BATON ROUGE -- During the May 3 elections, East Baton Rouge voters approved multiple tax renewals for the school system.

They dealt with supporting the alcohol and drug abuse prevention program called "I Care," funding operations and maintenance, improving salaries and benefits for employees, and providing additional support for the school.

EBR Superintendent LaMont Cole says the renewals passing will help with their realignment plans.

"We can address facilities, we can address technology, we can address salary, we can help to improve our schools in a way that provides an education for students to put them on the path to being successful," Cole said.

The EBR school board voted to approve the plan.

One of the key points of this plan is the closing of several public schools like Bernard Terrace Elementary, which will have its students transferred over to Dufrocq Elementary, Westminster Elementary students will move over to Wedgewood Elementary, and Capitol High is set to merge with Capitol Middle School on the middle school's campus.

In addition, there will be several schools that receive redrawn attendance zones.

"We're well underway with the implementation of transitioning schools, informing families, working with our staff internally to make sure they're placed in the best possible position for them as well as for our students," Cole said.

Getting the plan passed was one of the main things Cole hoped to accomplish when he first took office as Superintendent.

"I think year one was settling some of the uncertainties around what was going to happen. We came out of an extremely tumultuous summer around the superintendent's selection," Cole said.

When asked what he hoped to accomplish for year two of his tenure, he said the conversations they're going to be bringing to the community is looking at transportation and school start times.

Cole says there's a lot of research around the country that suggests students between 13 and 17 years old should probably start school later, and younger students should start earlier.

"We recognize that our elementary schools start at 8:15. Our middle and high schools start at 7:10. That's pretty early for middle and high schools, just based on their physiological makeup and what they have going on in terms of what they like to do at this age," Cole said.

Cole says the school system has been listening to parents' concerns about transportation and is committed to offering a better product and service.