The Evangeline Parish School Board approved the allocation of $125,000 for textbooks for the 2020-2021 school year using the Parish-wide Maintenance Fund for ten schools and Basile Maintenance Fund for BHS and WWS.
Board member Mike Fontenot questioned the moving of maintenance funds to be used for school books. “The parish schools are in real bad shape as it is. We have a hard time getting maintenance projects completed, but we want to move $125,000 maintenance fund to cover textbook costs after we received all this grant money and a couple of bus payments we didn’t have to make? Why is this happening?”
CFO Amy Lafleur responded, “This has been done for many years. The maintenance funds are actually for school operations. They’re not just solely dedicated for just maintenance.” She also said that in years past, they have gone as high as $350,000 toward textbooks, but due to the fact that they are not purchasing the traditional hardcopy books as they were 10 years ago, that number has dramatically decreased. She said of the transfer of funds, “This is basically an allocation, and we don’t always use all of it. It’s based on the student need during the year.”
Fontenot asked for a breakdown of all the stimulus and funding money and where it is being spent. He also questioned where is the money saved on busing services during the COVID-19 closing of schools. “Where is all that money being spent? I don’t feel comfortable taking money out of school repairs whenever we have additional money that’s sitting somewhere else on the General Fund,” said Fontenot.
Lafleur said, as far as the federal grants go, at least one of the grants, for $2.7 million, is restrictive on the areas where you can use that money. The new funds have not yet been received to be able to budget. One is geared toward just curriculum, and another is geared toward connectivity, curriculum, and sanitation to provide proper temperature monitoring and sanitizers, etc. “We’re still awaiting another fund of which we have not yet received any dollars,” said Lafleur. “I’m actually working on the budget as we speak, so I don’t know where those extra funds that we have saved will need to be spent. I do know that it is going to cost a significant amount of money to keep the schools outfitted with sanitizer and the cleaning supplies. We’re still working on estimates.”
The board, with the exception of Fontenot and Wanda Skinner, approved the allocation from the Maintenance Fund to be used toward textbooks.
Superintendent Darwan Lazard said they are concerned about the French Immersion program because the French teachers are unable to travel to the U.S. due to a presidential order related to the pandemic. He said they have contacted Congressman Mike Johnson’s office in an attempt to reach President Trump. Johnson promised to deliver a letter to Trump, asking if he would grant visas for French Immersion teachers. He said there is also a petition by CODOFIL, the council for the development of French language in Louisiana. Lazard thanked Assistant Superintendent Mike Lombas for working to get some backup teachers in the event the French Immersion teachers will not make it on time. “We are working on the situation. We are cautiously optimistic,” said Lazard. “It’s not just affecting Evangeline Parish. It’s affecting all French Immersion and other language programs across Louisiana.”
Lazard also announced that on the first day of enrollment for Evangeline Virtual Academy, 100 students enrolled in the online school. Assistant Superintendent Michael Lombas said people are rushing to sign up for the virtual school, but there is no enrollment limit. If they see they have more students than anticipated, they will hire more teachers. Enrollment is through July 31st.
Lazard cautioned the school is not for everyone. He said some students need to be in a more directed and guided setting. Others would benefit from the online academy. Students enrolled in the virtual school may still participate in activities at their traditional brick-and-mortar school. “This is not a replacement of regular school in Evangeline Parish. This is an alternative,” said Lazard.
Board member Peggy Forman asked if students realize the program is not for them, can they go back to their regular school. Lazard said students not keeping up with the program will be removed from the program and sent back to their regular school.
Students in the online school will be able to talk to and get guidance from their teachers, who will be at the Evangeline Central campus. Students may even go to Evangeline Central to have instruction in person. Applications may be filled out online or picked up at the Eavngeline Central campus or the school board office.
Lazard went on to say they met with the nurses of the parish to come up with protocols to safely open schools for students and staff. He said they have also been in communication with the Louisiana Department of Health’s Lafayette Region Four office and have been given guidance. He also said, when it comes to reopening schools in regards to COVID-19, they are closely monitoring the situation, and the decisions made depends on information given by the state and the Louisiana Department of Education.
Forman brought up the bus situation should things change because of COVID-19. Board Vice President Scott Limoges said it looks like, to him, busses will be carrying about 20% of what they normally carry. He said some districts have the extra money to get more buses, but our district will have issues getting so many more buses that could be required.
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Nancy Duplechain
Associate Editor