By DAVID VITRANO

News Editor

RESERVE—CSRS inc., the firm hired to assess and create a plan for St. John’s public schools, will begin the community involvement phase of its assessment with a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at West St. John High School.

All are invited to attend the meeting, where members of the community will be able to have their voices heard by CSRS regarding school direction and funding.

So far, the firm has met with key educators and began workshops with the board.

These community meetings are the next major component of the assessment process.

Not only will these meetings allow CSRS to determine community needs from a point-of-view, but they also will aid the firm in another of its goals, the “equitable distribution” of money among all schools in the parish. In November, voters will decide on a bond issue that could provide $46 million for school-related improvements.

Other meetings are scheduled for Thursday, September 25, at East St. John High School; Tuesday, October 7, at West St. John High School; and Thursday, October 9, at East St. John High School. All meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m.

Additionally, the firm is conducting a demographics study and facility condition analysis.

At a surprisingly sparsely-attended school board meeting, CSRS presented their initial findings.

According to Chris Pellegrin of CSRS, teams have completed the majority of site work and are in the process of compiling extensive reports on each site.

To give board members an idea of just how extensive the reports are, each board member was presented a draft of the report on East St. John High School. The document was 144 pages long and detailed the school’s deficiencies as well the projected cost of remedies.

Such a document will be created for every site under review in St. John Parish.

Pellegrin said that final reports will be presented at the school board meeting on October 16.

The initial findings of the firm were that facilities were generally acceptable though aging and that a number of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) code deficiencies would have to be addressed.

Pellegrin reported that the parish generally fell in line with other districts in the area. He noted that the most common problems to be addressed across the parish are: a master key system, backup generator power, parking and traffic circulation, HVAC controls, ADA access and insufficient kitchen facilities and school athletic or playground areas.

Among all public schools in the parish, John L. Ory Magnet School had the best overall report with what CSRS described as an “extremely well-maintained campus.”

On the other hand, East St. John High, West St. John High and Godchaux are anticipated to be among the costliest components of the project.

The initial estimate for repairs and improvements to East St. John were almost $7.8 million while for West St. John High the figure topped $4.2 million.

It was noted in the report that these were merely preliminary figures and that the final numbers would likely change.

After the report, board members inquired how St. John fared in comparison to other districts that CSRS has reviewed.

“You’re pretty consistent with the districts around you, but that’s not saying that much,” Pellegrin replied, referring to the lackadaisical attitude common to many school districts in southern Louisiana.

Board Member Russ Wise also expressed some concern over whether releasing dollar amounts that would likely change could affect public opinion of the project. Pellegrin reminded him that although how the money is spent is up to the board, “the final number will be $46 million” because that’s the amount of revenue the bond issue in November’s election will generate.