Dear Editor,

This is a reminder of the voting date April 28, 2018, for the bond election for a new Franklinton Junior High, improvements to Pine Junior/Senior High, and Thomas Elementary — serving a total of 2,000 students. Early voting is open now through April 21, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily at the Washington Parish Courthouse. If you have any questions about the election, call the Registrar of Voters at 985-839-7850.

If you call the Washington Parish Assessor at 985-839-7815 and give them your address, they will gladly calculate the exact increase in your taxes. This way you will know the cost before you vote. If you have a copy of your 2017 tax statement, all you have to do is take the Consolidated District 4 tax due and multiply that number by 1.128, in order to get the proposed yearly tax to support the bond.

I do not mind sharing my personal information on my rural home and 106 acres of agricultural, timber, and residential land.

• 2017 Consolidated District 4 tax $ 60.00 X 1.128 = $ 67.68 yearly increase. That is $5.64 per month or $0.185 per day

Don’t you think that our children of District 4 are worth spending $5.64 per month?

In 2018, we will receive just over $1 million in MFP scheduled match for District 4’s bond debt payment that will pay off in 2023. Once the April 28 Bond passes, MFP estimates to match an additional $1,026,069 for the years 2019 through 2023. If the new bond fails, an estimated $1 million loss in the MFP in 2024 will put existing programs in jeopardy.

During the last bond election, fewer than 20 percent of the voters decided for the more than 80 percent that did not vote. We are hoping for a much larger voter turnout for the upcoming election.

Dewitt Perry

Washington Parish School Board, District 6