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Board member proposes reducing Natchitoches Parish School Board from 11 to 9 or 7 seats; colleagues raise representation and timing concerns
Summary
Board member Miss Phelps proposed reducing membership from 11 to either 9 or 7, citing budget savings and changed district demographics; the board discussed legal deadlines, a demographer cost estimate and concerns about rural representation and a pending U.S. Supreme Court case that could affect race-based districting
Board member Miss Phelps proposed that the Natchitoches Parish School Board consider reducing membership from 11 to either nine or seven members, citing recent school closures, central-office staff reductions and potential long-term savings.
Phelps presented background, noting Louisiana Revised Statute 17:71.2 (minimum and maximum board size) and a demographer's estimate that redrawing lines would cost approximately $25,000. She said a reapportionment plan must be submitted to the secretary of state by 4:30 p.m. on July 1, 2026, and detailed statutory requirements for public meetings and clerks' review.
"We have a truly unique and historic opportunity as a board," Phelps said, asking colleagues to "step outside of yourself" and consider a smaller board to match the district's changed footprint.
Board members voiced a range of responses. One board member said the discussion was appropriate but raised concerns about rural representation and loss of help on the parish border: "I do worry about losing help on the border represent true representation for...the north side of the parish." Another board member urged caution because of a pending U.S. Supreme Court case about race-based districting; that member warned it could change federal law around how districts are drawn and said, "I think it would be money poorly spent and poorly invested until the Supreme Court rules on this."
Legal and procedural points discussed included the demographer's timeline (about one month of work once engaged), the need to publish a proposed plan twice in public meetings and a requirement (Act 199 of 2024 was cited during discussion) to submit reapportionment to the clerk of court for precinct verification. Phelps argued that mathematically the parish could preserve minority representation under a smaller board and cited peer parishes with fewer board members for comparison.
Ending: The board did not take a vote. Members agreed that the conversation should continue and that any plan would require a demographer, publication and legal review. Several members said they preferred to postpone final decisions until more legal clarity exists about ongoing litigation and possible Supreme Court rulings affecting districting.
