Caddo Parish staff recommend closing Queensborough, other schools; seek appraisal and sale of Norris Ferry property

The Caddo Parish School Board's executive committee discussed recommendations from its building and grounds committee on April 1, including a staff plan to close Queensborough Elementary at the end of the 2024'025 school year and to prepare the former school for sale, with proceeds dedicated to future construction of instructional facilities.

The committee also recommended plans to close Blanchard Elementary at the end of the 2025'026 school year and consolidate its students into Donnie Bickham Middle School, which the district would convert to a pre-K through 8 campus beginning in fall 2026. Staff recommended closing 80 First Street ECE at the end of the 2025'026 school year and assigning those students to Atkins Elementary. The recommendations were presented to the full board as agenda items for the board's April 15 meeting.

Why it matters: the district says consolidations would reduce operating costs while allowing some schools to offer expanded services; the draft estimate discussed in the meeting placed recurring savings from the consolidations…