re: I am struggling with the moral implications of this St. George thing.

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Wouldn’t it make sense then to not turn anymore traditional public schools into charter schools? Because now that is what would cause someone to have to be bussed across town to another school.

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Do you not understand what a neighborhood school is? I guess it is possible since BR and NOLA do it so arse backwards. How is making kids go to neighborhood schools turning them into charter schools? Just go to the school your zoned to like they do in places like Katy, Cypress, Woodlands, etc. Example below for Cy Fair. Only thing missing if Bridgleand HS which split up Ranch. In the below example you get some really good schools like Ranch, Fair, Woods. Some decent ones in Creek, Falls, Ridge, and JV. And some shite ones in Lakes, Park, and Springs. Rather than just a shitshow across Cypress like you have in Baton Rouge.

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what is "Not getting anything"?

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they pay taxes for schools, but have not had a new high school built in the St. George area in the area since 1949, despite the fact that the area has had a 10000% increase in population during that time, meaning any kids who would want to go to public school have to be bussed way across town to go to school.

So, here's how this all works:
A long time ago, the city and parish had a split government, but there were only two incorporated areas in the parish: Baton Rouge and Scotlandville. The population of the parish was growing and the suburbs were expanding. However, the voting rights act mandated that southern cities could not expand their city limits if doing so would dilute minority voting power. So, in order to annex newer developments around Essen Lane and Bluebonnet, the city made a deal with Scotlandville to merge them into the city. Then, to make sure the city would never have to expand again, they created a joint city/parish government system where the Parish President was also the mayor of Baton Rouge, and where there was only one metro council rather than a Parish council and a city council. All public works (roads, water, sewer, drainage, utilities), libraries, schools, and parks would be handled at the parish level. The city of Baton Rouge would have its own police and fire department while the unincorporated areas would rely on EBR Sheriff's Department and private fire departments.

Well, in the wake of Judge John Parker's desegregation order, a mass migration out of the city and parish ensued as parents got their children out of the public schools as fast as possible. The desegregation order didn't just order the school districts to be desegregated, but rather flipped. This meant school children were not allowed to attend the schools near their homes, but were rather bussed to opposite ends of the parish. If one lived out near Jones Creek, they might get sent to Istrouma High while someone living right next door to Bel-Air high school was sent to Woodlawn. It was mass anarchy.

As a response, Baker immediately moved to incorporate and have their own seperate school system and Zachary followed soon after. Both were eventually successful in doing so, and the cities of baker and Zachary and their independent public school systems continue to be among the best public school systems in the state.

The people of every part of the city cried for decades that they wanted school districts to be based around the neighborhood boundaries near the damn schools, and finally, the federal government relented and permitted some level of neighborhood schooling be allowed about 15 years ago. However, because the damage was already done, the number of children living in the white areas of town who actually attended public schools were merely a tiny fraction of the school-aged population. So, when those areas petitioned the council to build new schools out there so that their kids wouldn't have to all get bussed miles away to Lee High, McKinley, or Woodlawn, the council told them that there weren't enough kids out there to justify it. The kids were going to private schools, in part, because the public schools were not only crappy, but extremely far away.

So, the people of the unincorporated areas south of BR, and of the areas to the north east of BR each proposed the creation of independent school districts, calling them Central and St. George respectively. They were told that they could not do so unless they formed their own cities. Central shocked the BR government and Louisiana legislature by doing just that. In the wake of Central's success, the St. George incorporation movement was born.

St. George proponents created a city map that incompassed all of the unincorporated land in the parish south and East of Baton Rouge. The BR government pulled out all the stops (disqualifying signatures, annexing commercial property, gerrymandering borders, public shaming, protests, etc) and just barely managed to stop the St. George movement from getting to the ballot the first time. They then came back and tried again this year with a smaller footprint, and managed to get enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

Now, the reason why BR is so hellbent on stopping the St. George movement is that because BR and EBR are joined at the hip, a significant portion of property and sales tax revenue collected in unincorporated areas is put into the Baton Rouge general fund which is only used to pay for city expenses. Yes, you heard that right. The parish government is subsidizing the city using money from the unincorporated areas that are not receiving the city services they are paying to provide! If St. George is successful, those funds that were coming from the St. George area would now be going into the St. George general fund and not be flowing to Baton Rouge at all. That means the Baton Rouge politicians wouldn't be able to use that money to fund their money laundering schemes like the "community centers" found all over North Baton Rouge that are run by metro council members yet merely duplicate services already provided by BREC (the parish parks service).

St. George is being run like a tax colony, and they're finally standing up for themselves and demanding a chance to do better than the city which relies on extortion, corruption, and shaming to keep the suburbs in line.

Until they learn to self govern...

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I don't like the St. George idea, but I don't live in BR and don't have a vote. I'm conservative. But I spend a lot of time thinking about what the world will look like 10, 20, 50 years down the line.

The St. Georgers appear to be saying, We're gonna draw a line and keep what's ours, and leave all "the others" to their own devices.

What happens when conditions on the other side deteriorate to such an extent... higher crime, more drug abuse, shittier schools.... that it becomes a no-mans land and starts to bleed out into other communities? You St. George folks just gonna build a wall and hire more police to keep the riff raff out?

Is segregation and isolation a good long term strategy for a community? I don't see where it leads anywhere good. Or maybe you don't care what happens to everyone else as long as you get yours.

Just a few peyote-induced thoughts from last night.

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That's a lot of words just to say you have no idea what you're talking about.

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Now, the reason why BR is so hellbent on stopping the St. George movement is that because BR and EBR are joined at the hip, a significant portion of property and sales tax revenue collected in unincorporated areas is put into the Baton Rouge general fund which is only used to pay for city expenses. Yes, you heard that right. The parish government is subsidizing the city using money from the unincorporated areas that are not receiving the city services they are paying to provide! If St. George is successful, those funds that were coming from the St. George area would now be going into the St. George general fund and not be flowing to Baton Rouge at all. That means the Baton Rouge politicians wouldn't be able to use that money to fund their money laundering schemes like the "community centers" found all over North Baton Rouge that are run by metro council members yet merely duplicate services already provided by BREC (the parish parks service).

St. George is being run like a tax colony, and they're finally standing up for themselves and demanding a chance to do better than the city which relies on extortion, corruption, and shaming to keep the suburbs in line.

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This is the alpha and omega of the entire issue.

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What happens when conditions on the other side deteriorate to such an extent... higher crime, more drug abuse, shittier schools.... that it becomes a no-mans land and starts to bleed out into other communities?

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Just a few peyote-induced thoughts from last night.

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Cut back on the peyote. Now.

The moral implications are that too many of the politicians in BR pander to ghetto (people and behavior) because they can't get re-elected without ghetto support.

So, they seem to ignore the productive and law abiding segment (both black and white) of the City.

The pandering to the lowest denominator in the City is the immoral act.

Cliff notes keep it simple

The area not incorporated.
Means rural not apart of BR or any other city.
People in this area want to see their tax dollars work for unincorporated areas and not inside the city for services they do not receive.


Right now
- pay separate tax for a fire district which is the St George Fire District
- Sheriff taxes people of the unincorporated areas for law enforcement
- Library, Everyone’s favorite state Agency EBRPCOA, Brec, sewage, etc will not go away. All EBRP residents pay for these Parish services again Parish services. Please someone add giff of our favorite COA President.

ISD - independent school district will not come until the City is approved in an election. Then the people in the area not SJW’s from outside the area decide to form a school District. Then at that time SJW’s if they live in EBRP and if it makes it that far State election can vote against ISD.

Services city will have to form or provide.
Legislative body - council people
Mayor
Police chief
They will have to decide to pay for a dept or pay the sheriff for services
City road maintenance
Drainage except parish or state roads
City court if they want one or Mayors Court
Garbage contract- usually piggy back off republic services or contract out their services to someone else.

Water and gas are provided by private services.

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I want to see it thrive.

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Spoilers. It won't.

BR is going down the shitter and will continue to do so.

SG is just trying to ensure the collateral damage is minimized in their area.

Kingbob for the win