re: I posted these BR and EBR population numbers in another thread

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Fix the schools.

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BINGO

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Livingston has a Bass Pro Shop

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Ascension has Cabela's. Looks like EBR needs to redevelop Cortana Mall into a Field & Stream store

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I see what you are but it should be noted that those population numbers reflect where people live, not where they work or visit. A lot of people live in surrounding parishes but work, shop, visit, etc EBR quite frequently

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And therein lies much of the problem. They come to BR to work, shop, use our parks, our libraries, and our entertainment; but they tax our streets.

If we don't grow, we can't keep up with what we have.

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Now what do these parishes have that EBR doesn't have?

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An easier path for residential developement approvals.

Im not on the EBR/BR band wagon but the scary thing to me about AP and LP is the flat out money grab with no planning or prepping. AP and LP are taking the tax money and running without many thoughts towards infrastructure, traffic, sewer, drainage, etc. This isnt an AP and LP thing, this is suburbia nationwide.

I dealt with urban planning in Birmingham and the rate of expansion. I was a part of 25 and 50 year planning. AP is on the same track as Shelby County. When I moved here I was shell shocked at the amount of residential developements approved without sidewalks, street drainage, street lighting, road widenings adding turn lanes, etc. AP is going to have a bubble burst in 15-25 years.

No, people will continue to work in baton rouge and go out in baton rouge, while living in the suburbs. Why the hell do you think this is just a baton rouge problem? It's part of being a big city. This happens in all major cities. That's why there are suburbs. If you want to get really real, who makes up the inner city population? Why is it that crime is so prevalent in these inner cities? Is it a coincidence? frick no it isn't, and I don't blame people for wanting to move away from that shite while working in the city. It's just the facts man. Inner city Schools suck in most metro areas, and the suburbs have good schools and neighborhoods. Until these inner city populations want to make a change and do something to better themselves and their communities, then nothing will change. Period.

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And everyone will keep leaving until this gets fixed. But that isn't something I ever see happening. things will just continue to go downhill.

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So I guess in about 5 years you'll be moving? May I recommend da LP...

If I were dictator of the school system I would move rapidly to neighborhood schools.

I'd make sure each school had adequate teachers, and principals who ran their schools like a CEO. The principal would be accountable for their school and could hire and fire teachers themselves.

In every region I'd have a magnet school that any child making over a certain test score and certain grades could attend if they earned their way in. This would start at middle school.

The school would be big enough to properly teach those in that region that qualify.
BRHS Magnet would be one, Lee another, I'd have one in NBR, and one in the Shenandoah area. The same thing would apply for middle schools.

Some neighborhoods or area of town might have too many schools and some not enough. I'd have to see the actual numbers before I could determine if a school needed to be shut down or one reopened.

I'd get personnel out of administration and into the classrooms. I'd keep the idea of privatizing maintenance, but instead of one huge national company getting the contract and divvying it up to a bunch of other companies, I'd break the schools down into regions which would allow more locally owned and smaller sized companies to bid on the maintenance and janitorial work. What we have now caters to a mega company who farms out work to smaller companies and local favorites.

Some schools aren't going to do as well as others, but we all know why that's going to happen. But with my system families who care about education would move to areas where other families cared and hopefully they would do better that way instead of putting everyone in a big blender with the hopes that the miss-mash that came out in the end would get educated.

I believe we have been paying plenty of tax money, we just don't have the right plan.

Of course if I were dictator of the Parish, I'd let ISDs form if the residents of those areas chose to do so. I think ISDs allow for those that care more to break away from those that do not care. You see that with the gifted schools we have now and with the magnet and private schools and charter schools. Black, white, Asian if you care you find a save haven for your children even if you have to move.

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So I guess in about 5 years you'll be moving?

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Well I'm definitely not sending my child to school in BR, public or private.

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Now what do these parishes have that EBR doesn't have? Big police force, parks, schools, roads, highways, bike paths, a big Downtown? No, they have good, stable public school systems that most children attend.

We can keep talking about a Tram, bike paths, street diets, and a new zoo, but until we start growing the population and stop the bleeding out of good families; EBR is going to be in trouble.

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The longest running deseg case in the history of this country killed the school system. Short of a miracle, it is incapable of being fixed at this time. Thank your neighborhood federal court for taking almost 50 years to make sure it died.