School Board Agrees to Jump Start Projects at 4 Lafayette High Schools

Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - Louisiana loves its high school football, and Lafayette will have another stadium in which to enjoy gridiron action. But that's not the only major project moving forward at Lafayette Parish Schools.

The school board met Wednesday night and gave the nod to several projects that were originally planned for the next fiscal year to begin now. A spokesperson with the Lafayette Parish School System says the improvements were in the works, but funding is available for them to jump start the projects.

The board voted unanimously to get them underway.

The school board has made significant investments over the last few years to upgrade old buildings or entirely rebuild them.

Students at Prairie Elementary School began the 2023-24 school year in a brand new building on Rue de Belier. The cost of that project was $37-million.

New facilities to house Carencro Height Elementary and Truman Early Learning Center welcomed students after the holiday break. The cost to build those schools was $34-million and $30-million, respectively.

A new $100-million Lafayette High School is currently under construction and will be ready for classes to begin in 2025. They are still using the old building until that work is complete.

Here are the major projects that received board approval:

CARENCRO HIGH - FIELD HOUSE
$3,500,000

LAFAYETTE HIGH - TURF AND SCORE BOARD
$2,100,000

ACADIANA HIGH - PAVILION
$600,000

CARENCRO HIGH - AG SHOP
$325,000

SOUTHSIDE HIGH - TURF LIGHTING AND SCORE BOARD
$3,307,000

Jeremy Hidalgo, the Lafayette Parish School Board Member from District 9, announced on his Facebook page Wednesday that the funding for a stadium for Southside High School has been approved.

Seven years after the new high school in south Lafayette began construction, the Lafayette School Board voted unanimously to allocate $3.3-million to begin the project.

In his post, Hidalgo explained what Phase I would entail:

This inaugural phase includes a state-of-the-art turf field illuminated by stadium lights, and a score board, setting the stage for a transformative recreational hub.