Panel debates how best to determine schools' long-term needs

The Building, Lands and Sites Committee wants St. Landry School Supt. Edward Brown to decide the best approach to setting the system’s long-term infrastructure objectives.

A look at the system’s roster of employees indicates there are no architects, no engineers, no contractors, no demographers and no others with the skill sets normally associated with the creation of such schedules.

Asst. Supt. Joseph Cassimere brought the matter up at the panel’s September meeting, noting a $180,000 allocation is included in the current fiscal year budget for such a project and asking permission to seek bids. Such a proposal was made earlier this year by the firm of Plauche & Associates, which was retained by St. Martin Parish to do similar work.

The plan would “give a vision - a road map - and goals for the system’s future” out the next 40 years or so, Cassimere said.

The proposed expenditure, though included in the current budget, quickly got attention from some of the board’s fledgling fiscal hawks.

“Don’t we have people in the Central Office who can tour the schools and tell us what needs to be done?” asked Huey Wyble.

Brown said that might be possible, but he noted that with any proposal for long-term development would also come suggested ways to pay for.

Board members less than a year into pulling the system out of a $10 million hole are particularly sensitive to how things are paid for.

Roger Young of Eunice, a former principal, said administrators formerly were able to develop a list of needs “and do them as we could get to them.”

Raymond Cassimere said he was concerned about doing a long-term study at the expense of employees.

“We have positions that money could be used for. I think we have some internal expertise” for looking long-term, he said. 

Randy Wagley disagreed. “It’s a lot more than what your’re talking about. There are demographics, development projections, long-term trends” to be considered, he said.

Wylbe said the $180,000 available is “a lot of money at this time. I’m looking at today, no a year from now. I think we should use it now to help students now,” he said.

Board president Harry Fruge of Eunice said he thought members were missing the point.

“We’re talking about a very comprehensive study. We’ve to some plants that are almost 100 years old. What are they going to be like in 40 or 50 years? They are already difficult to maintain and we just go from one emergency to the next. There’s no plan. Something needs to be done,” he said.

Donnie Perron said “it’s a big mistake if we don’t do it. Look at our buildings – a lot of them are in pitiful shape. Do we want to ignore the future? We need the foresight to look forward and get an idea of where we’re headed,” he said, adding he thought such a study would be money well spent from the system’s $120 million budget.

Anthony Standberry said “we have staff in the schools to take care of problems when they are small. We’re just in the gray financially, not in the black yet. There’s no margin of error. We need to make people more responsible for what we have. As soon as we find a dollar we want to find a spot for it.”

Perron said “this is more than maintenance. We have no one with the time or authority to do it Plus we have 13 member turfs involved. We need a qualified, independent study.”

Kyle Boss noted that the newest school in the system is 22-years-old. “We have neglected our plants,” he said.

 In the end, Young moved to ask Brown to recommend the best course of action.