A turning point for the students of St. John Parish faces the public on Tuesday, November 4.

That is the day the public will go to the polls to elect our next president, but just as important for St. John Parish is the decision the same day on a pair of millage renewals for the public school system.

Proposition 1 and 2 are for the renewal of two millages to go to the St. John school system, providing 18 mills that can generate $46 million for much-needed improvements to facilities across the parish.

These millages are renewals, so again we want to emphasize to the public that it will not cost more money for those who pay homeowner taxes.

But these are days when any tax or millage proposal has its difficulty passing, and that is why we are urging the public to realize the importance of getting out and voting on Tuesday, and backing these millage proposals.

One key problem facing the St. John school system is that we have one of the largest private school populations, per capita, of anywhere across the country. It is easy for parents of private school children to say “no” to public school funding requests.

Yes, the public school system here has not been among the best in the state, and we acknowledge the deficiencies of the past. That certainly has led to the rush for many to the private schools.

But on Tuesday it is time to consider the needs of all our students, and that means supporting the millages that will help our public schools, and the students who attend them.

New Superintendent Courtney Millet has drafted a comprehensive Master Plan for the school system to improve. Part of that plan includes the repair, improvement and construction of facilities across the parish, but much of the plan includes many other features that address the educational approach to our students.

However, more-and-more studies have shown the link between good school facilities, and improved scores from our students, so the millage renewal is critical to make the entire plan a successful one.

Tuesday is a day when we can make a difference for many of the students in this parish, who previously did not have the advantage that others had. We can improve our facilities in a big way, and we can institute a Master Plan that will take into consideration all the students in St. John.

We urge you to consider all the students on Tuesday, whether your child attends public or private school, and regardless if your child is in school or had graduated long ago.

We need voters to make sure to get out and vote, and then we need everyone to be certain they find the propositions at the bottom of the ballot that day, and vote “Yes” to Propositions 1 and 2 for the St. John school system. You can make November 4, 2008 a day of positive change for the students in our parish.