It took less than 60 seconds for the Bossier Parish School Board to unanimously approve the reconfiguration of Plain Dealing schools.
The vote came around 7:30 tonight during the board’s regular session meeting. There were no comments made by any of the board members or administrators prior to the vote.
The plan, as presented by Superintendent Scott Smith, calls for creating a pre-K through 12th grade campus in Plain Dealing. The plan includes a new pre-school and kindergarten pod on the ground level of the activities building, which will house classrooms and a multi-purpose room, with restrooms, a library, an adjacent outdoor playground and parent drop-off area. Grades one through five and special education will be housed in the current middle school wing.
Middle school students will be moved to the activities building and high school students will remain in their primary building. Other areas of the campus will also see changes, including sidewalk, paving and handicap accessibility improvements. The plan also calls for creating additional programs for the high school students, which Smith called a “huge advantage” for the town.
As for Carrie Martin Elementary, school administrators are discussing the possibility of re-purposing the campus into a parent and community center. They would also like to see a collaborative effort by the town of Plain Dealing and Bossier Parish to bring in assisting agencies, like the Bossier Council on Aging.
The reconfiguration plan will not be implemented next school year. It will be ready for students in the 2018-2019 school year.
We will have more on this story in the May 24 print edition.
