It’s time for EBR schools to shine

Despite rampant disapproval of local public schools and the continued flight of white, middle-class Baton Rouge to other parishes and private schools, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board prevailed at the polls in March and convinced voters to renew a one-cent sales tax. But school officials shouldn’t get cocky about the victory.

It would be foolish to interpret the roughly 65% majority on the three sales tax renewals as voter approval of school officials’ work, or a mandate to deliver more of the same. The fact is it was an election with low turnout, and middle-class Baton Rougeans still don’t display confidence in the system.

The tax renewal does mean school officials now have options in tackling some of their biggest problems. Roughly half the money generated will fund renovations, new construction and technology; about 40% will go toward teacher pay and benefits, and the rest will help fight truancy, improve discipline and bolster alternatives for struggling or troubled students.

But those are all issues and areas school officials have failed to address or remedy. More than money, it will take imagination, innovation and commitment to convert tax revenue into real improvement.

And having money on hand is no guarantee of future success, either.

East Baton Rouge Parish’s parks commission convinced voters in 2004 to support more than $100 million in new taxes to bring the parks system into the 21st century with refurbished parks, new “signature” parks and a host of other improvements. Infighting for power delayed BREC’s progress.

The school system is in far worse shape than the parks were, ranking 51st in Louisiana in overall performance. Four local schools are in such bad shape the state Department of Education is taking over them, and another 15 may face a similar fate.

It will only get tougher for the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board to convince voters to keep paying taxes to fund a sub-par system. March’s vote may be the last leap of faith local voters will stomach.

To avoid that, school officials need to take bold steps to improve the system. The improvements need not even be immediate, but they need to be system-wide, not confined to pockets and magnet programs.

School officials shouldn’t settle for simply spending new revenue on a few new buildings, fixing up old ones and throwing the new money at the same old problems.

It’s time to change course, to take risks, to leverage every new penny.

It’s time to dazzle students with inspiring facilities, to captivate them with compelling new technologies, and to uplift struggling students with effective new alternatives.

In other words, don’t simply deliver what you promised.

Exceed everyone’s expectations.