School Board hits the pause button on plans

In a crowded and sometimes raucous meeting, the St. Landry Parish School Board tabled the discussion of plans to close and consolidate schools.
The Board voted 7-5 to regroup on plans to save the district money and reverse an ongoing academic failure in its Opelousas schools.
Opelousas Board member Randy Wagley said, “We’ve rushed to get something done” in reference to a March 24 election in which two school property taxes were defeated.
By making the public a part of the process, the School Board may win its confidence and a chance to pass a tax, he said.
“God knows we need it,” he said of the tax revenue at a meeting in which the Board was acting as “committee of the whole” prior to the regular April Board meeting Thursday in Opelousas.
The 10-year, 11.3- mill tax to pay for school employee pay raises received 3,718 “Yes” votes and 10,163 “No” votes, according to the state Secretary of State website. Turnout was 23 percent.
The second proposition, a 20-year, 12.1-mill to fund a $99 million capital improvement plan failed by a 3,592 to 10,129 vote.
Both taxes had to pass to go into effect.
“Their voice was loud election day because we didn’t hear it before that,” Wagley said.
The tax failed for three reasons, he said. There are people against taxes, there are people with issues concerning the plan and there is a historic lack of trust in the School Board, Wagley said.
Eunice Board members Mary Ellen Donatto and Albert Hayes Jr. voted against tabling the discussion of plans.
Hayes said at the committee meeting, “There will not be another tax proposal coming out of this Board in the foreseeable future. Commonsense tells you that if you lose by a 3 to 1 margin you are not going to bring this back next week.”
He added, “However, the problems we had over the tax remain after the loss of this tax proposal. We still have underpaid teachers. We still have schools that need infrastructure change and these problems must still be addressed.”
Hayes said, “Moving forward is what I recommend, not putting the brakes on.”
The school plan ran into the most visible opposition from the Park Vista Elementary area in Opelousas. The school is the only C-graded elementary in the Opelousas area and the plan was to turn it into a kindergarten through third grade school. It’s fourth and fifth-grade students would go to other elementary schools. And, its sixth-graders would have been sent to the junior high school.
A point of pride for the school is its French immersions program that spans pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
Donatto noted that French program, but said, “We are looking at long-range goals in Opelousas. Lets look beyond our noses.”
In the next five to seven years this district aims to have students score at the mastery level or better in the state accountability system, she said.
“We need to face reality and quit nitpicking and try to look at this city as a whole,” she said.
The plan to create a pre-kindergarten for all Opelousas students, K-3 schools and fourth to fifth grade schools is to allow the system to spread out its superior teachers to mentor other teachers, she said.
“You have schools that have powerful strong teachers,” she said.
“This is about working together,” Donatto said.
But the vote on tabling discussing the plan was divided.
The 7-5 vote was to table and rescind its previous actions approved on March 8, which included re-configurations, consolidations and closures.
Voting to table were Anthony Standberry, Charles Ross, Raymond Cassimere, Donnie Perron, Wagley and Roger Young.
Voting against tabling were Donatto, Milton Ambres, Hazel Sias and Candy Gerace.
Board member Kyle Boss was absent.
How far the Board may be from taking action was indicated at various times at the committee and regular meeting.
During the committee meeting, Rachael Dupre-Shaheen, a Park Vista teacher, asked Superintendent Patrick Jenkins what the savings would be to consolidate the pre-kindergarten classes in Opelousas to one school.
Jenkins said there were variables involved and did not state a figure.
“OK, so what I’m understanding is you don’t have a figure,” Dupre-Shaheen said.
Jenkins said there are no plans to layoff teachers, but staff cuts would be achieved by attrition and the cost for each teacher averages $70,000.
“Why are we in such a rush when you guys don’t even have the figures,” Dupre-Shaheen said. “Why not take a step back and see if this is actually financially feasible with actual numbers?”
Joy Stalmaker, a French immersion teacher at Park Vista, said the immersion program works because it is pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
“If you move pre-K from Park Vista you are killing the French immersion program,” she said.
Matt Diez, president of the Louisiana Parents for French Immersion, said the Park Vista immersion program is the best in the state. “You don’t realize the gem you have here,” he said.
The agenda items tabled follow.
11. Discussion and/or action to open a Pre-K Center at the Center for Academic Programs (CAPS) at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
12. Discussion and/or action to relocate the Virtual Program to St. Landry Accelerated Transition School (SLATS) at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
13. Discussion and/or action to relocate the Alternative Program to Washington Elementary at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
14. Discussion and/or action to reconfigure Southwest Elementary, South Street Elementary, Park Vista Elementary, Grolee Elementary North Elementary, and Northeast Elementary as K-5th grade schools at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
15. Discussion and/or action to reconfigure the grade structure at Opelousas Junior High from 7th to 8th grade to 6th through 8th grade beginning at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
16. Discussion and/or action to reconfigure the grade structure at Park Vista Elementary and Grolee Elementary from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade to Kindergarten through 3rd grade beginning at the start of the 2019-20 school year.
17. Discussion and/or action to reconfigure the grade structure at Southwest Elementary and North Elementary from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade to 4th and 5th grade beginning at the start of the 2019-20 school year.
18. Discussion and/or action to close Northeast Elementary and South Street Elementary at the end of the 2018-19 school year.
19. Discussion and/or action to close Highland Elementary at the end of the 2017-18 school year.