OBERLIN — The Allen Parish School Board voted unanimously Monday to call a May 4 election for a parishwide sales tax for salaries and other support.

The 10-year, one cent sales tax would generate about $2.6 million annually beginning July 1 with funds to be used to supplement other revenues available to the School Board for payment of salaries of teachers and other operating expenses.

Finance Director Tammi Ritchie stressed the sales tax is not a new tax or an increase, but a tax that was allowed to expire.

Ritchie said the tax will be used for employee salaries and benefits and for the general needs of the School Board, including materials, supplies, electricity and internet service for the schools.

“This is very important to us because it helps fund the salaries of teachers,” she said.

The School Board has 650 employees.

In other matters, Superintendent Michael Doucet said all school employees have been gearing up for testing and preparing for the future.

“Our teachers have been spending extra hours with consultants in ELA and math, as well as in school teaming to prepare for upcoming assessments,” he said.

Allen Parish will also be offering a free Mastery Prep ACT workshop to help students with test scores from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9.

Any junior or senior may contact their school counselor for the registration process.

“Hopefully this demonstrates the quality and dedication that our teachers have for the success of our students and parish,” Doucet said. “I want to thank all our employees on the seriousness they take on this endeavor.”

Doucet also updated the board on construction of the new $6.2 million Oakdale Elementary School.

“Presently the contractor is 12 percent over the completion time and have billed us for 87 percent of the (total cost) job,” he said.

Weather has been a big cause for the delay, he said.

The project is expected to be completed by April with school officials moving in over the summer.

Nearly 80 percent of the school including several classrooms, the cafeteria, library, multipurpose room and the front office were heavily damaged by fire in May 2017.Sales tax graphic