All 10 Head Start centers in St. Landry Parish are to receive new playgrounds.
June Inhern, director, said there is $800,000 for the playgrounds and additional money for technology in the classrooms.
The news was delivered at a special meeting of the St. Landry Parish School Board on Wednesday.
The playground equipment that is to be replaced is probably handmade and “dangerous,” Inhern said,
There are rough edges and places where children can fall and hit their heads, she said.
“It all needs to be removed — every single piece of equipment within the playgrounds,” she said.
“The whole thing needs to be reequipped...” she said.
The technology is to include interactive white boards and computers for students, she said.
This is the first year the St. Landry Parish school district has operated the Head Start centers in the parish. The centers are located at Eunice, Grand Coteau-Sunset, Krotz Springs, Lawtell, Lebeau, Leonville, Melville, Opelousas, Port Barre, and Washington.
There are 748 students in Head Start, 92 in Early Head Start and about 800 in pre-kindergarten programs in elementary schools.
There was more good news for the parish’s Head Start program. Top managers are to get an $500 this year and other employees $1,000.
The School Board also approved a salary schedule for the next school year that includes a 1.77 percent cost of living increase for all Head start employees.
The district has a five-year contract to operate the Head Start program, but also has one-year program application,which was approved by the School Board on Wednesday.
The budget in the application projects expenditures of $7.9 million for Head Start and $1.9 million for Early Head Start.
There are 149 Head Start employees and 48 Early Head Start employees.
Superintendent Patrict Jenkins said the Head Start employees are under the school system’s retirement and insurance plans.
