Committee recommends moving alternative program into former Franklin Junior, reallocating funds

The St. Mary Parish School Board Section 16 Land and Building Committee recommended that the full board approve a package of facility relocations and funding transfers intended to consolidate operations and refresh a vacated campus.

The committee chair opened the June 29 meeting by presenting a proposal to move the district’s alternative program into the vacated Franklin Junior High School, which staff proposed renaming the Park Avenue Learning Center. The chair said the move would allow the district to use the Franklin building for the alternative-program students while reassigning other departments to freed space.

Mr. Regard, a St. Mary Parish maintenance staff member who presented cost estimates, said the district has approximately $225,000 already set aside for summer projects at the alternative school. "So currently we have approximately $225,000 that is set aside for projects this summer at the alternative school," he said. He reported contractor quotes of about $146,000 to renovate two classroom wings (new flooring, painting, baseboards and select ceiling tile replacement) and estimated roughly $12,000 more for bathroom fixtures and partitions.

Committee members asked about converting the alternative program’s current site in Burdenville into a maintenance yard. Mr. Regard said the building can be used "as is" in the near term but flagged potential future upgrades: an air-conditioning project that could be deferred a few years and an electrical-box replacement he expects to request next year at an estimated cost of about $80,000. He told the committee the fencing or other security improvements for parking equipment would be funded from the facility-designated monies if the board approves the move.

Members also discussed logistical concerns for student safety and operational separation inside the Franklin building. Mr. Regard described using the cafeteria for in-service training and said pull-down gates, blackout curtains or recessed gate solutions could keep maintenance storage and student areas separate.

The committee discussed administrative details of the funding transfer. Members agreed the previously allocated approximately $225,000 would be applied to the new Park Avenue Learning Center, with the $146,313 renovation estimate covered from those funds and any remaining balance left at the original school account for its intended purposes. The chair said the transfers and individual contract approvals will be added to the full-board agenda for formal votes.

A motion making a recommendation to the full board to approve the relocations and the redistribution of the Verdenville/Burdenville campus funds (excluding any sale of the old Jacket building) was made by Mr. Maniso and seconded by Mrs. Jones. The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote; there was no recorded roll-call tally in the committee discussion. The committee then adjourned.

Next steps: staff will prepare a summary for the full-board packet showing the amounts proposed for transfer, the contractor estimates, and a brief security assessment for the maintenance-yard conversion. The items will appear on the upcoming board meeting agenda for formal action.

Sources: Committee discussion and staff presentations at the June 29, 2026 Section 16 Land and Building Committee meeting of the St. Mary Parish School Board.