Vermilion Parish School System millage renewal will be on Nov. 15 ballot

On Nov. 15, voters will decide a millage renewal for the Vermilion Parish School System.
The 10-year renewal, initially approved by voters in 1996, is for a 10-mill property tax. The funds generated from the 10 mills support transportation, instructional programs, and a roofing and AC maintenance initiative.
Vermilion Parish Superintendent Tommy Byler is making the rounds ahead of Nov. 15. Byler is attending meetings for municipalities, government entities, and civic organizations to share details about the renewal. Byler spoke to members of the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville on Tuesday.
“This is presentation No. 4 of about 40 I have planned,” Byler said. “One of the things I pride myself on is being transparent.”
Not to assume everyone knows how a millage works, Byler explained that it is $1 on every $1,000 of property one owns, with the first $75,000 falling under the Homestead exemption. 
“There are some who don’t pay this at all,” Byler said, “but they vote. If your property value is under $75,000, it’s not affecting you, but this millage does affect services for your kids.”
Those services from this millage are etched in stone, Byler said. It’s the same language from 1996, which saw a 71% approval rating, was renewed in 2006 (74% approval), and was renewed again in 2015 (86% approval).
“We have never changed the wording on this,” Byler said. “Obviously, if you change the language on any of this, it becomes a tax. This is a renewal.”
Byler said the school system had looked into installing new cameras on buses using these millage funds.
“We wrote to the attorney general for review,” Byler said. “He said, no, because this millage is for the purchase of new buses and maintenance of buses. By putting a new camera, you are upgrading a bus. That is neither of the things that are written into the millage.”
In a given year, the millage can generate $2.5 million to $3.5 million, based on the valuation from the Vermilion Parish Tax Assessor’s Office. According to information provided by Byler, the millage is broken down into the following categories:
• 5 mills - roofing and air conditioning maintenance
• 3 mills - instructional (curriculum and technology materials)
• 2 mills - transportation (bus purchases and maintenance)
The dollar amount for each category is an estimated:
• 5 mills - $1.4 to $1.6 million
• 3 mills - $950,000 to $1.1 million
• 2 mills - $650,000 to $750,000
“These are operational costs,” Byler said. “These $3 million in costs aren’t going away. This is something that we have to have every year. If we don’t have the millage, we have to go find it somewhere else to pay these bills.”
Byler said this millage has helped Vermilion further its commitment to transportation. Since this millage originally passed, the school system has purchased 216 new buses. Since 2020, all buses ordered have included air conditioning. Adding air conditioning to existing buses constitutes an upgrade, not maintenance.
“All school buses purchased with the millage monies are indicated on each bus with a ‘M’ in front of the number,” Byler said. “All of our buses in our current fleet have M on them.”
Every student on those buses will also have Google Chromebooks. That is part of the changing landscape in education.
“We have very few textbooks,” Byler said. “It’s digital subscriptions, and you pay by the year. The state dictates the curriculum to use, and a majority of it is digital. That is an ongoing cost. We used to be able to replace textbooks every five to six years.”
The millage also helps repair computers and other technology within the school system.
“This millage covers about 40-50% of the needs in computers and curriculum,” Byler said. “We have to cover the other part.”
Every school in the parish is covered by a roof and cooled by an AC. This millage helps to cover the cost of maintenance.
“Every school in the parish has brand-new roofing and air conditioning,” Byler said. “Hurricanes and FEMA have helped on some of that.”
An essential aspect of the millage when it comes to air conditioning is that it has allowed school officials to be proactive.
“We have service contracts for our air conditioners,” Byler said. “That has saved us about $5.6 million in two years. We’re getting about 10 to 12 years more out of our units. The last unit we changed was valued at $3.4 million. With this sustainable amount of money, we’re able to enroll in a program that provides us with a clear understanding of our costs. Beforehand, you hoped you had money in the pot.”
Having this millage also allows Vermilion to maximize MFP funding, money the local school system receives per student. That number has dropped, as families have sought other options, including charter schools. 
“When you tax yourself,” Byler explained, “your MFP formula goes up. Not only is it a $3.5 million millage, but it’s also about $1.5 million extra in MFP that we would lose.
“We tax ourselves, and we you get rewarded for that.”
Byler added that millage funding, along with excess MFP funding, has enabled stability in budgeting, allowing for numerous safety and security enhancements. Numerous educational and cultural programs have also been created.
“We have done a great job of managing our funds,” Byler said. “We are watching our budget and making cuts and adjustments where necessary.”
Election Day is Saturday, Nov. 15. Early voting will be open from Saturday, Nov. 1, to Saturday, Nov. 8.