Could the Louisiana Legislative Auditor need to get involved in the dispute between the city of New Orleans and its public schools over taxes? That may be the next step in the ongoing dispute between the Cantrell administration and Orleans Parish Public Schools.
School board member Olin Parker said that the board has not voted to ask the state legislative auditor to come examine the books, but he feels that moment is drawing closer.
"Some schools and some advocates have made similar request and I think there are some state legislators that either are going to or have already asked for the legislative auditor to come it," Parker told WWL's Newell Normand.
Parker also wonders that the if the schools aren't getting the right amount of revenue, as they suspect, then who else isn't?
"We can't get a clear number," he said. "Are all of these agencies getting the correct amount? If they told us the incorrect amount initially and our auditors had to discover that it was incorrect, how can we ensure that the Sewerage and Water Board is getting the right amount of funding, or the library's getting the right amount of funding, etcetera? The list goes on and on."
Meanwhile, the question of whether there is or is not a settlement in the board's lawsuit against the city is due in court for another hearing on March 19.