Lafayette School Board To Soon Explore Re-Zoning Options

The Lafayette Parish School Board members seemed to be in unison when determining a need to reevaluate the school system's district lines.

District 4 board member Tehmi Chaisson, Ph.D, brought the issue to the board's attention at last night's regular school board meeting. Chaisson said he believes rezoning would allow some favorable changes in the school system by addressing overcrowded classrooms, transportation costs and some of the looming budget deficit issues.

"If we can alleviate some of the issues we have by rezoning, it would save us a lot of headaches," Chaisson told the board.

Chaisson's sentiments regarding rezoning were echoed by nearly all the board members who agreed the school system must explore options, with a heavy emphasis on gaining public involvement, to rezone the school districts which hasn't been done since 1999.

District 6 board member Justin Centanni reiterated that the system's classrooms "are not properly populated."

"This is a road we need to travel down in the near future," Centanni said, "If we work hard with the public, we can have successful project here."

As far as a timeframe for putting together a committee to explore wher the rezoning process begins, Dawn Morris suggested allowing soon-to-be superintendent Donald Aguillard, Ph.D. to officially take office and become better acquainted with the school system before moving along with the process.

"I'd like to have a little bit of time to work with the staff," Aguillard said. "I'd like it to be very deliberate and very thoughtful. We will address this matter within the next  two to three months."