Bill 73 is a proposed constitutional amendment it requires support from two-thirds of the House, or 70 votes.
 

When it will be voted on is unclear.
 

A similar package passed the Senate last year but the ballot measure failed in the House, which killed the plan.
 

The session ends on June 6.
 

Source: The Advocate
 

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