Where’s the beef?

The Terrebonne Parish School Board took steps two weeks ago to address a lagging problem in the local education system – inadequate school facilities. The board agreed to seek voter approval redirecting a portion of its 1-cent sales tax to fund new school construction projects. If approved, the board could bond out the tax and begin improvements immediately.

But, does the board have a plan? “Where’s the beef?”

While each school in the parish has immediate needs, an overall system improvement plan should be established before the proposed tax changes go to voters – which could be as early as October.

Terrebonne’s premier high school, Terrebonne High School, moved into its current facility in 1940, when the population of the parish was a mere 36,000. In 1961, South Terrebonne High was built and the population was approximately 15,000 higher.

The 1960s was a strong time of growth, and approximately 15,000 people moved to the area in just a decade. As a result, H.L. Bourgeois High School was opened in 1973 – 12 years after South Terrebonne.

The population continued to grow and school overcrowding forced the board to open Ellender Memorial High School in 1988 – 15 years after H.L.B. This would be the last high school to be built in the parish.

Twenty-one years later, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of Terrebonne Parish to be approximately 109,000, or about 15,000 more residents than in 1988.

Existing high schools are once again facing extreme overcrowding, and next year will mark the longest span between the opening of a new high school in the parish since Terrebonne High School was built in 1940.

The school board should address this need for a new high school and present its plan before asking voters to approve spending. The future of the Terrebonne Parish School System should not be served up like fast food, but should instead be carefully orchestrated.

Is the board planning to build a new high school with the proposed tax revenue?

What would be the planned boundaries of this new high school and what would be the subsequent plan for feeder schools?

What is the plan for building new feeder schools or improving existing feeder schools in other districts, and how does this fit in with the new district?

There are many questions, yet few answers. Nevertheless, this could be Terrebonne Parish’s one big shot to get it right and put its education system on track for the future.

We should be encouraged by the board’s effort to rededicate tax money and begin construction projects. However, we need to know, “Where’s the beef?”