DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / March 19, 2000

LUTCHER – A new pilot program in St. James Parish would give the communitya place to further its educational needs.

But it will also dissolve Lutcher Junior High School, home to 255 students, and that has some east bank citizens upset.

“If Lutcher Junior High is broken, let’s roll up our sleeves and fix it,” urged Cynthia Mitchell, who spoke to the St. James Parish School Board Tuesdaynight on behalf of the Eastside Community Improvement Association. “Weneed our school as a middle school. If only Dr. (Ed) Cancienne had asked, all ofus would have been able to come up with amiable ideas to solve any problem.”Mitchell was joined at the school board meeting by the Rev. Herbert Gordon.Both said they are against the program as it is proposed and believe closing the only middle school on the parish’s east bank is a violation of the citizens’ rights. They vowed to take the battle to court, if necessary.A proposal for the pilot program “Cypress Grove Service and Resource Center” was given to school board members by Superintendent Cancienne at a recent meeting. The project has not been discussed openly, but the boardis set to vote on it March 28.

According to the proposal, the project’s mission is to give the community a location to further their educational needs, whether it be adults improving their computer skills and/or studying for their General Equivalency Diploma or children receiving help with their current classwork.

There are already other such programs on the east bank. Mitchell asked ifboard members knew Lutcher High School already has an education facility that holds four day and two evening classes. The Housing Authority wasrecently granted use of part of Lutcher High’s facility for more adult education. Mitchell suggested a program like this would be better suited forthe west bank, where such opportunities are more scarce.

Through the Cypress Grove program parents would be encouraged to become active members in their children’ education. An advisory board would becomprised of parents, community members and educators, and would have input in the center’s offerings.

The center proposal also addresses safety. According to the proposal,Cypress Grove would supply an environment where children could resist unsafe behaviors.

But ECIA members said they are also concerned about safety, especially now that school officials want east bank seventh-graders to remain at the elementary schools and eighth-graders to attend Lutcher High.

Mitchell asked: “Is the board willing to put students who are more worldly- wise in the elementary schools or the eighth-graders into high school with students who are” more socially and worldly experienced.

Mitchell said she knew the community had not been given an opportunity for input into the proposal, and she asked if the elementary schools or Lutcher High had been given a chance to discuss what the impact would be on them.

Mitchell accused Cancienne of researching selected information from a selected few.

She questioned if the real problem the board was facing was difficulties at Lutcher Junior High.

“Are you in the red?” she asked. “Or is the underlying intent becauseparents are planning to send their kids to private school” Mitchell said she wondered what the board and school system staff had done to look into the problems at the school.

Cancienne “is leading you and you should be leading him,” Gordon told the board. He added the entire parish, officials and businesses will suffer andvowed a fight.

“We are warning you,” he said. “Don’t accept the plan. He’s not for you, notfor the parish; he’s for himself. We will rise up and fight you. We don’t wantto do this, but we will fight you in court.”

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