St. Gabriel could seek separate school district

St. Gabriel Mayor George L. Grace said Monday he would go forward with plans to form a separate school district for the Eastside if the Iberville Parish School Board does not make good on promises to construct an academy school there.

After Grace spoke at its meeting, the School Board 14-1 to advertise for bids on a new building for the Iberville Math, Science and Arts (MSA) Academy-East. The board previously purchased land for the school next to the St. Gabriel Community Center, the temporary site of MSA operations.

Grace told the School Board he has asked state Sen. Rob Marionneaux to file a bill in the upcoming session of the Legislature to begin the process of breaking away from the parish wide system. He said he would go forward with the plan if the board does not move forward with

“I've done this because of the information that I have received from various sources that the school is not going to be built,” Grace said.

Marionneaux has published notices of intent to file the bill for St. Gabriel, as well as a bill to make unspecified changes in the composition of the School Board.

“In East Iberville, we're trying to build a city,” Grace told the board. “In East Iberville, we're losing some people because of the school system...People are moving into Ascension [Parish]. We're attempting to stem that flow.”

The mayor said Superintendent P. Edward Cancienne Jr. met with him and other Eastside officials before voters passed a 39-mill bond issue to finance a construction program and other school improvements. Their vote for the bond issue was predicated on having a new magnet school locate there, he said.

Cancienne said he had been working with the mayor for two and a half years, and “everything was in good faith.”

When the bond issue was passed, School Board materials indicated $9.6 million would be allocated for the MSA-East building.

Grace said 44 percent of the school children that live in East Iberville do not attend the local school system.

“We feel sure we will be able to capture some of those students,” he said.

Board Member Paul B. Distefano of Plaquemine said he knew there were people who were against spending so much money on the Eastside, but that the superintendent and board members were committed to going forward with the project.

“I'm speaking from my heart,” Distefano said.

Board Member Darlene Ourso of White Castle said she is one who is skeptical about the building the new MSA.

“We have only 140 kids there at a school where we're going to spend $10 million,” she said.

But, she told Grace, “I understand where you're coming from...We fight it every day in the South part of the parish.”

Board Member Tom Delahaye of Plaquemine said has received criticism for the plans to build the school and for buying the land. One criticism, which he thought unwarranted, was that the board paid too much for the land, he said.

Grace said if the board moves ahead with the school he would drop the legislative proposal.

“All's well that ends well,” the mayor said.

“We hold hands and sing Kum-ba-ya now?” Delahaye quipped.

According to board attorney Bob Hammonds, the bill creating the St. Gabriel school district would be a constitutional amendment that would require first a two-thirds vote of the Legislature and then approval by voters statewide, Dr. Cancienne said. He said the issues usually go to court and take about two years to be resolved.

“In the spirit of good faith, I have no problem advertising for the school,” the superintendent said.

The bill would have to be filed by March 29, the start of the Legislative session, he said.

“You would have time at your April meeting to reflect on what has been done,” Cancienne said.

“I can't see spending all that money if they go through with it,” said Board Member David “Worm” Daigle of Grosse Tete.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee left the decision to the full board, which voted 14-1 in favor of St. Gabriel Board Member Nancy T. Broussard's motion to advertise for bids for the new MSA-East building.

Board Member Stanley Washington of Maringouin, who cast the no vote, said the committee had tabled one issue to get further clarification and he favored waiting for further clarification of the Eastside issue as well.

As for the issue of reconfiguring the School Board, Cancienne said the Louisiana Constitution says school boards must have at least five members and no more than 15.

“I think this board should make that decision,” the superintendent said.