School Officials Discuss Options
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
It’s unclear at this point whether the St. Landry Parish School District will finish the fiscal year with a surplus or deficit, but all 13 board members seem to agree that important monetary and educational issues need attention.
That was the thematic thread on Saturday as the board gathered for four hours with administrative staff during a quarterly retreat held at the District Resource Center.
Board member Milton Ambers said school officials must be prepared to make some tough choices which could arrive as early as March.
“Everything that we do is not going to please everyone in the community. We are not trying to make money. We’re only trying to survive. If we do not make changes, we are not going to survive,” Ambers said.
The board also listened to a parish economic and school district snapshot presented by demographer Mike Hefner, who indicated that St. Landry continues to lose public school students.
Four school sites — Creswell and Opelousas middle schools, East Elementary-Eunice and Washington Elementary – will potentially be reconstituted or closed in order to save an estimated $4.135 million.
Those schools have been in the crosshairs of board discussion since October.
Child Welfare and Attendance Director Dwanetta Scott told the board that the District is experiencing a student loss of 354 students annually.
The state currently funds each district school at a yearly rate of nearly $10,000 per student.
Superintendent MiltonBatiste III said it’s important to note that nothing final has been decided, concerning consolidation or closing.
Targeted Campuses
Batiste said students now attending Washington Elementary could potentially be transported to other higher performing schools such as Grand Prairie, Palmetto and Port Barre.
East Elementary students will be relocated to Glendale Elementary.
Opelousas Middle School is expected to be closed, with the students there moving across town to Creswell Middle.
Since 2019-2020, Opelousas Middle has lost over 400 students, according to the January enrollment counts. Creswell has shown losses of about 90 students over the same period of time.
District student tracking shows that 122 students attend Washington Elementary, while East Elementary has displayed slight student gains.
Board member Hazel Sias discouraged the notion that the board should entertain any future consolidation delays.
“At some time we need to work on a plan for the rest of the parish. I’m tired of planning,” Sias added.
Demographic Conclusions
Hefner encouraged board members and administrative staff to think creatively in order to encourage students to attend District schools.
Hefner challenged school administrative officials to provide curricula that he said might be particularly attractive for preparing students for the 21st century workforce.
Some areas of St. Landry display some population growth, Hefner said, but the biggest increase is in the southern portion of the parish.
However, Hefner added that some parents who live on the more affluent southern border of St. Landry parish, are apparently choosing to send their children to parochial or private schools in Lafayette, said Hefner.