Local children and parents are caught in a perception and support battle that has engulfed St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools.

The turmoil has led to funding concerns at a time when the School District is showing marked growth.

The news was great in December when the Louisiana Department of Education accountability rankings showed the District earned a B distinction, notched an 85.2 District Performance Score — an improvement over the previous year’s score of 83.1, a C.

“There were some people literally in tears,” Superintendent Kevin George said when he first announced the news during a principals meeting. “It was a great experience, probably my best moment since coming to this District.”

The district features two A-rated schools: West St. John High improved its School Performance more than seven points to a 106, joining John L. Ory Communications Magnet School in the A category.

Emily C. Watkins Elementary was rated a B school. Schools rating at C level include LaPlace Elementary, West St. John Elementary, East St. John High, Lake Pontchartrain Elementary and East St. John Elementary.

Schools ranking at D level are Fifth Ward Elementary and Garyville-Mt. Airy Math & Science Magnet School.

Performance Scores are based on student achievement through annual assessments, measures of career and college readiness, graduation rates and extra student achievement through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Dual Enrollment.

School leaders said the rating jump marked a 10th consecutive year of District growth.

For whatever reason, that positive development and the good vibes it created come to an end at School Board meetings and in the parking lots of local public schools.

A vocal contingent of parish residents does not believe in the School District, voicing their opinion at election booths and in support of a charter school initiative.

In April, voters denied a School Board request to raise the local sales tax by .25 percent — 1,501 people (52 percent) voted against the measure, while 1,372 were in favor of the new tax. The 2,873 total votes cast represent less than 10 percent of available voter turnout.

Former longtime Sheriff Wayne Jones encouraged residents to vote against the tax, telling me after the vote: “Is there some financial irresponsibility as far as spending in the School System as a whole? I think there is.”

Election woes aside, others in St. John Parish are working to create a charter school option for local parents.

Just last week, School Board members denied an application from Louisiana Premier Charter School to operate a school in St. John Parish.

Charter School Leader Alison Andrews told School Board members she was approached more than a year ago by businesspeople in the community who felt more options were needed.

Andrews declined to go into detail with me about her motivation for joining the effort, but Louisiana Premier Charter School Board President Mark Roussel said negative perception is weakening public education in St. John.

“In the community we still have a lot of young families leaving the parish, because of the education system, who move to nearby parishes — St. Charles and St. James — to seek a better education, which is their perception,” he said. “Maybe it’s a perception, but the fact is we’re not holding young kids and young families here.”

Roussel, owner of Matrix Service, said surveys and information collected by Louisiana Premier Charter indicate there are approximately 6,000 children in the St. John Parish Public School System and approximately 3,000 students utilizing other means of education.

“We have a tremendous amount of parents and children who don’t use the public school system,” Roussel said. “They are either sending them out of the parish, sending them to private schools or home schooling them. We’re not fulfilling that mission. We’re only serving two-thirds of the population.”

What could ultimately serve local youth best is a meeting of the minds. Superintendent George stressed at last week’s School Board meeting that his office and staff are open to any dialogue with a concerned resident or contingent interested in seeking improvements to education.

If our local leaders — the elected School Board members and Louisiana Premier Charter organizers — could work together this summer through a series of public and private meetings, they may be able to pool their strengths to better serve our children.

Stephen Hemelt is publisher and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545  or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.