District presents STEAM magnet implementation report to school board; court consent order cited
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
St. Martin Parish Schools presented an end-of-year STEAM magnet report required by a consent order, highlighting staff hires, rising enrollment and demographic targets, expanded after-school programs, and transportation and facility work. Board members discussed expansion and next steps.
St. Martin Parish Schools presented the required end-of-year report on its STEAM magnet academies, emphasizing staffing, enrollment growth and progress toward desegregation goals.
The report, presented by a district representative (identified in the record as Speaker 6), said the magnet program was implemented under a court consent order and aims to achieve unitary status. The presenter credited Judge Elizabeth Foote and plaintiffs' experts for facilitating the plan and outlined hires including "Dr. John Downs" as magnet coordinator. The presentation enumerated curricular, recruitment and facility steps taken since opening the STEAM schools.
The district reported enrollment gains. One site rose from 303 to 332 students between early 2023 and September 2024 (Speaker 6), while another increased from about 450 to 492 students this school year. The presentation noted a summer STEAM enrichment program that drew 224 applications and enrolled 151 students, and described after-school clubs (culinary, robotics, dance, arts) that expanded participation.
The presenter explained the district's tiered application system for magnet placements and said the schools met the program's desegregation metric (a variance within plus or minus 15 percentage points) this year—the presenter cited a 13.5% variance as meeting the target. Preliminary assessment data were cited: DIBELS reading growth (first in parish for third grade at one site) and I-Ready math diagnostics showing no students in the lowest category at one school; the presenter cautioned that state accountability scores were pending release.
Staffing and recruitment highlights included several recent hires in magnet leadership and family engagement. The report described professional development and partnership work (including with the Acadiana Center for the Arts) and listed facility improvements such as murals, banners and new signage intended to support school identity and safety. Transportation issues were discussed; the presenter said some children travel long distances (45—60 minutes cited) and noted work on routing and parent tracking.
Board members asked follow-up questions about sustaining staffing and potential expansion beyond fifth grade; the presenter said program leaders and plaintiffs had discussed future plans and that expansion would require additional planning. The report closed by urging continued community engagement and by noting that the district will monitor progress as required by the consent order.
The board did not take a formal vote on program expansion during the meeting. The district said it would provide further details to the board for any future proposal.
Ending: The presentation concluded with an invitation for board members to attend upcoming magnet outreach events, including an October 25 magnet showcase and a December community walk.