It is the belief of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board that parental involvement in school activities and their children’s educational plans is crucial to advance student learning.  Therefore, at a Louisiana Senate hearing recently, School Board Vice President Jay Augustine (in photo) testified on behalf of Senate Bill No. 194.  The bill is now up for a vote in the state Senate and seems to be looked upon favorably, Augustine said.

SB194, which was introduced by Sen. Sharon Weston Broom (D-District 15), provides for a tax credit against the corporate income tax and the corporation franchise tax for employers who allow parental involvement in schools during working hours.  The proposed tax credit applies when workers who are parents take paid leave for a period of not more than seven hours per month during the school year to participate in their child’s school- or daycare-related activities.  The paid leave would be in addition to any annual, vacation or sick leave or similar benefit otherwise offered to the employee by the employer. 

The proposed tax credit would be for an amount equal to two-and-a-half times the employee’s hourly wages per hour of leave granted by the employer.  The total of all such credits taken in a taxable year shall not exceed the total tax liability for that taxable year, under the bill.