New sales tax for school board passes at polls

Lincoln Parish will soon see a new half-cent sales tax go into effect, as voters on Saturday passed the parish school board’s tax proposition to fund teacher pay raises and school security measures.

Complete but unofficial returns from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office show the school board’s proposed tax received 2,373 votes, good for 53% of the total. Another 2,070 residents voted against the tax, or 47%.

Voters in Fire Protection District No. 1 also approved a 10-year renewal of the $72 service charge. The district includes the town of Dubach, villages of Simsboro and Vienna, and all unincorporated areas of the parish.

The school board’s new tax, projected to bring in $4.6 million annually, will mean a $3,000 per year pay raise for certified school board employees and a $1,500 per year raise for non-certified support staff. 

Also to receive funding from the sales tax are School Resource Officers, other campus safety upgrades, the school board’s ever-rising cost of employee health benefits, and other general budget concerns.

For more information on the tax election, see the full story in Tuesday’s edition of the Ruston Daily Leader.