The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) is focusing on providing greater access to regular education Pre-K classes for the 2025-26 school year. This shift will allow more children in the community to benefit from early education opportunities.
Superintendent Francis Touchet, Jr., stated, "Programs such as Arts, French, and Spanish Immersion are still available and thriving. We see incredible success in children who begin these programs in Kindergarten. As Superintendent, I am entrusted with the responsibility of operating the school district within our budget while ensuring that we continue to deliver high-quality education to every student in Lafayette Parish."
Touchet emphasized the importance of careful resource allocation based on student enrollment, adding, "One of our greatest strengths as a district is our ability to offer Pre-K education to a significant number of students, reflecting our commitment to laying the groundwork for lifelong learning."
Pre-K immersion programs in LPSS are funded solely at the local level, receiving no state or federal support. By reorganizing Pre-K resources, the district will achieve an annual saving of approximately $1 million.
As part of this transition, LPSS will close the following Pre-K sections for the 2025-26 school year:
- J. Wallace James Elementary: 3 Arts sections
- Myrtle Place Elementary: 2 French Immersion sections
- Prairie Elementary: 2 French Immersion sections
- Evangeline Elementary: 1 French Immersion section
- Boucher Elementary: 1 Spanish Immersion section
Two dedicated Pre-K-only sites will operate, one on each side of the Vermilion River, at Truman Early Childhood Center and Katharine Drexel Early Childhood Center.
The nine teachers and nine paraprofessionals from the impacted Pre-K classrooms will be reassigned to other schools within the district. "We will always have a place for certified teachers in Lafayette Parish," Touchet assured.
At its November 20, 2024, meeting, the Lafayette Parish School Board approved a plan to expand popular programming opportunities at schools across the district, beginning with the 2025-26 school year. This expansion includes new Arts and STEM initiatives at Broussard Middle, Ernest Gallet Elementary, Lindon Elementary, Middlebrook Elementary, Youngsville Middle, Acadian Middle, and Paul Breaux Middle. These enhancements reflect LPSS’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and creativity while ensuring that students have access to diverse learning pathways that align with their interests and future goals.
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