East Baton Rouge school board approves ‘Students First’ facility realignment plan

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on April 28 approved Superintendent Cole’s “Students First” 2025 district facility realignment plan, voting 7–0 to accept the recommendation to close, vacate or repurpose multiple school buildings across the parish.

The plan calls for nine schools to be closed, four to be left vacant and six to be repurposed; the superintendent said the changes would affect more than 10,000 students and about 1,400 staff. The district also cited roughly $130,000,000 in deferred maintenance as a key driver of the proposal. After the board vote President Stewart declared, “Motion carries.”

Why it matters: the board framed the realignment as an effort to place students in better facilities, improve feeder patterns, and concentrate certified teachers and support services in fewer schools. Supporters said the plan will allow the district to reallocate limited dollars and add classroom capacity where it is needed; opponents urged more community engagement and asked for protections for culturally important sites.

Superintendent Cole told the board he had visited every school in the district while developing the plan and said the intent is to “put kids in better school facilities” and to provide “high quality instruction” by adjusting where students attend and consolidating resources. Cole also said the district has assembled a transition team and detailed a next phase covering facilities, academics and transportation for the first 100 days following approval.

Public commenters voiced a mix of opposition and support. Eureka Gaston, a Capital High School alumna, told the board she “oppose[d] this proposal” and urged the district to preserve Capital High as a historic site rather than close it. Several other alumni and community members raised similar concerns about Capital High School and asked whether the building could be repurposed as an alumni center or community hub. Alfred Bell and Travis Dabney, both identifying themselves as Capital alumni, also urged alternatives to permanent closure.

Other speakers supported the plan or elements of it. Dilton Anderson said he supported the plan but urged the district to prevent further enrollment loss, and Shannon Dunn called for attention to student needs rather than building names. Some school employees raised practical concerns about the transition: Brent O’Quinn, a teacher at one affected program, asked what will happen to specialized equipment (he cited about $50,000 in aquaponic and hydroponic equipment) and requested clearer communication on moving instructional resources and staff assignments.

Board members who spoke in favor of the plan emphasized the district’s financial and staffing constraints and the need to act. Board member Carla Powell Lewis, whose district includes many of the schools named in the plan, said, “I firmly believe this plan moves us toward a stronger future for our students and families.” Board member Kyle Lewis and others said the board has a responsibility to stop maintaining underused buildings and redirect resources into classrooms.

Vote and next steps: Superintendent Cole moved to accept the plan; the motion was seconded by Carla Powell Lewis and Miss Soule. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from District 1 (Mr. Blue), District 3 (Carla Powell Lewis), District 4 (President Stewart), District 5 (Mr. Lewis), District 6 (Mr. Russ), District 7 (Vice President Godet) and District 8 (Miss Soule). The board directed staff to begin the district’s stated transition plan immediately; Cole said the transition team would meet with families and school leaders at affected sites to finalize feeder patterns, transportation routes and staffing plans for the first day of school.

What the district will and will not do: the board and superintendent repeatedly described the action as a facilities and program realignment—not an immediate end to community use of affected buildings—and said the district will propose repurposing options for certain sites (the superintendent noted a proposal for an alumni center at the former Capital High). The district also said it will present a more detailed facilities plan and community engagement timeline during the transition phase.

Concerns and requests preserved in the record: commenters requested more transparency about staffing outcomes for front‑office and support staff, clarity on how specialized instructional equipment will be handled, priority access to magnet or alternative programs for displaced students, and a community process for repurposing culturally significant sites. The record also contains multiple requests that the district hold targeted parent workshops in affected ZIP codes (speakers repeatedly mentioned ZIP code 70805 and Scotlandville). The board acknowledged those requests and said additional community meetings are planned.

The board closed by noting the start of a multi‑agency group to consider surplus property across the parish and said monthly meetings will begin to coordinate reuse of vacant facilities. The board announced committee and regular meeting dates for May as it begins implementation work.