New school year begins

Summer vacation is officially over for St. Mary Parish as every school, including the new Patterson Junior High, opened Tuesday for the first day of school.
Pre-kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students will have improvements to their curriculum to match the state targets.
Pre-kindergarten will have overall improved curriculum while elementary and middle school students will have an improved math curriculum.
The school calendar has no changes from the previous years. There are 10 emergency dates set in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm that will cause school closure.
One highlight of the year is the opening of the new $18.5 million Patterson Junior High. Construction is still underway, but the progress has been sufficient to allow for classes to begin there Tuesday.
There is no clear prediction on whether enrollment numbers for students will increase or decrease, but Leonard Armato, superintendent of the St. Mary Parish school board, said that the district doesn’t want to lose any students.
“We are hoping to maintain an even level with last year given with the economy the way it is,” said Armato
Armato said that the district lost 400 kids in the 2016-17 school year and doesn’t want to see that enrollment decrease this year. Enrollment in schools affects the Minimum Foundation Program numbers in the district which in turns affects funding.
Last year’s decrease in enrollment did not affect the budget of the district significantly but possible decreases in enrollment in the future will eventually affect the budget.
The first school board meeting for the year will be at 5p.m. Thursday at the St. Mary Parish School Board Central Office Complex in Centerville.