LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) The Lafayette Parish School Board 1/2 cent sales tax proposition failed during elections Saturday, April 29.

There were 25,954 voters and of those votes, 15, 414 or 59 percent of voters said NO to the new tax. Yes ballots totaled 10, 540 votes or 41 percent.

If passed, the money would have been used to build new schools and update those with aging problems.

Lafayette Parish School Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard released the following statement:

“This is obviously a setback for the strong progress we are making on virtually every front in our push to return the Lafayette Parish School System to one of the best in the state.

We have already made cuts to improve our efficiency and maximized existing resources to improve our facilities. At this point, the long-standing problem of aging, decrepit ‘temporary’ metal buildings is not going away.

Tonight’s vote means LPSS must continue the progress we have been making to restore trust and communicate in the most transparent way possible. We want to thank every voter who supported this proposal and ask for their continued support.

I want to thank each of our nine members on the school board for having the courage to put this before the voters.

When schools reopen on Monday, LPSS teachers, employees, and leadership will return to the job with the same strong commitment of making Lafayette an “A” rated school district.”