East Baton Rouge board OKs construction plan for elementary despite concerns about new district

Despite concerns about a potential breakaway school district in St. George, Louisiana, East Baton Rouge Parish school leaders have agreed to start building a new elementary school just outside St. George and start designing a high school inside the limits of that newly formed city.

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has greenlighted construction of the new elementary school. The $39.2 million facility is slated to open in August 2027.

In a separate vote, the board agreed to find an architect for a proposed new high school within St. George. Its project budget is $45 million, but no completion date has been set.

Meanwhile, voters throughout the state will decide on May 16 to whether approve creation of a St. George school district. The new district would be carved out of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, and if approved, it would begin operations in July 2027.

Construction on the new elementary school, which does not yet have a name, will likely begin before May 16.

However, construction of the high school  is a ways away. In fact, it may never be built if it goes to construction after summer 2027.

Board member Mike Gaudet said he opposes the St. George breakaway district, but in the meantime, the school system needs to continue to show its support for that portion of East Baton Rouge Parish.

If the referendum for a St. George school district passes, then East Baton Rouge can consider changing course, he said.

"If St. George were to break away, we would be under no obligation to build that high school," he said.

The new elementary school near St. George would be a K-5 "School in the Park," a joint endeavor between the school system and BREC. BREC wants to create an outdoor classroom/stage area for learning activities, as well as a walking path, boardwalk, playgrounds and play fields. Plans are to install "high-performing green infrastructure" to manage stormwater runoff.

The school board was silent as to who would attend the new elementary school if the St. George school district becomes a reality. It could prove a challenge because most of its likely attendance zone is within St. George.

Louisiana law, in general, calls for students to attend public schools in the district where they reside. To enroll St. George students, the new district and East Baton Rouge would need to strike a cross-district enrollment agreement. Absent such an agreement, many of the expected 500 students at the new school would live at a notable distance from the school.