Caddo Parish committee backs appraisals, closures and sales; recommends student reassignments

A Caddo Parish School Board committee on April 1 recommended moving forward with appraisals, listings and closures for several district properties and proposed reassigning affected students to nearby campuses.

Superintendent Burton presented a portfolio of facility recommendations and said the proposals are “opportunities” for the district to manage declining enrollment and concentrate resources. The committee voted to seek an appraisal and prepare Queensborough Elementary for sale, to close Blanchard Elementary and consolidate those students into Donny Bickham (to convert it to a pre‑K–8), to close the 80 First Street Early Childhood Center and assign those students to Atkins Elementary, and to obtain an updated appraisal and list or bid the Norris Ferry Road property with proceeds dedicated to a fund for future instructional construction.

Why it matters: The motions would change attendance and facility patterns across multiple neighborhoods, shift special‑program students to different campuses and convert district real estate into capital for future school construction. Several board members and community speakers pressed for clarity on timelines, student placements and staff impacts.

Key proposals and discussion

Queensborough Elementary: Superintendent Burton said Willis‑Knighton Health System has expressed interest in purchasing Queensborough. Burton described how rezoning Queensborough students to the newly named J.S. Clark K–8 Academy would align feeder patterns into Booker T. High School and raise enrollment at J.S. Clark. Board member Miss Thorpe recused herself from the Queensborough discussion, saying she…