St. Landry Parish School Board Approves Multiple School Closures, Major Staff Cuts
OPELOUSAS, La. — The St. Landry Parish School Board approved a sweeping consolidation plan Wednesday night that closes multiple schools and cuts staffing by roughly 30 percent, a move district officials say is necessary to close an $18 million budget deficit.
The plan, presented to board members in a financial statement, is projected to save $21 million in the next fiscal year. Superintendent Milton Batiste III first introduced the proposal at a June 13 retreat, and the board approved it largely unchanged across a marathon session covering 17 separate measures.
Which Schools Are Closing in St. Landry Parish
The board voted to close Grolee Elementary School, Northeast Elementary School, Central Middle School, Grand Coteau Elementary School, Grand Prairie Elementary School, and the Center for Academic Programs. Several other campuses were reconfigured rather than closed, including Park Vista Elementary, which will now serve Pre-K through 2nd grade, and the former Opelousas Junior High School site, which will house 3rd through 6th grade students.
Grand Coteau Elementary students will be reassigned to Cankton Elementary, Leonville Elementary, Arnaudville Elementary, or Sunset Middle School. Center for Academic Programs students will move to the St. Landry Accelerated Transition School.
Grand Prairie Elementary’s closure followed an extended debate. A committee had recommended keeping the school open an additional year because Plaisance Elementary lacks space for Pre-K students. That recommendation failed by a vote of 6-5 with one abstention, and the board then approved closing the school 7-5.
Board member Kyle Boss made a similar push for Grand Coteau Elementary, arguing overlapping elementary, middle, and high school district lines would force some students onto much longer commutes. That effort did not succeed.
Krotz Springs Closure Moves Forward Despite Court Order
The most contested item on the agenda was Krotz Springs Elementary School. A temporary restraining order issued by the 27th Judicial District Court on June 30, sought by the Town of Krotz Springs, initially blocked the board from taking any action tied to the school’s closure. The court later modified the order, permitting the board to deliberate and vote on the Krotz Springs measure while barring any steps to implement the closure until a show cause hearing.
The board voted 8-4 to approve closing Krotz Springs Elementary, with one member abstaining. Students would be reassigned to schools in Port Barre. The town’s lawsuit alleges the district failed to follow its own policies on school closures and that residents were not properly notified ahead of the June retreat, where the plan was first discussed.
Krotz Springs Mayor Carroll Snyder told the board the town has long supported the school directly, including installing security cameras and personally mowing the campus lawn when equipment broke down. He said residents intend to pursue a charter school if the closure stands, and asked the board to release the campus to the community if it will not fund that option itself.
A show cause hearing on the injunction is set for July 10 at 9 a.m. at the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, where the outcome will determine whether the closure moves forward.
Staff Reductions and Budget Questions
The consolidation plan includes a reduction in force affecting roughly 474 employees, close to 30 percent of the district’s current workforce. Some board members raised concerns during the meeting about how the staffing cuts were reflected in the district’s projected savings. Board member Renee Aymond noted that Eunice High School was expected to lose only four staff positions while still generating about $1.2 million in salary savings.
District officials confirmed the total staff reduction figure listed for Eunice High in the district’s financial document was inaccurate, though the $1.2 million savings estimate remains correct. The reductions are expected to push many schools toward the maximum allowable student-to-teacher ratios for their grade levels, which could create capacity issues if enrollment grows in the coming years.
The board also approved changes to its reduction-in-force policy to address situations where multiple employees in the same administrative grouping receive identical performance evaluations. The revised policy gives the superintendent discretion in those cases. Aymond asked whether staff at schools receiving displaced students would face the same evaluation process as employees at closing campuses; Batiste and board attorney Courtney Joiner both said the answer depends on individual circumstances. Board members Aymond and Bianca Vedell voted against the policy change.
What Happens Next
The school board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, at 5 p.m. The Krotz Springs show cause hearing follows on July 10. Until that hearing, no steps to close, transfer students from, or otherwise alter operations at Krotz Springs Elementary can move forward under the modified court order.
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