The Lafayette Parish School Board will hold a workshop at 5 p.m. Monday to discuss, among other things, implementation of the $1 billion facilities master plan presented to the board and the public nearly six months ago by CSRS, the Baton Rouge planning firm paid $900,000 to analyze Lafayette Parish’s deteriorating public schools. While the board has received the plan, it has yet to decide how to fund the ambitious project, which includes construction of several new schools in addition to maintenance and upgrades at virtually every other public school in the parish. CSRS has recommended a parishwide property tax.
The workshop will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. special meeting during which the board is expected to choose a proposed site for Thibodaux Career and Technical High School. The presumed location, based on publicized comments from some board members as well as a suspicious sequence of events, is the abandoned Super Kmart building and adjacent property at the intersection of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Ridge Road. In addition to up to $8 million for the purchase of the Kmart and adjacent land, construction of the school is projected to cost more than $40 million, bringing the total project cost to roughly $50 million.
We’re asking the public to attend today’s workshop and meeting, and to urge board members to allow the next school board, which will be sworn into office in January, to make the final decision on the site for the career and technical high school, and, moreover, to decide whether proceeding with a $50 million project before the other critical needs within the master plan are undertaken is the most prudent course. In last Wednesday’s news analysis, “Board Games,” this newspaper asked the current board to do just that: slow down the process, allow the public more time to better understand the proposal for a career/tech high school, let the incoming board make the decision. The Daily Advertisertook a similar position in an editorial three days later.
We find it at least noteworthy that when the board finalized the 2010-2011 fiscal year budget last summer, it voted to pull $4.5 million out of the school system’s maintenance fund and set it aside to purchase a site for the career/technical school. The asking price for the Kmart site is $4.5 million. And while the former commercial site on Ambassador Caffery had been rumored for months to be the desired location of some board members, the public didn’t receive confirmation that the Kmart site was a candidate until mid October, more than three months after the board set aside the $4.5 million. This suggests to us that some board members settled on the Kmart location several months ago, but didn’t let on until very recently.
We believe Lafayette Parish needs a sixth public high school, and that the proposed Thibodaux Career and Technical High is a good idea. We applaud the board for embracing the concept. But for outgoing board members to essentially ram this project through, to saddle the incoming board with a $50 million project while more than $1 billion in facilities needs wait in the wings, is not just reckless; it also threatens to further erode the ever-compromised trust the public has in the school board.
... written by Compassionate One , November 15, 2010 - 05:41 pm
Sounds like a Nancy Pelosi tactic. Wreckless, to say the least.
We're not stupid people.
... written by NO Courage No COURAGE , November 15, 2010 - 07:32 pm
Were in the heck is The Board President? Carl Lacombe. Taxpayers when thing are going good Carl Lacombe is always on the front line ready and available for comments and ready to speak with the media. Today he's not mention in the Daily Advertiser. Vice President Mike is taken the charge for little guy with no courage. Carl is behind the scenes like the person he is with no courage. Spending taxpayer funds for a building and your schools need repairs make no sense what soever. The economics tell you taxes are down. Why would you as a president run the risk of bankrupting the system. Had you cared enough you would have run again oh you are afraid of competition. No Courage, No Courage Carl Lacombe a true leader weather he is the president,or chairman he take a stand when thing are good or bad a leader take responsibility. You run like Forest. Run Forest, Run Forest, Run Carl, Run Carl. You can run but you cannot hide. You have undermined LPSS system during your tenure as board president nothing have been accomplished under your leadership. To put it more bluntly, not a thing. The Superintendent you hand pick was hand pick for the purpose to get this project off the ground. The superintend is a cooperative man he mention to me, he did not agree with you but he could not say that publicly. I was very upset when he said that. My response to Burnell was you're going to sit and let this man with no courage bankrupt the system and my children and students at Lafayette High School attented a pig pen. Which was at one time a flagship school. L. J. Alleman should be shut down. Why do the school board need an athletic complex. Which make no sense. If that's the case why the other technical schools like Lafayette Regional have not place an alethic complex or a football team on their campus. These are student who want to go to work after they completed their required credits. Not go play college football or soccer or golf. Burnell you hang in their. Help is on the way. The no courage president will be going Dec. 31, 2010. Not to mention, I will be entering into drop next year. Had no courage Lacombe stayed, I would have to go. I'm an employee in central office. I work at J W Faulk and many other schools in the system. I thought pass president John E. Guidry was bad. No courage you was the worries one. June Andrus was better than you. I would be shame. You not Shame. I work in central office my initials is N.P.B. Ask Burnell who I'm he knows me.
... written by Cajunhiker , November 15, 2010 - 07:34 pm
Duh, they better get permission from the Justice Dept., NAACP and Judge Haik before they build a new school. The LPSB is not completely out from under the thumb of the federal government's deseg plan. The LPSB still has to abide by the deseg rules set in place.
... written by Fix What You Have , November 15, 2010 - 08:19 pm
Fix your current schools. Spending $50.000.000.00 millions for a store. LPSS can build a school for 15 to 16 millions dollars. It important to repair our schools not to go out and purchase someone else problem. LPSS have section 16 lane. Utilize your existing facilities and lane. The best thing is to let the new board members make decision on the matter.
... written by We Not Going To Stand For It, No No , November 15, 2010 - 09:00 pm
Dr. Thibodeaux would rather get rid of portable buildings rather than purchase K-Mart property. The schools would be right in the Heart of traffic. Maybe we will ask Parish President Joey Durel to put a red light two hundred yards from the existing two red lights that is in already their. This board have miss the mark. Failing schools low morale among employees high drop out rate. High school suspension and expulsion. We awarded the suptindented a big pay raise for failure. But in the minds of the board members. The Superintendent is doing a good job.
... written by Mr.Sensible , November 15, 2010 - 10:29 pm
It would be a very weak decision for the outgoing board to strap the new school board with a 50 million dollar burden. To pay the note on this new high school will require all the available annual income to pay for this facility. The result is that no funds will be available for any other school for at least 12 to 15 years. Why pay $900,000 for a facility study and ignore the recommendation that the abandoned K-Mart was not a suitable structure of the new technical high school. If the present school board locks in the financial commentment with this pruchase,to fund renovation of existing facilities will require an increase in taxes. That is not a very promising proposition at this time. More options need to be considered.
... written by The Original Northsidian , November 15, 2010 - 10:36 pm
Why should the school board give a $**#! They know the dumb asses in Lafayette Parish will vote yes for yet another unecessary tax increase. You see, they know our tea party people and republicans like to bend over for local tax increases. Plus everybody knows the Demo-Cracks love tax increases for anything. As long as cuz can keep his JOB!!
... written by puppet , November 16, 2010 - 01:50 am
Northside, the tea party of lafayette here is a joke.
It's leader...Joyce Linde...nothing but an ill-informed sucker being used by Ron Gomez's wife. She claims her group is standing up against the TIF ordinance but she will end up biting the hook!
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 16, 2010 - 03:19 am
The Illegal Immigrant said , "In Mexico everyone gets a bite of the pie, from the border guards, ( thats meaqns each one on duty ), to the fist policeman you meet after you go through the gate, to the second policeman you encounter as you leave town, to the next policeman at the next town you go through, to the last policeman you encounter when you leave that town, to the policeman at your village when you arrive home, everyone gets a bite of the pie. " IN AMERICA, ONLY THE ELITE POLITICIANS GET THE PIE, THE WHOLE PIE, FOR THEIR SONS, THEIR DAUGHTERS, THEIR SPOUSES, THEIR CRONYS, OOPS, AND THEIR MISTRESS'S, WHO COME FIRST ". THATS BEFORE Thithing, before College tution, before Mama's first Mink, the Mistress's gets a second, an Ermine, thats life in the political arena. How Glorious to bend over for a piece of the pie !
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 16, 2010 - 03:27 am
Bernie will get to enjoy his gains as soon as the dimwit tax payers are shoved another bitter pill to swallow. Where is Tifany Angelle is she or Mills serving time ? Thats why politicos are always scamming to rip off the tax payers "CRIME DOES INDEED PAY, JUST ASK OUR LOCAL SCHOOLBOARD, A $ 900,000.00 study, what the hell they study ? How many stars are in the sky. This LPSB, is raping the area TAXPAYERS.
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We're not stupid people.