CROWLEY – In October, the parish learned it had nine of its schools earn “Top Gain Schools” status, Monday night the Acadia Parish School Board formally recognized those schools.

As previously announced, Egan Elementary, Mermentau Elementary, Morse Elementary, Richard Elementary, South Crowley Elementary, South Rayne Elementary, Church Point High, Iota High and Midland High were designated by the state as Top Gain Schools.

Louisiana designates schools that achieve their growth target as a Top Gains school if they are not in subgroup component failure, and they are not identified as failing NCLB subgroup performance more than one year. Top Gains schools are eligible for monetary awards that can be used for any educational purpose within the school.

Margaret Jones, executive director of curriculum for the parish, announced the schools and recognized their principals at the board’s meeting. She also announced the schools’ monetary awards were received and put to use toward educational materials.

The board also congratulated the schools for their continued hard work, especially as Superintendent John Bourque would elude to later with the ever-changing realm of public education in the state.

“It’s tough on our teachers right now and our principals,” he said. “But our teachers are great and continue to impress. They are working hard.

“It’s the assessment part, and it’s continued changes that worry our teachers.”

The school board would also approve the process of collecting bids for the re-roofing of the Acadia Parish Education Center, contributing $2,500 to the CHOICES program this year (which will film March 20), allowing a select group of Church Point High School students to attend the 2013 Rube Goldberg Contest in Houston, re-advertising for a refrigerated truck for the child nutrition program and to allow the Acadia Parish Police Jury (as the leasee) to demolish the Old Crowley High School Gym at no cost to the school board.

The demolition of the property and the subsequent remediation cost will be incurred by the Acadia Parish Library Board. The gym, which has been in a state of disrepair for sometime now, will be demolished in order to create “green space,” most likely increased parking.

The board also decided to set its February committee meeting for Feb. 27 and its March general board meeting for March 11.

APSB OKs new districts proposal

CROWLEY – The Acadia Parish School Board has started the process of changing its districts to adhere to the 2010 Census results.

The board’s current districts will expire Dec. 31, 2014.

When the census results first showed that the parish would have to readjust its districts, the school board opted to follow the Acadia Parish Police Jury’s lead, having local demographer Mike Hefner draw up the map for the jury and adopting it for the school board.

“Last year in the late spring we had a public presentation of the plan the jury adopted,” said Hefner. “Prior to that the board expressed an interest in just letting the jury do the redistricting.

“Their plan was sent in, pre-cleared and is enforced right, in fact their 2011 election was using those new districts.

“What we need to do now is take that next step, a formal adoption of the plan.”

Hefner will submit the proposed map to be approved, which he foresees no problem with.

Under the proposal District 1 would consist of precincts 6-1, 6-3A, 6-4, 6-5, 6-6, 6-11, 6-12A and 6-13. District 2 will house precincts 2-2, 2-4A, 2-5, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5A, 6-2, 6-3B, 6-12, 6-13A and 6-16. District 3 would have 5-1A, 5-1B, 5-2A, 5-2B, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 6-7, 6-9, 6-10 and 6-15. District 4 would consist of 1-4A, 1-4B, 1-5A, 1-9, 6-8 and 6-14. District 5 would house precincts 1-2A, 1-2B, 1-3A, 1-3B, 1-5B, 1-6, 1-7 and 1-8. District 6 would be precincts 1-1, 2-1, 3-3A, 3-3B and 3-7. District 7 would consist of precincts 2-3, 2-4, 3-1, 3-2, 3-4, 3-5, 3-6 and 7-4. And District 8 would be precincts 4-1, 4-2, 4-5, 4-6, 7-2 and 7-3.

As explained at Monday night’s meeting by Hefner and board attorney Gerard Caswell, any special elections held between now and the 2014 general election would be to represent the old districts. Meaning, the current District 5 seat vacancy will be filled to fit the old district’s layout.

The Acadia Parish School Board unanimously approved the adoption of a resolution that will allow Hefner to submit the proposed districts to the U.S. Department of Justice for Section 5 review as well as the state.