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This report is created by Ken Ducote on behalf of the Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools 

Greetings! 

This JPSBrief is intended to provide the reader with key information related to the Jefferson Parish referendum election on Saturday, April 9, 2016, to authorize the issuance of $ 200 million in school construction bonds. The payment of the debt from those "General Obligation" bonds would be from a property tax initially estimated to be 3 mills and paid off over a period not to exceed 20 years.
 
JPSBrief has collected and summarized below the key background reports recently received by the Jefferson Parish School Board in preparation for the election. Actual background documents can be accessed by clicking on the designated links.

***This email is created by Ken Ducote on behalf of the Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools and is not an official correspondence from the Jefferson Parish School Board***
APRIL 9 AGENDA
Jefferson EDGE 2020 - JEDCO
  • Presented five Targeted Industry Clusters
    • Food, beverage, fishing and seafood
    • Water transportation, distribution and logistics
    • Health care
    • IT systems and products
    • Water, coastal, and environmental industries
  • Provides input on planning relevant student career pathways and related facility needs 

JPPSS - Trends, Enrollments, and Projections 2015-2020 - Villavaso & Associates
  • Demographic study of factors influencing enrollment in JPPSS between 2015 and 2021
    • Increase in birth rates 2007-2008 leading to enrollment increase in middle grades 2018-2020
    • Decrease in birth numbers 2010-2013
    • Spike in birth rates 2014 will lead to higher kindergarten numbers in 2019-2020
    • Capture rates have decreased 3 1/2 % since 2010
    • Jefferson Parish is in a weaker economic position than nearby parishes 
    • In-migration growth from international sources is increasing significantly
    • Many higher income families have been leaving Jefferson for other parishes or states
    • Population and economic growth in Jefferson will not change significantly overall in the next five years
    • Limited increases for JPPSS in enrollment from private school transfers and home schoolers 
 

Initial Discussion for $ 200 Million General Obligation Bonds - Staff Report
  • Provided a framework for developing a long-term approach to construction 
    • Categorized buildings into 6 groups and targeted worst elementary schools
      • Total replacements
      • Historical renovations with partial replacement
      • Major renovations with partial replacement
      • Major renovations
      • Upgrades needed
      • Minor improvements
    • Used standardized school models (pre-5, pre-8, career prep/tech)
    • Considered logistics of phasing, using swing space, and identifying available land
    • Examined demographics and utilization of buildings
    • Considered educational trends (career pathways and pre-K programs)

Capital Needs for 2015 - Staff Reports
  • Capital Projects Prioritization Process
    • Project priorities
      • # 1 - Critical projects
      • # 2 - Necessary projects
    • Criteria for ranking projects using scores of 1 to 5 in each of six weighted categories
      • Life safety issues = score X 10
      • Risk of property loss = score x 8
      • Legal/code issues = score x 6
      • Educational program support = score x 4
      • Recurring cost savings = score x 2
      • Appearance/convenience = score x 1 
  • Capital needs list
    • Partially funded by remaining $ 50 million from previous bond issue
    • Final list depends on which are being included or replaced in new $ 200 million bond issue
      • Building replacement early in program negates necessity for renovations of old building

Bond Issue Resolutions - JPSB
  • Resolution to call the $ 200 million bond issue election for April 9, 2016
    • Passed by JPSB 6-1-1 with one member absent on January 12, 2016
    • To have State Bond Commission review and approve in time for the election cycle
    • Requires JPSB to adopt a Capital Improvement Plan prior to the election date
      • Plan would be essentially binding on the Board not to spend for anything else
      • Two members who abstained or voted "no" stated that the project lists should have been adopted first
      • Bond Attorney stated that the resolution was just to get Bond Commission approval timely and could be withdrawn if projects not selected before the election
      • Other Board members said list was almost final and would be approved on February 2, 2016
  • Resolution to adopt the Capital Improvement Plan
    • On the posted agenda for JPSB Board Meeting of February 2, 2016

This service is made possible by funding from the 
Robert Reily Family Trust.