Bill to create St. George Community School System passes House

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The bill to create a school system for the City of St. George has passed the House on Wednesday.

SB 25 and SB 234, both authored by Sen. Rick Edmonds, are aimed at creating the St. George Community School System and treating it as a parish school district.

SB 25 would allow the created school system the ability to participate in the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) state funding formula, get free teaching materials from the state and levy local taxes for school funding.

If the bill becomes a law, the school system would begin operating schools on July 1, 2027.

SB 234 is the implementation plan, showing a breakdown of how the school system would operate.

The school board will be made up of seven appointed interim members and one appointed interim superintendent. A more permanent board will be elected and can serve four-year concurrent terms.

All public school property, including buses, within the City of St. George border would be transferred from the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board by June 30, 2027.

Students will have the option to remain at their current schools after the split, depending on the student’s grade level. East Baton Rouge must cooperate in transferring records, assets, and access to facilities.

Until June 30, 2027, East Baton Rouge Parish will collect all sales, use, and property taxes before the City of St. George takes over on July 1, 2027.

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