St. Landry Parish board adopts new elementary name, sets committee schedule and agrees to study special tax districts

At its July 2 meeting, the St. Landry Parish School Board approved community-survey results to rename a reconfigured district site, adopted a schedule for special committees, and directed staff to begin work on an exploratory process for special tax districts drawn by high school attendance zones.

Superintendent Matis summarized the survey results and said the top choice was identified in the record (transcribed variants in the minutes include "Appaloosis Elementary/Opaloosus"). The board moved and voted to adopt the top survey selection as the new elementary name. Board members who supported a unified naming approach said a single identity for the city and district would be beneficial.

The board also discussed and voted to set the Capital Improvements/Facilities Master Plan committee and the Salaries & Benefits committee to meet back-to-back on the third Tuesday of each month, beginning Aug. 18, with the first committee at 4:30 p.m. The board clarified committees will follow existing board policy for formation and agendas, but members debated whether committees should include outside professionals or public advisory participants; the board said committees will decide participation within policy parameters.

A board member made a motion to start the process of studying a special tax district organized by high-school zones rather than election zones; the motion initiated discussion about who would be involved and how prior tax districts had been drawn. The item was moved forward as an exploratory action with direction to staff and appropriate board liaisons.