ST. GEORGE - The first elected officials for the city of St. George, including Mayor Dustin Yates, councilmembers, and the police chief, have their eyes set on the future as they were sworn into their positions Tuesday night.

"As we progress, there will always be roadblocks. As we form a city, establish our school system, and complete what we are doing, there will always be roadblocks, but I have always believed that great challenges bring great opportunities," Yates said.

The initial hurdle is a constitutional amendment on the April 2026 ballot that would permit the city to create its own school system. Approval requires a majority vote statewide.

"They will have to be some statewide communication going out, obviously it's a parish-wide vote, so a lot of communication and a lot of education has to take place on what this vote entails and what this means for everybody," he said.

One of the councilmembers advocating for the new school system is Richie Edmonds, son of State Senator Rick Edmonds. Senator Edmonds supported the effort to establish a school district in the newly formed city during the legislative session.

Councilman Edmonds acknowledges there will be challenges, but emphasizes that cooperation is essential for both the parish and St. George to succeed.

"Baton Rouge and St. George have to work together to come to some agreement on things of our school system. If St. George is going to start a school system in the near future, we have to work with the East Baton Rouge school system, and so we look forward to it. We want to be a great and thriving parish, but we also want to thrive in St. George," Richie Edmonds said.

Yates mentioned that one of the upcoming steps for the city is securing a building for their council meetings.