By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

LUTCHER – Now that plans to close Lutcher Elementary School have been put on the shelf, the neighboring community is hoping to rectify some of the deficiencies that have plagued the mostly African-American school recently.
Debra Bartley addressed the St. James Parish School Board at its most recent meeting to discuss some of the problems. Among her complaints, which she said the local chapter of the NAACP brought to the board recently, were a lack of high-performing teachers and afterschool activities as well as a roof that is in need of replacement.
Regarding the teachers and afterschool activities, Superintendent Alonzo Luce assured Bartley those problems were being rectified.
“I think we really stacked the deck in favor of Lutcher Elementary this year,” he said.
Personnel changes include the addition of new Principal Cynthia Joseph, for whom Luce had high praise.
The persistently leaking roof, on the other hand, seemed to require a bit more attention. Bartley said she invited board member Kenneth Foret on a walkthrough of the school during a heavy downpour, but she said no action came about as a result.
Because of the cost associated with replacing a roof, the district must go through the process of putting the project out for bid before any action can be taken.
“We’re doing what we can at this point to patch the roof,” said Luce.
District maintenance chief Terry McCreary confirmed that several roof repairs have been made at the school since the fall.
Danny Manuel also took the podium that evening to run through a laundry list of structural problems at the facility. The leaking roof also topped his list of complaints.
“We cannot faithfully inspire hope and purpose in the students in such a substandard environment,” he said.
McCreary said Joseph had already submitted a list to the maintenance department.
“90 percent of the list has been addressed,” he said.
The School Board said it would address the roof and also agreed to hold a community meeting at the school sometime in the future.
Luce praised the community for bringing their concerns to the board.
“When the community is engaged with the school, great things happen,” he said.