By LEONARD GRAY

LULING – Bigger, better and more intense, the St. Charles Parish public school system plans a stellar year in construction, improved test scores and opportunities for students.

“What we try to do is toughen up to be truly ready,” Dr. Rodney Lafon, now in his eighth year as superintendent, said as he discussed new core exams in French II, Spanish II, world history and world geography – but he might as well been talking about the entire system.

This school term, an estimated 10,000 children, from Early Head Start through 12th grade, are expected to pour into the school district’s facilities. An estimated 9,600 students will be in grades K-12, with an average student-staff ratio of 20 to 1.

Construction based on the $28 million bond issue approved by voters in 2001 will pick up speed and spread out across the parish. The spring term saw much work done on St. Rose Elementary School.

This school year will see construction work on new classroom wings at Luling and Norco elementary schools, more work at St. Rose Elementary and the new distribution center behind the school board central office in Luling.

Also, J.B. Martin Middle School’s office area will be remodeled and planning will continue toward the projected Raymond K. Smith Middle School and the satellite high school, but construction on those two projects will not start this school term, Lafon said.

The superintendent’s five-year strategic plan for grades K-6 science will be under way, in cooperation with Dow/St. Charles Operations, to “up the ante of what we’re doing in science.”

An estimated $500,000 will be spent on new buses, catching up for years when sagging tax revenues prompted the district to put replacement buses on hold.

“It’s scary, and it catches up with you,” Lafon noted.

Starting this year is an education initiative, through a $350,000 grant from Shell, for adult education in Norco, linked with an Even Start program for children of those adult students.

New action plans for the district’s safe-schools program are completed, after interviews with “kids, parents, everybody,” Lafon added. “We need to make sure people are ready for just about anything that can come along.”

A new job-shadowing program, under the direction of Dr. Alice Sumler, will involve all 10th-graders, to better prepare them for life after high school. Such early looks at possible career choices can be important, Lafon related. He told the story of a young lady shadowing a nurse. When the nurse administered a shot, she turned around to see the student had passed out. Nursing, the student decided, was not for her.

Also, a pre-GED program will be in place to assist those student who will never pass their GED, helping them obtain useful job skills “so they can be contributing citizens.”

A panel of high school students, with teacher supervision, will also overhaul the school district’s Web site, with the aim of making it more interactive and user-friendly.

Related with that item, networked computer are also installed in all upper-elementary classrooms to enhance learning, Lafon said.

The influx of funding also provided the district’s 1,600 employees with a 5 percent pay raise. The school district is St. Charles Parish’s largest single employer.

“This will do what the community expects – safe, quality schools,” Lafon said.