As of Wednesday morning, 1,632 people in St. Charles Parish have voted early in an election to decide whether to renew two school tax millages as officials continue investigating the district’s finances.
Election Day is May 16.
The district’s former chief financial officer, Ronald White, resigned in February shortly after the district hired EisnerAmper, an independent accounting firm, to investigate potential misrepresentations of the district’s financial standing.
District officials have said the investigation is ongoing and that some details cannot yet be released publicly, meaning voters may not have a complete picture of the investigation’s findings before voting. Early voting continues through Saturday.
Two propositions on the ballot would renew existing school millages for 10 years.
Proposition 1 will set a millage rate of 39 through 2037. This rate funds teacher salaries as well as essential services and personnel for the universal pre-K program. It also sustains school-based mental health professionals, school resource officers, workforce development opportunities, bus transportation, utilities and other items. It would generate around $100 million per year.
In 2017, parish voters approved a 43.18-mill property tax for the operation and maintenance of public schools for a 10-year period.
Proposition 2 on the ballot asks residents to renew the district’s construction and facility improvements at 4.92 mills through 2037. This millage funds safety and security upgrades, maintenance of school grounds, salaries for maintenance personnel and other items. It would generate a little more than $12 million each year.
Superintendent Dr. Ken Oertling said student needs have increased in recent years. He cited a 30 percent rise in students identified with special needs and a similar increase in English learners. Those students often require smaller instructional groups, specialized staff and targeted intervention programs, he said.
“The reality is that without the renewal of these millages, we will be required to do more with less while still working to meet the needs of our schools and community,” Oertling said.
The district also pointed to career and technical education, dual enrollment and industry certification programs funded through Proposition 1. According to the district, 62 percent of graduates last year earned either college credit or an industry credential while in high school at no cost to families.
If the renewals fail, Oertling said the district would have to make difficult decisions affecting long-term investments, academic programming, operational needs and student support services. Bringing the renewals back to voters is part of the long-term planning process.
“The millage renewal is about maintaining stable funding that supports the academic excellence that our students and schools rely on every day,” Oertling said.
Oertling said one of the largest misconceptions about the election is that voters are being asked to approve new taxes.
“These are renewals of existing millages that have long supported our schools and community,” he said. “If they are not renewed, that funding goes away.”
Oertling noted that reductions in millage rates approved by the school board between 2020 and 2025 saved taxpayers an estimated $58.8 million.
In a May 1 update on the investigation, the district said the interim fiscal 2026 budget presented to the superintendent and school board relied heavily on projected revenue that either did not materialize within the expected timeframe or, in some cases, did not materialize at all.
The district said school board members approved capital projects and salary adjustments based on the financial information presented at the time.
A revised budget showed approximately $20.75 million more in expenditures and about $5.6 million less in total revenue than previously projected. It stressed that the investigation has not found any personal financial benefit or gain by any employee, vendor, or member of the public.
In a statement, the district said it is committed to transparency with the community and will continue to provide updates throughout the process.
“St. Charles Parish Public Schools has kept our community abreast of everything we can release since the potential misrepresentation of funds was announced in January – through videos to the school community, news releases, journalistic articles and outreach to media, social media posts and at a number of public meetings and community group sessions,” the statement said.