By Patricia Morris
As many now know, and have read the Determination Letter from the U.S. Department of Justice to Superintendent Mark Kolwe, the local NAACP asked in communication with the attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice to further investigate how the Tangipahoa Parish School System was able to redraw taxing lines without the approval to do so from Parish Government first, which is a requirement under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C. 1973c, since the Parish Council, who is the "Governing Authority" for Tangipahoa Parish, is required to ask for preclearances for changes made relative to any voting and redrawing any lines because under this section from the DOJ, as Louisiana is considered a "covered state," that is one of many Southern States monitored by the Federal Government due to Louisiana's history in voting practices and other irregularities. This requirement was not met for the 2007 and 2010 school board tax elections, as should have been done.
The U.S. Department of Justice left open a door to reinvestigate any objections regarding the initial objection to the March 2010 Special Tax Election. In further investigating issues surrounding this tax, other irregularities surfaced, and we have asked that they too, are investigated. In an email posted on this Website to the DOJ, Financial Director Bret Schnadelbach admitted the Woodbridge Tax was erroneously collected, thus we feel this election should be voided for this and other reasons. Although it is said those errors are now corrected, it would not have been done had exposure of what was wrong not have been done.
We have gotten proof that the school system did not get the approval needed to have this election, before asking for a preclearance March 26, 2010, and only after they knew the local NAACP had filed a complaint with the DOJ for their not doing as should have been done, and we await the outcome of the investigation. While we focus on the 2007 and 2010 elections, we have reason to believe nothing of this nature has been done since 1992, and feel the DOJ should sanction the school system for not complying with what they know should be done in these types of cases. As with all else, we believe the school system will try to circumvent what the law says it is to do, similar to what happened Friday in the BP Oil Crisis in doing something to make it look as if "we complied," and when the eyes of the watchman is turned, will revert to what is always done wrong, and is why it is so important to look to new leadership to settle much of what is happening now.
Next year is a reapportionment year, and we want to be certain what is to be done in the redrawing of lines is done in a fair and equitable manner, and certainly, those who could not vote for the taxes, but must pay for them is reimbursed as they should be. The Greater Tangipahoa Parish Branch NAACP is diametrically opposed to anything that is not fair for all citizens in this parish and school system, especially fairness to all children who must attend school in this school system.