[StBernard] Meraux public school to reopen

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Tue Jan 16 22:39:21 EST 2007


Meraux public school to reopen
That makes three in St. Bernard Parish
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
By Karen Turni Bazile

The St. Bernard Parish public school district will open another school this
month, the third to reopen in the parish swamped by Hurricane Katrina more
than 16 months ago.

After a $13 million renovation, Trist Middle School in Meraux will reopen
Jan. 22, pending completion of some last-minute items by contractors, to
house alternative programs for students with discipline issues and those who
need intense academic work to catch up with their peers.

In August, school Superintendent Doris Voitier said the renovations had been
put on the fast track so Trist could be ready midyear in case a surge in
enrollment required the opening of a third school.


However, with enrollment at the other two schools in the district, Chalmette
High and Andrew Jackson Elementary, hovering at 3,700, she said she doesn't
see the need at this time to shift middle school grades into the Trist
campus.

Instead, the alternative program for students with discipline or behavior
problems, called Nova Academy, will shift its current 35 students. Joining
Nova at Trist is another alternative program, an accelerated program with 30
sixth- and seventh-graders who are behind academically and trying to finish
middle school in two years to catch up with their peers. Both alternative
programs had been housed at Chalmette High.

Two more schools are set to be opened before the next school year begins in
August.

"I think we are making tremendous progress since the storm," Voitier said.
"In August, we will have five permanent facilities completely renovated and
opened for our children. We will shortly be taking a look at what the next
phase should be."

The School Board is expected to award contracts for construction at those
two schools, Rowley Elementary in Chalmette and Gauthier Elementary in
Poydras, on Feb. 13.

The renovations at Andrew Jackson and Chalmette High, both large campuses,
each ran around $14 million, and were paid for with a combination of federal
grants, loans and insurance proceeds, Voitier said.

Andrew Jackson has about 1,950 elementary students from age 3 through
sixth-grade, but that should dramatically drop next year. Voitier said next
fall, about 250 sixth-graders will move to Trist and about 500 will go to
Gauthier.

The system reopened Chalmette High as one school for all grades about six
weeks after Katrina and officials issued expedited contracts to complete
more improvements so the student body could be separated into two schools
last August. Chalmette High has about 1,750 students in seventh through 12th
grades.

"For the next few years, we obviously will be seeing a lot of change,"
Voitier said. "As we have facilities ready, we will have to look at
attendance and make configuration changes."

. . . . . . .

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3321.




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