Growth fuels need for additional Lafourche schools

THIBODAUX, La. (AP) - New elementary schools are on the horizon for Chackbay and Bayou Blue in the next two years.

The Lafourche Parish School Board approved the sale of $18 million in bonds Wednesday to pay for the two schools that are needed to address expected overcrowding.

The bond money will be paid off through the 15.2-mill property tax voters approved in 2012.

Bayou Blue has the largest amount of elementary students in the parish with 789 enrolled, and Chackbay has 328 enrolled. While Bayou Blue will have two K-5 elementary schools, the existing Chackbay school will be closed and a larger school will be built.

Superintendent Jo Ann Matthews tells The Daily Comet (https://bit.ly/1i7WBrK ) new housing developments in the Chackbay and Bayou Blue areas are why the schools are experiencing such rapid growth. After years of adding portable buildings at the schools, the district ran out of room and decided it was time to search for new properties.

“You can just go look at South Central Planning and Development or just drive down to the Chackbay area and look at the new developments that are also happening in Bayou Blue as well,” Matthews said. “These are fast-growing areas, and our schools are not keeping up with the pace of the number of students coming in.”

The superintendent added that the schools could cost anywhere between $10 million and $14 million, and finding new locations could take several months.

“We’re going through the process of purchasing the properties first and getting them assessed for value,” Matthews said.

While that could take a couple of months to complete, the school district is facing up to another two years to get architectural designs, Matthews said.

___

Information from: Daily Comet, https://www.dailycomet.com