By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON — As early voting continues ahead of the June 27 election, Lincoln Parish School Board officials are responding to concerns raised by some current and retired educators regarding a proposal that would consolidate the district’s five existing half-cent sales taxes into a single 2.5% parishwide sales tax.
The proposal would not increase the total sales tax paid by consumers. Instead, school officials say it would streamline accounting and provide greater flexibility in managing district finances.
Among those raising questions is Barbara Kirkland, a retired Lincoln Parish educator and president of the Lincoln Parish Retired Teachers Association. Kirkland said one of the primary concerns she has heard centers on the language of the proposition, which states that tax revenues could be used for “any lawful purpose of the school board,” including teacher salaries, employee benefits, facility improvements and operational expenses.
“The part that’s questionable is ‘any lawful purpose of the school board,'” Kirkland said, noting that the current sales taxes are tied to more specific voter-approved purposes. She questioned whether consolidating the funds could make it more difficult for taxpayers to track how money is being spent.
Addressing concerns about the proposition’s wording, LPSB Superintendent-Elect John Young noted that similar language already exists within one of the district’s longstanding sales tax authorizations.
“This language is very similar to the 1967 sales tax fund, which states that it could be used for salaries and benefits and ‘operating expenses,'” Young said.
Kirkland said teachers understandably want reassurance that future salary supplements and other compensation will remain secure.
“When you’re a teacher, you don’t want your salaries, your projected money to be messed with,” she said. “We need good teachers in this parish.”
Young said the school board remains committed to protecting employee compensation and benefits as a means to both attract and retain top teaching talent for the parish.
“During our March 2026 board meeting, the school board passed a resolution prioritizing teacher salaries and also competitive pay,” Young said. “Thirteenth and 14th checks are a major recruitment tool and our board realizes that competitive pay helps us retain teachers as well.”
Young noted that the district has distributed supplemental payments beyond the traditional 13th and 14th checks in recent years.
“We have also given out ’15th’ checks in the past (2024) and will have another distribution next week on June 25, 2026,” he said.
Questions have also been raised about whether consolidating the taxes could affect retirement or insurance-related benefits for current and retired employees.
Young said the proposal would have no impact on those obligations.
“No, the district will still be responsible for paying employer contributions to various retirement systems of district employees (TRSL, LSERS),” Young said.
Some educators have also questioned whether future school boards could redirect funds away from teacher compensation if leadership priorities change. A large swath of current Lincoln Parish school board members will not be able to run again in the November 2026 election due to term limits.
Young said annual recommendations regarding salaries and sales tax distributions will continue to come before the board in public meetings.
“Each year, the superintendent makes recommendations to the board regarding the amounts of salaries and also sales tax distributions,” Young said. “As superintendent, I plan to make recommendations that are financially responsible but also meaningful to employees. The board does have the ultimate decision on what those distributions should be.”
Another concern raised by some voters involves whether the consolidation would circumvent public oversight of future building projects.
Young said the proposal would not alter Louisiana laws governing bond issues or voter approval requirements for major construction projects.
“This proposal merely consolidates existing sales taxes into a single sales tax,” Young said. “It would not change Louisiana laws that govern bond issues. If the district pursued a voter-approved project for any major capital projects, those plans would still require approval from the voters.”
The Lincoln Parish School Board approved the consolidation proposal earlier this year. If approved by voters on June 27, the district’s five existing half-cent sales taxes would be combined into a single 2.5% tax while maintaining the same overall sales tax rate currently collected.
