The Ouachita Parish School Board renewed two standing millage taxes on Tuesday during a special called board meeting.
Millage revenue allows Ouachita Parish Schools to budget for classroom instruction, capital improvements, facility and equipment support, payment of mandated costs and to restore salary reductions for support staff.
Millage rates for the Constitutional Tax (5.18) and Operating and Maintenance Funds (24.15) were established in 2006 and have not changed since the current rates were set. Any increase in tax revenue from the millages reflects an increase in the assessment of property values. Per state law, property values are reassessed every four years.
“The millage is the same and the roll forward process has been the same since 2006, so every four years when the property tax values are reassessed, we go through this process as a roll forward,” said Regina Mekus, Chief Financial Officer for Ouachita Parish Schools.
“The roll forward for us is less than a mill. For the average home owner in Ouachita Parish, if you have a $250,000 house, one mill would be $18 for the year and our roll forward is 0.89 of a mill.”
Estimated revenues from each millage total around $4.9 million from the Constitutional Tax and $23 million from the Operating and Maintenance Funds.
Operating Budget
The School Board also approved the operating budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year during Tuesday’s meeting. The operating budget for the district in 2024-2025 is a projected $307 million.
This past February, Ouachita Parish Schools received an audit with no non-complaint findings or misappropriation of funds for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Policy Updates
The School Board was presented with updates to the following policies — qualifications for School Board Members, School Board Member continued education, notification of School Board Meetings, contracts and compensation, sick leave, sick leave banks, corporal punishment, student health services, immunizations, administration of medications and behavioral health services for students.
These policy updates comply with changes to state law made during the 2024 Louisiana Legislative Session. The School Board will vote on whether to adopt the updated policies at a later date.
Change Orders
The School Board approved change orders for the parking lot construction projects at Woodlawn Elementary and Woodlawn Junior High, and the digital classroom cameras installed across the school district.
Additional work totaling $361,104 was required at Woodlawn Elementary and Woodlawn Junior High to remove low quality dirt that threatened the structural integrity of the parking lots. Amethyst Construction completed the parking lots prior to the first day of school on Aug. 12.
The instillation of digital cameras in every classroom across the district totaled an additional $200,410 cost. The extra expense was paid for with federal ESSER funds.
Bids
The Board granted Ouachita Parish Schools permission to bid on the following items:
Bid Item Funding Source Budget Amount
Copy Paper Various Various
Intercom Systems West Ouachita Sales Tax $80,000
WMHS Tennis Court Renovations West Ouachita Sales Tax $475,000
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