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Tangipahoa Parish School Board renews portable leases, certifies locker-room completion and adopts 2026–27 calendar; agrees to study balanced 2027–28 plan
Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting the Tangipahoa Parish School Board approved the renewal of portable-building leases (subject to court approval), certified substantial completion of a Loranger High locker room and adopted the 2026–27 school calendar; the board also authorized a study and community engagement on a balanced calendar for 2027–28 without adopting it now.
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board on Nov. 18 approved several routine and programmatic items and voted to pursue more study on a proposed balanced academic calendar.
On a roll call the board voted unanimously to renew leases on portable buildings from Satellite Shelters/William Scotsman, with the vote recorded as "Yes" by Miss Abrams, Mister Anthony, Miss Dominguez, Mister Duncan, Mister Moore, Mister Piazza, Miss Richards, Mister Toler and Mister Westmoreland. The renewal is explicitly "subject to court approval," a limitation administrators said may require returning to court before making physical changes to classroom units.
The meeting also included a unanimous vote to approve a certificate of substantial completion for the LaRonda/La Ronja girls' locker room at Loranger High School, completed by contractor Gassaway, Gassaway and Bankston. Miss Abrams moved that item; Mister Piazza seconded it.
The board adopted the administration's recommended calendar option for the 2026–27 school year (Option 1) after a roll-call vote in favor. On the 2027–28 school year — a proposal to move to a "balanced" calendar — members debated timing and community notice. Mister Anthony successfully pressed for a substitute motion to defer adopting a calendar while authorizing a 20-month study and a program of community meetings and fact-finding. The board approved moving forward with study and engagement while not adopting a 2027–28 calendar now.
Votes at a glance
- Renew portable-building leases (Item 5a): Motion to renew leases subject to court approval; mover: Mister Anthony; second: Mister Westmoreland; vote: 9–0 yes; outcome: approved (subject to court approval).
- Certificate of substantial completion, Loranger High girls' locker room: Motion to approve certificate for work by Gassaway, Gassaway and Bankston; mover: Miss Abrams; second: Mister Piazza; vote: 9–0 yes; outcome: approved.
- Adopt 2026–27 calendar (Administration Option 1): mover and second on the floor; vote: 9–0 yes; outcome: adopted.
- Balanced calendar for 2027–28: board authorized administration to proceed with community meetings and a study commission and declined to adopt a calendar now; mover of substitute: Mister Anthony; second: Speaker 5; vote: 9–0 yes; outcome: study authorized, adoption deferred.
Board members raised financial and procedural concerns during the portable-lease debate, including the recurring rental cost and the condition of existing units. "You're paying $27,000 for buildings that are built in way, way, like, the 1990s," one member said during debate, urging administrators to explore cost-effective replacement options. Administrators said any redesign or replacement that affects classrooms may trigger requirements under a court order and could require court approval before work proceeds.
The board president closed the meeting after remarks thanking staff and noting upcoming state accountability-score releases and routine recognitions. The school system said it will continue sharing data gathered in the balanced-calendar study with board members as it is collected.
