Superintendent given flexibility in high school staffing

With little discussion the school board last week granted Supt. Dr. Lottie P. Beebe more flexibility in the staffing of high school faculty.
Al Blanchard, director of human capital and operations, explained that recently instituted programs which may draw students from the traditional high school campuses could reduce the level of staffing needed at the parish’s three high schools.
Current policy calls for high school faculties to be funded at a 22:1 ratio of students to teachers, which each school allowed an additional two slots above that ratio.
However, Blanchard said the number of students pursuing classes through the virtual avenue, coupled with an anticipated increase in enrollment at the parish’s new College and Career Center in Breaux Bridge, could further erode the number of students taking traditional classes on the campuses of the three high schools.
“It could well be that fewer teachers will be needed at our high schools if those trends continue,” Blanchard explained.
The state has implemented a new program that allows a student to graduate with a more career oriented diploma rather that the traditional college bound and standard diplomas.
Supt. Beebe pointed out that students will have to pass a rigorous industry based test in order to receive the new diploma, a fact that will likely contribute to increased enrollment at the College/Career Center in the coming years.