LAFAYETTE PARISH — Lafayette Parish School District Superintendent Francis Touchet emphasized the district's financial difficulties following a controversial school board meeting Wednesday, where board members voted on recommendations to close several schools due to costs.
On Thursday, Touchet told reporters that the board’s decision to keep Duson Elementary and Comeaux High School open, along with the district’s financial losses to charter schools over the years, have caused a ripple effect.
The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) has been losing millions to charter schools — $3.5 million in 2022, $4 million in 2023, and an expected $7 million in 2024.
"Some of the money that we could have saved here could have offset some of the things we know are coming down the pipe," Touchet said.
In response to the district’s financial challenges, LPSS announced a hiring freeze Thursday, halting the filling of any vacant positions.
"We can’t go start hiring people only to have to lay them off down the road. We just want to be cautious," Touchet said. "We have to be fiscally responsible, and we can’t continue to operate the way we have for the past 10 or 20 years."
At Wednesday’s meeting, the board voted to keep Comeaux High School and Duson Elementary open despite recommendations from Civic Solutions Group (CSG), which projected the district would save $4.2 million in the first year and more than $8.6 million in the fifth year if all the recommendations were adopted. The decision followed strong opposition from parents and community leaders.
"That could have given us a buffer; that could have given us some time," Touchet added. "I don’t want us to panic. I want us to understand that we can’t just get out of control with things. We have to understand that there are budget impacts that will affect Lafayette Parish moving forward."
The board also voted on several other changes. Katherine Drexel Elementary will be converted into a pre-K center, with four pre-K classes from Gallet moving to the new center. Comeaux High School will remain open, and students from EJ Sam Accelerated School will be moved to the Comeaux campus. Duson Elementary will remain open, with no rezoning for students. S.J. Montgomery will close and be repurposed as Lafayette Elementary.
Additionally, the board referred plans for new facilities at Northside High School and Paul Breaux Middle School to the Long-Range Planning Committee for consideration of funding options.
