School Board committee wants changes
Published 7:20 am Wednesday, July 23, 2014
The Calcasieu Parish School Board curriculum committee voted Tuesday to recommend some changes to the district’s alternative school programs.
The changes include merging the Calcasieu Alternative School for Elementary Students into the Positive Connections (Calcasieu Academic and Day Treatment Center) program’s facility, at 5282 Weaver Road. CASES students are now housed at the Calcasieu Parish Alternative Site, at 2903 Opelousas St., which also includes middle and high school students.
Jill Portie, district administrative director of elementary schools, said her department was tasked with looking at services both programs provided and changing the structure to better serve students. Portie said that by housing the programs in one facility, the district can use resources without duplication.
“We feel that both programs have very beneficial services that they are providing, but they may be isolated,” Portie said. “When we merge the two, we feel that we will have the best of both programs. We also want to refocus public misconceptions about both programs — number one being the treatment center versus a disciplinary center.”
Other proposed changes include moving the Calcasieu Parish Alternative Site to Reynaud Middle School and adding a structured transportation plan and adjusting attendance hours for its middle and high school students.
Betty Washington, district supervisor of high school and middle school special education, said the school’s current location is in disrepair and that Reynaud’s floor plan would allow a tier or level system, which would help to change students’ behaviors and better meet their needs.
Annette Ballard, board president, commended the recommendations. “What we are trying to do is save these young people and not totally lose them so we can’t get them back into a setting and also let them leave our school system with something that will help them be successful adults,” Ballard said.
In other business, the committee voted to recommend that the full board buy Common Core-aligned English and math textbooks for the 2014-15 school year, even though textbook purchases are already over budget.
Steve Wieschhuas, district director of warehouse and textbooks, said the books were not available when the textbook budget, which was $2,175,432, was approved in March. The district is already $607,356 over budget, he said. The additional books and materials are projected to cost $700,000 more.
“The needs for the Common Core material … those needs just really have exceeded the budget,” he said.
The School Board will vote on the committee’s recommendations at its next meeting, at 4:45 p.m. Aug. 5.