Consultant outlines facility master plan and promises community engagement

A consultant presenting to the Assumption Parish School Board described an ongoing system evaluation that will feed a facility master plan and stressed the role of community engagement. Warren Drake, introduced at the meeting as the consultant, told the board the work includes a demographic study, facility assessments and an educational adequacy review, with public meetings to follow.

Drake said the team has identified five focus areas and named a demographer, Mike Hefner of Lafayette, Louisiana, who is already gathering data. "Once the demographic plan is done, once we've done all the facility assessments...we will then engage the community," Drake said, adding that the master plan would likely be presented to the board in October.

The superintendent and Drake said community engagement sessions — dates and locations to be set with the superintendent — will allow residents and staff to comment on draft recommendations. Drake emphasized that the team will record community input and incorporate ideas where appropriate: "Sometimes we'll go, you know what? That's a good idea. That's a good idea. So, we will...consider the community engagement part one of the most important parts because this is a public school system." (Warren Drake.)

The transcript alternates between the abbreviations "CRS" and "CRASR" when referring to the organization involved in the system evaluation; the meeting record did not clarify a single, authoritative organization name. The presentation noted the work is in early stages and that the consultant will return with updates and a draft facility master plan after completing data collection and facility assessments.

Board members asked whether printed copies would be available to the public; Drake and the superintendent said presentation materials were in the meeting packet and additional copies could be made available. The board did not take a vote on the plan itself at this meeting. The next procedural step is the scheduled community engagement and a future presentation of the draft plan to the board.