Lafayette Parish school board votes to take Como High offline after hours of student and community pleas

The Lafayette Parish School Board voted to take Ove Como (Como) High School offline beginning with the 2026–27 academic year and to repurpose the campus as outlined in the board motion after an evening of emotional public testimony from students, parents, teachers and alumni.

Dozens of students and community members filled the meeting to urge the board to keep Como open. "For us, Como isn't just a line item on a budget, it's our home," student Zoriel Tapo told the board. Teachers and parents described the school as a family and pushed for options short of closure, including hybrid models that would combine traditional academics with expanded trade programs.

Why it mattered: speakers said the timing and notice aggravated concerns—several speakers said the agenda item appeared only two days before an important ACT testing window—and warned the change would displace roughly 600 students to other campuses. Parents and teachers also cited Como's recent academic performance and community programs: speakers noted Como's graduation rates and awards, faculty attendance, and extracurricular programs such as NJROTC and band.

Board members acknowledged those community ties but framed the decision around long-term enrollment shifts, facility needs and workforce-training demand. A board official said the campus and the career center face significant maintenance costs, citing an estimated $6 million to $10 million minimum to repair HVAC systems so the career center could continue serving roughly 450 students. The board also cited a waiting list for career training (presented at the meeting as about 450 students) and shifting population patterns in the southern part of the parish.

Several speakers accused the district of poor communication and of diverting resources to other projects. "We watched South Side get built and lots of students and parents jump at the chance to go to a shiny new high-tech school," said parent Chrissy Falcon, adding that funding had been spent on stadiums while Como's arts programs were cut. A parent also cited a reported $65,000 pay increase for Superintendent Touchett as an example of misplaced priorities.

Board discussion ranged from procedural questions about how to amend the motion to substantive arguments about capacity and long-term planning. Board member Roddy Baraju said the choice was not about Como being a "bad" school — "it's not" — but about planning for population shifts and competition from charter schools. Another board member summarized drivers as facility cost, enrollment movement and the growth of vocational training demand.

Motions and vote: a substitute motion to defer consideration of agenda item 3.5 failed for lack of a second. A later amendment attempt to remove the proposed reassignment of the proposed career programs from the Como campus and place them at Northside High was also offered but failed for lack of a second. The board then called a roll-call vote on the main motion to take Como offline and repurpose the campus as outlined. The meeting recorded the roll-call as follows: Delachele — Yes; Mason — Yes; Labue — Yes; Trahan — No; Hidalgo — Absent; Bajoran — Yes; Edmond — Absent; Desmo — Yes; LeJeune — No. The tally reported in the meeting was 5 yes, 2 no, 2 absent; the meeting record indicates the motion was carried.

What the motion does and next steps: the motion on the agenda approves taking Ove Como High offline beginning with the 2026–27 school year to allow repurposing of the campus for workforce/ career-education programs (the motion as read includes planned repurposing for the W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center and EJ Sam Accelerated School). Several board members emphasized that details of repurposing, program timing and funding would require further planning, potential separate votes and community engagement.

Community response and outstanding questions: speakers and community leaders urged the board to delay major decisions until absent members could participate and called for more transparent stakeholder processes. Questions raised at the meeting include the precise cost and timeline for renovations, how the district will place Como students and protect program continuity (e.g., NJROTC, athletics, band), whether alternate sites for a career center were fully considered, and the assumed savings timeline for the $2,000,000-per-year figure cited in the agenda discussion.

The meeting record notes a series of proposed amendments and substitute motions that failed and shows at least two absent board members during the final roll call. The school board adjourned after the vote; the record indicates repurposing details and implementation steps will be addressed in follow-up planning.