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East Baton Rouge superintendent recommends closing nine schools and repurposing four buildings in realignment plan
Summary
The superintendent presented a districtwide realignment recommending nine school closures, four vacant buildings, six repurposed sites, new K–2 foundational centers, TAP turnarounds and specialty programs; he asked the board to set a special vote and said the plan would affect about 10,178 students and 1,412 staff.
The superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System presented a districtwide facility realignment proposal to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, recommending nine school closures, four buildings left vacant, six repurposed sites and multiple program and attendance-zone changes aimed at consolidating underused capacity and expanding targeted academic models.
The superintendent said the proposed plan, informed by six months of community meetings and consultant analysis, would immediately save about $5.7 million while the total estimated work needed across the district’s facilities is roughly $129 million. He said the proposal would create 13 specialty programs, adjust 16 attendance zones, and reconfigure feeder patterns to reduce student bus time and increase neighborhood continuity.
“ Doing nothing is not an option,” the superintendent told the board, saying the recommendation is data-driven and intended to move students into higher-performing schools and better buildings. He told board members the plan affects multiple zones: the Capital zone, North Foster, Mid City, South Baton Rouge, Scotlandville, Glen Oaks and Southeast, with specific school reassignments and program changes described for each area.
Key elements the superintendent outlined include converting several schools into K–2 foundational learning centers intended to place two adults in early-grade classrooms, moving Belfair Montessori into the Winburn facility and closing Winburn Elementary, consolidating several small or aging campuses into larger schools with specialty programming (for example, focusing medical programming in the Capital area and STEM programming in Scotlandville), and applying the TAP (Turnaround Assistance Program) model at selected turnaround sites.
He said some charter operators will be asked to surrender or change operations; he cited Idea Innovation as a charter school slated to close so another operator can run a successor program next year. He also proposed using certain vacated schools as “swing space” to accelerate construction and renovation projects tied to the district’s tax-plan work.
The superintendent provided several numerical summaries during the presentation: he said earlier in the remarks that 2,239 students would move into higher-quality seats as a result of the plan, that 71% of moved students would go to higher-performing schools and 43% would move into buildings in better condition. In a closing summary he said the recommended plan would impact 10,178 students and 1,412 staff; he asked the board to call a special meeting on May 1 to take a vote on the Phase 1 recommendations.
Board members and staff asked clarifying questions during the presentation. Chief Academic Officer Katasha Edwards described the TAP model as “a very robust, professional support system” that pairs professional development, coaching and incentives for teachers in turnaround settings. Board member Carla Powell Lewis and others asked about early-childhood relocations, facility demolition timelines for older vacant buildings, school safety measures including school resource officers, and supports (mental-health services and diversion programs) planned for opportunity/alternative schools.
The superintendent said the district would hold a job fair for staff from impacted schools on May 8 and that the district expects to reduce vacancies by roughly 50 teacher positions immediately if the plan is approved. He said funding and detailed budgets for mental-health services and security would be developed as staff identify students’ needs and as the board considers subsequent funding requests.
Ending: The presentation was a recommendation; no vote was taken at the meeting. The superintendent asked the board to schedule a special meeting to vote on the recommended Phase 1 realignment, and staff said they would return with implementation details, budgets and a facilities master-plan timeline if the board approves moving forward.
