Superintendent makes appeal for community involvement in schools

Interim St. Mary Superintendent Dr. Rachael Sanders made a plea for community involvement in public schools at a Chamber luncheon Wednesday, and then recited a list of system accomplishments that includes many partnerships with private and public entities.
Speaking at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City, Sanders challenged the audience to find pictures of a thriving community with a poor public school system. You can’t, she said.
“We have to stand together, and we have to keep our public schools strong,” Sanders said. “And we need you to do that, and you need us.
“That relationship is extremely important to us. We have 8,346 school-age children in this parish, and we owe them the greatest opportunity and education they can find. …”
Among the partnerships she described:
•An Industry Advisory Council with input into school system offerings.
•The Futures Project, which will be offered to fifth-graders parishwide with a curriculum developed by the St. Mary Sheriff’s Office. Students will learn about making good decisions, building positive relationships, avoiding substance abuse and dealing with bullying.
•The AHEC of a Summer program. The acronym stands for Area Health Education Centers, and the program offers summer internships for sophomores and juniors interested in health-related professions. Bayou Bend, Teche Health and Ochsner are participants.
•A GEAR UP grant through LSU, which offers the St. Mary system $11 million over seven years. The name stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. GEAR UP will connect with students in sixth and seventh grades and track them through high school. The goal is to make students from low-income homes ready for post-secondary education.
•Dual enrollment partnerships with area colleges and universities. Students have the chance to earn college credits while still in high school.
•Upcoming NASA Astro Camps that will allow public and private school students to experience science, technology and mathematics. The first session will be June 22-25 at Bayou Vista Elementary, the second July 6-9 at Foster Elementary. The camp is open to students in grades 1-5 for a $10 fee per student.
•A recent welding competition at New Industries.
Sanders told the Chamber audience that the St. Mary public school system has a B grade in the state accountability system and is 3.7 points above Louisiana’s average district performance score.
St. Mary ranks 27th among the state’s 70 school districts.
“Twenty-seventh is an achievement,” Sanders said. “It’s not enough. We’re pushing forward, and we’ll climb through the ranks of the state of Louisiana.”
One potential challenge comes from the LA GATOR program, which allows state funds that would otherwise go to public education to be placed in accounts for families. The money can be used for private school tuition and related expenses.
Gov. Jeff Landry has proposed increasing the LA GATOR budget to $88 million from $43.5 million this year. But that proposal has run into powerful opposition, including Senate President Cameron Henry.
At Wednesday’s luncheon, Sanders said she’s talked with Central Catholic High Principal Pete Boudreaux about GATOR. She quoted Boudreaux as saying the private school’s enrollment has grown 40-60 over the last five or six years.
But “we’re not seeing our population of students in public school decline and then seeing a large increase in other places,” Sanders said.
Boudreaux didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Sanders, a 27-year educator in St. Mary and former Patterson High principal, was appointed interim superintendent after Dr. Buffy Fegenbush went on medical leave in November and subsequently retired.
The deadline for applications to become the new superintendent is March 31.