Active discussion precedes split vote on School construction plan

Plans to close two of the parish’s elementary schools and renovate two others was approved on a 7-4 vote at last night’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish School Board, after an hour-long impassioned debate that was as spirited as we have seen in almost 14 years of covering the agency.

Here’s what got voted on:

Hillcrest Elementary – $25,410,000.00

• New Addition- Classrooms, multi-purpose gym, new lobby and administration, restrooms, and storage­ including, site work, furnishings and fixtures
• New Covered Bus Drop-off  and Extended Sidewalk
• New Parent Pick-up Driveway
• Parking Lot Additions  and extended driveway
• Cafeteria Improvements
• New Playground Equipment
• Landscaping

Glen View Elementary – $27,454,000.00

• New Addition- Classrooms, multi-purpose gym, new lobby and administration, restrooms, storage-  including site work, furnishings, fixtures, and demolition of west classroom wing                                                                       
• New Covered Canopy for Parent Drop-off, New Covered Bus Drop-off  and Extend Sidewalk                     
• New Parent Pick-up driveway                                                        
• Parking Lot Additions  and extended driveway                          
• Cafeteria Improvements                                                                
• New Playground Equipment                                                         
• Landscaping                                                                                   

Central Office Relocation – $5,000,000.00

• Renovate Cypress Springs Elementary Campus or another Facility, or New Construction

Ruston High School – $4,951,000.00

• New Covered Multi-purpose Facility, including artificial turf, site work and landscaping
• Relocate existing road

Ruston High Baseball Complex – $2,185,000.00

• New 500-seat Grandstand with Pressbox, including concrete base and demolition of old grandstand
• Replace Backstop and fencing

Simsboro School – $10,000,000.00

• New Addition- Classrooms, Agri-science Shop, and restrooms, including furnishings  and equipment
• Gym Renovations and Lobby Addition, including furnishings
• Parking, driveways, drainage, dirt work, and landscaping
• Replace Lighting on Baseball and Softball fields
• New Pre-K playground
• Replace Auditorium seating

Ruston Elementary and Cypress Springs Elementary will be closed, and the Lincoln Early Childhood Center will be repurposed as a day care for teacher’s children.

A Saturday, April 29 election will be called for voters to approve, or not, issuance of the bonds to pay for the projects.

See here the documents.

Some of the objections were:

David Ferguson (District 2) – “We have received no statistics of any kind to say this program is going to work. I wish we would just table this is issue and get some kind of information that’s going to show us what we’re going to do will work.”

George Mack, Jr (District 11) – “Transparency, you can’t fake it.”

Joe Henderson (Police Juror, and husband of Lynda Henderson – District 9) – “We’re perceiving that everything’s going across I-20. We already have two Rustons divided by I-20”

District Superintendent Ricky Durrett said that the plan would eliminate elementary children having to attend several different schools in early grades, and would allow later morning pick-up by school buses.

There was some discussion whether putting pre-k students in with elementary-age students was a good idea.

Voting for the plan were: Doss, Smith, Hancock, Phillips, Canterbury, Mitcham, and Abrahm.

Voting no were: Ferguson, Williams, Henderson, and Mack.

In other business, the board unanimously approved a four-year extension of Durrett’s contract.

Also approved was the 2023-24 school year calendar. The personnel report was presented near the end of the meeting.