By DAVID VITRANO
News Editor

EDGARD—In the relatively unfamiliar surroundings of the West St. John Elementary auditorium, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board cleared the way to opening the East Bank’s newest school, Emily C. Watkins.

After convening behind closed doors for well over half an hour, the board re-emerged with District 6 Board Member Keith Jones offering a motion to accept an altered version of the previously accepted plan for realigning school attendance zones.

According to Superintendent Dr. Courtney Millet, the realignment will bring the district’s attendance zones into compliance with guidelines set forth by the state justice department and the NAACP.

“Tonight’s vote will open the door toward opening Emily C. Watkins in 2009,” she said.

The new plan will shift some of the students previously in LaPlace Elementary’s and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary’s zone to Emily C. Watkins’ zone. Additionally, some of the students previously slated to attend Watkins will now find themselves in LaPlace Elementary’s attendance zone.

Maps have not been completed yet but should be available at some point in the near future according to Millet.

After congratulating the board on their consensus, Millet invited them to attend a walkthrough on Jan. 21, after which it is expected that the building will be declared substantially complete so that preparations for the coming school year can begin in earnest.

When it opens in August 2009, Emily C. Watkins will comprise grades K through 5, as was decided earlier this year. The board expects about 400 students to enroll in the school’s inaugural year.

The school is expected to add one grade per year for the next three years, growing to a size of about 600 students.

According to Millet, the gradual growth “will first and foremost benefit the students.”

In a statement released by the superintendent, she claimed, “We have taken into consideration not only the academic needs of our students, but their social, psychological and emotional needs. As our fifth graders who attend Emily C. Watkins progress to middle school, they will be able to experience a sense of history and ownership of their new school, resulting in pride that will be kept in tact for classes to follow.”

Earlier in the evening, the board approved two other agenda items relating to completion of the school.

The first dealt with the parking lot, which Principal Antoinette Robinet has, upon reflection, deemed insufficient for the facility.

The board agreed to solicit bids for the construction of additional parking at the school. The cost is estimated at $100,000. The funding for the additional parking spots will come from the school’s start-up fund.

The item prompted many on the board to ask for additional parking at the schools in their individual districts, a matter to be addressed in the future.

The last Watkins-related matter addressed during the meeting dealt with cubicles for storing the students’ belongings. The board unanimously agreed to accept a bid of $51,458 for the construction of the cubicles. It was the lowest of three bids submitted to the school system.