LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Lafayette Parish School Superintendent Francis Touchet delivered the state of the district address at the newly opened Lafayette High School on Thursday evening, highlighting the district’s achievements and future plans.

In his address, Superintendent Touchet emphasized the district’s accomplishments over the past year, including the construction of Lafayette High School, now the second-largest high school in the state, and the establishment of a $50,000 starting salary for teachers. He also noted the district’s efforts to compensate educators for extracurricular activities and the installation of turf football fields at every school.

“This is an opportunity for us to be able to show what has happened last year as far as accomplishments, but also an opportunity for us to look at this upcoming year and showing where the school district is headed,” said Touchet.

Superintendent Touchet highlighted the district’s partnerships with organizations such as the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Love Our Schools, Kiwanis, and the Pugh Family Foundation. These collaborations aim to enhance educational opportunities and community involvement.

The superintendent also praised the collaboration with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and local police departments, which ensures that all schools have at least one law enforcement officer present at all times, enhancing school safety.

Looking ahead, Touchet outlined several ongoing and future projects, including campus additions at Acadiana High, Judice Middle and LJ Alleman Middle, as well as a new gym at David Thibodeaux STEM Academy and a field house at Southside High.

Touchet announced the introduction of a new LPSS accountability system, which will be the first of its kind in the state. This system will focus on four core values: safety, growth, opportunity, and culture, with schools being rated on a five-star scale in each category.

With these initiatives and improvements, Superintendent Touchet expressed optimism about the future of the Lafayette Parish School System.

“Things are looking really good here at LPSS as far as the school system is concerned,” he said.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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