St. Mary seeks solution to school overcrowding

Looking to ease overcrowding at two of its schools, the St. Mary Parish School Board agreed to borrow $3.4 million from its reserves.

School board members agreed at last week’s meeting to replace the cafeteria at Berwick Elementary School and to add a seven-classroom wing at Hattie Watt Elementary School in Patterson.

The Berwick project is needed to adequately handle feeding the elementary school’s 545 students, board member Mike Taylor said.

“Our staff there cooks and serves all day long from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and they’re off at 2 p.m.,” he explained. Moving that number of students daily through the single serving line “puts too much pressure on our cafeteria staff.”

Meanwhile, the added wing at Hattie Watts will allow fourth grade Patterson students to return to an elementary school setting.

The fourth graders attend Patterson Junior High School along with fifth through eighth grade students. “To say that Patterson Jr. High is crowded is an understatement,” Taylor said.

In other business, the school board agreed to sell four closed schools on the west end of the parish.

Following the opening of Raintree Elementary School in Centerville, enrollments at Thomas Gibbs, G.W. Hamilton, Mary Hines and Baldwin elementary schools was consolidated.

The properties will be listed at the following prices:

• Thomas Gibbs Elementary: $741,200 without portable buildings; $760,400 with the six portable buildings.

• G.W. Hamilton Elementary: $707,600 without; $744,350 with four portable buildings.

• Mary Hines Elementary: $705,600 without; $779,100 with eight portables.

• Baldwin Elementary: $567,600 without; $596,200 with three portables.