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Superintendent outlines 7-mill maintenance renewal, warns district revenue falls short of needs
Summary
Superintendent Pervis presented details of a 10-year 7-mill maintenance renewal, saying it generates about $6 million annually while the district’s maintenance needs total roughly $11 million per year; the board discussed outreach and rules for employee involvement.
Superintendent Pervis briefed the Livingston Parish School Board on a proposed 10-year renewal of the district’s 7-mill maintenance tax at the April 2025 meeting, describing what the levy funds and the district’s public outreach plans.
Pervis said the maintenance mill is the district’s critical funding source for day-to-day operations and small projects — items such as repairs when an air conditioner fails or a clogged toilet — and that the renewal has been on the books, renewed every 10 years, since the 1950s. He told the board the levy generates approximately $6,000,000 per year while the district’s maintenance spending is about $11,000,000 per year, requiring the district to use second-cent sales tax revenue to backfill the difference.
Pervis described the scale of district facilities: “managing over 560 buildings,” roughly 4,300,000 square feet of building space and about 778 acres of property, serving 26,852 students and making the district the eighth-largest in the state. He said the flyer and FAQ materials being distributed explain how the funds are used and answer common taxpayer questions, including whether passage would change an individual’s millage rate.
The superintendent outlined a public outreach plan that includes flyers sent home to K–5 families, yard signs placed districtwide, social media and digital board messaging, a podcast and an interview with local television (Action 17), and mailers. He emphasized rules for district employees: while board members as elected officials may advocate for or against the measure, district employees must follow the distributed “do’s and don’ts” guidance and may not advocate on behalf of the renewal.
Board members and business staff reviewed invoices and expenditures tied to the maintenance fund; one board member said the account’s check register showed “pure...necessary maintenance.” Pervis urged board members to participate in community outreach and to notify the district if they can host a large yard sign on private property. No vote on the millage was taken at the meeting; the presentation was informational and part of the district’s campaign and education schedule.
