WBR parish schools funding for salaries and benefits for teachers, staff continues

PORT ALLEN - All four parish-wide tax renewals on the November ballot for West Baton Rouge passed, with a fifth passing for residents of Port Allen.

Two of the parish-wide renewals revolved around the parish school system, being 10-year renewals of 12 mills that fund teachers' and staff's salaries and benefits.

"This generates about $19 million for us as a school system. We use 100% of these funds for all of our teachers and salaries, their salaries and benefits for teachers and staff. What this allows us to do is just to continue our payroll," West Baton Rouge Schools Superintendent Chandler Smith said.

The $19 million is about 25% of the school system's budget. It will allow WBR schools the opportunity to retain and recruit staff, rather than potentially having to reduce them.

"We've