Natchitoches residents concerned that proposed school closures will lead to blight

The school board hosted a packed town hall Thursday night to discuss their proposal to make several changes to city schools.

The plan would disband East Natchitoches 5th and 6th grade students and send them to M.R. Weaver, which currently only has 3rd and 4th grade. Then, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders would be combined and sent to the current magnet campus, and the magnet students would be transferred to the East Natchitoches Elementary campus.

The school board says the goal is to close Natchitoches Junior High, which is 68 years old and falling apart.

Residents expressed concerns about leaving the building as a blight, vacant property, and transportation issue for the children.

“We have a lot of areas already in the community are boarded up. So that’s one of my biggest concerns is having the unnecessary blight of the Natchitoches Junior High School,” said Rosemary Washington, Natchitoches City Council District 4.

Superintendent Dr. Grant Eloi said the “rebanding plan” would fit the district’s needs best.

“The two major variables here are the number of classrooms and the number of students and this is the only way the puzzle would fit. We’re members of this community. We don’t want to create blight in our own community. We want to do it in a way that makes everyone happy. That will be continuing this dialogue. Doing things that if this school closes and if we vacate this building that it isn’t a net negative to the community,” Dr. Eloi said.

The proposal also includes closing Goldonna Elementary School.

Dr. Eloi said it is a very small school that has decreased in size since last year. Now that International Paper is closing, the tax base will no longer be present to support the school.

The school board is set to vote on the proposal during their meeting Thursday, March 13.