New Louisiana city of wealthy white residents faces exodus of parents who resisted ‘racist secession’ amid fears around 8,000 children could be kicked out of schools

A secessionist Louisiana town of wealthy white residents is facing an exodus of parents who voted against “racist secession” out of fear their children could be expelled from school.

The creation of St George was given the green light by the state Supreme Court last week, ending a “hostile” and divisive decade-long campaign that separated wealthy white residents from poorer black neighborhoods.

Advocates hailed the ruling as a final victory in their long battle to regain control of the area’s “failing” education system.

But opponents argue the split is racially motivated and will create a “white enclave,” leaving struggling black communities behind.

Now there are fears of an exodus of families who live within the new city limits but voted against its creation.

Those especially concerned about their predicament include the Altazins, who live in St. George but send their children to schools in the Baton Rouge area from which the new city seceded.

Should a new St. George school district be created as planned, their children could be forced out of their current schools because they would likely not be able to live in one district but attend school in another.

Mother of three Dani Altazin, 37, said she “loved” the programs her children were currently participating in, so the family would consider moving from St. George to keep them there.

She added that a whole group of others were facing a similar dilemma.

There are currently 8,349 students who live in the area of ​​the proposed St George school district but attend schools elsewhere, according to figures provided to DailyMail.com by the One Baton Rouge Campaign, which opposed the new city.

Andrew Murrell, a leader of the St. George campaign, did not directly answer questions posed to him about what would happen to these students, only pointing out that the new school district has yet to be created.

Ms Altazin accused the St George campaign of failing to “logistically prepare” for the realities of running a new city.

“There is no guarantee that St George will be able to provide my children with the same education they are receiving now.

‘There is so much uncertainty.’

Her oldest son, Hayden, 12, attends Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School, while her daughter, Emma, ​​8, attends the Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

The Baton Rouge school system has been heavily criticized for declining grades and poor discipline.

But Mrs Altazin, who works in the purchasing department at a local hospital, said she “loved” the specialist programs Hayden and Emma participate in and hoped her youngest son, Kye, 2, would have the same opportunities.

Now she fears the choice will be taken away from her.

She said it was “unfortunate” that this was done “by the same people who are trying to promote school choice” as this was the driving factor behind the creation of St. George.

Ms Altazin added that she and her husband, Ryan, seriously considered moving, but the “terrible” state of the local property market made this unlikely.

Plans for a new school district were first made in 2012.

The campaign was led by Norman Browning, a former volunteer at Woodlawn High, a school plagued by racial tension and violence.

Browning said in a 2014 PBS Frontline documentary, “Separate And Unequal,” that years of busing after the end of segregation in the 1950s had destroyed the area’s sense of community.

The campaign for a new school district failed to secure the two-thirds majority vote needed in the legislature.

Instead, they launched an effort to create their own city, ultimately securing the required simple majority (54 percent) in 2019.

But only those who would live in St. George were given a say, meaning 46 percent of residents who voted opposed the measure.

They’re stuck now. Altazin said the split had created a “hostile” atmosphere among neighbors.

Others have used stronger language.

Resident Paul Brady wrote on Facebook: “The segregationist has won. I am no longer a citizen of Baton Rouge. I now live in the white enclave of St George.’

ME Cormier, executive director of the One Baton Rouge campaign, said she “sympathized with the people of St. George.”

‘They don’t know what tomorrow looks like. It is incredibly unclear when tax collection will begin and how those tax dollars will be distributed. If there is no timeline to require our governor to appoint a new mayor.

“Once a new school system is formed, you can’t live in one school district and go to a school in another school district.”

The creation of St. George was stalled by a legal challenge by Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole.

They argued that St. George would siphon more than $48 million in tax revenue annually from the city-parish government, with devastating consequences for East Baton Rouge and its poorer black population.

Opponents also argued that St. George had not proposed a balanced budget and would not have sufficient resources to provide its own public services.

They also pointed to research showing that more than 70 percent of St. George’s 86,000 residents will be white, while less than 15 percent will be black.

Lower courts in Louisiana supported Baton Rouge’s arguments, but last week the state Supreme Court overturned its decision, clearing the way for the city’s incorporation.

The ruling increases the chances that campaigners will be able to create a new school district in the city – one of the main motivations behind the creation of St George.

Following the decision, Murrell said in a statement: “This is the culmination of citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

“Now we begin the process of delivering on our promises of a better city.”