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June 15, 2017
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Three Lafourche Parish high school graduates received college scholarships from Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle this week.
Cantrelle announced the scholarships this week, part of the TJ Cantrelle Foundation, named in honor of his late grandson. Caleb Matherne, Joel Weaver and Angel Burelle, of South Lafourche, Central Lafourche and Thibodaux high schools, respectively, will each receive $500 scholarships per semester for two semesters in the upcoming school year. According to the announcement, the students will be able to re-apply for the scholarship after the first year provided a certain grade point average is maintained.
The scholarships are part of Cantrelle’s efforts to fulfill a populist campaign promise. During his election race with incumbent Charlotte Randolph, Cantrelle pledged to not accept the pay raise for the parish president, approved by the previous council. The raise made the president’s salary an average of Lafourche’s sheriff, clerk of court and assessor salaries. However, Cantrelle could not just refuse the money budgeted for the salary, so he said he would set up the scholarship fund.
Cantrelle’s pay in his first year in office was about $123,000, almost $48,000 more than the almost $75,000 Randolph earned in her last year in office. Cantrelle’s salary was bumped up to more than $142,000 this year because of a miscalculation in 2016. In total, Cantrelle has earned almost $115,000 from the raise in the past two years. Cantrelle said he wants the scholarship program to last in perpetuity, so the plan is to supplement his bonus money with donations and pay for scholarships through interest earned on the invested money. Cantrelle said he eventually wants to give out four-year scholarships and award three students each year, meaning 12 students would be receiving scholarships in any one year.
The program will award one graduating senior from each of the parish’s three public high schools every year. The students must be attending either Nicholls State University or Fletcher Technical Community College to be eligible for the scholarship.
