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School board approves $40 million limited-tax bond sale; details and spending process to follow
Summary
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board approved a resolution to authorize the sale of $40,000,000 in limited-tax bonds (Series 2025). Superintendent staff said funds would be placed in a capital projects fund and brought to the board for project-level approvals after school-by-school needs are vetted.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted to approve a bond purchase agreement authorizing the issuance and delivery of $40,000,000 in limited-tax bonds, series 2025.
The board’s public comment record included one online comment urging caution; James Finney wrote that approving the resolution without a project list seemed premature. Board members discussed the process staff will use to identify and vet projects before dollars are spent.
Superintendent staff said the district has begun school-level data collection to support prioritization. Principals provided participation and program-level data (athletics, fine arts, clubs, workforce education) as phase one; principals will next identify specific facility spaces and materials (for example, welding bays, gym renovations) and submit requests using a simple scorecard. An internal review team will score and vet requests and then return a ranked and vetted list for board approval.
Board members asked practical questions about when funds become available and how they will be tracked. Staff said the funds should be available in December and will be held in a separate capital projects fund (similar to Proposition 1 tracking). Major purchases will require future board approvals.
Board member Lonis moved the motion to approve the bond resolution; the motion passed on a voice/machine vote (the transcript records "the motion carries" but does not record a numerical tally). Members emphasized that the board will review a vetted list of projects before funds are allocated.
Ending: The board approved the bond resolution and directed staff to continue the vetting process; final project-level approvals will return to the board and will be tracked in a capital projects fund.
