BOARD BRIEFS: February 2026

The Ouachita Parish School Board approved the purchase of land to build a new elementary school in District E during Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

The Board agreed to purchase 2.6 acres of land adjacent to property already owned by Ouachita Parish Schools next to Richwood Middle. The new school will house the upper elementary grades. In anticipation of the new school, the Board agreed to consolidate Shady Grove Elementary, Robinson Elementary and Swayze Elementary.

Shady Grove Elementary will house PreK-2, and Robinson Elementary will house grades 3-5, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Future use of Swayze Elementary will be determined at a later date.

Audit Report

The School Board received the financial audit report for the 2024-2025 school year. Ouachita Parish Schools received a near-perfect audit for the third consecutive year. The audit report, conducted by Allen, Green & Williamson of Monroe, included no findings, which is the highest possible opinion to receive.

Ouachita Parish Schools also received two additional honors: the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) and the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO).

The district has earned these recognitions for 37 consecutive years.

District Calendar

The School Board approved an amended district calendar for the 2025-2026 school year. The professional development day scheduled for February 17 was changed to a full school day for students. This change was made to recoup instructional minutes that were missed during the six-day closure during Winter Storm Fern.

The Board also approved the district calendar for the 2026-2027 school year. The calendar is available at opsb.net.

New Position

The School Board approved the new position and job description for a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The position will be funded with local and state funds and reimbursed at the federal level.

Policies Updates

The School Board approved updates to the following policies: JDA (Corporal Punishment), JDE (Expulsion), JCDAE (Electronic Telecommunication Devices), EBBC (Emergency/Crisis Management), DFK (Sale of Surplus Equipment and Supplies), DJE (Purchasing), FEA (Architectural and Engineering Services), GBC (Recruitment), GBN (Dismissal of Employees), GBRA (Employee Conduct), JGCF (Behavioral Health Support for Students), KIB (Advertising in Schools).

The updated policies and the policy manual are available at opsb.net.  

Change Order

The School Board approved a change order for the West Monroe High football practice field. The $150,000 change order is covered by the Westside sales tax revenue and will fund signage changes, padding upgrades and drainage.

Scoreboard Purchases

The School Board entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement to purchase new football stadium scoreboards at Ouachita High, Sterlington High and West Ouachita High. The scoreboards at Ouachita High ($282,394.50) and Sterlington High ($297,600) will be funded by the Eastside bond issue. The scoreboard at West Ouachita High ($297,600) will be funded by the Westside sales tax.

Special Recognitions

The School Board recognized the Ouachita Parish Schools maintenance and warehouse staffs for their work during Winter Storm Fern. These staffs were the first group to survey buildings and assess damage at schools.

 

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                 Budget Amount
Lakeshore office Renov./Canopy                                ES Bond                                 $1,300,000
Property Sale – 3420 Gordon Ave                               
Property Sale – Mineral Springs
OJHS Track/Athletic Improvements                           ES Bond                                 $900,000
SES and OJHS Marquees                                              ES Bond                                 $50,000

The School Board granted permission to bid on the following items:

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                 Budget Amount
Surplus Sale                                                                     Various                                 Various                                 EOMS Multipurpose Building                                      ES Bond                                 $2,500,000
Swartz Lower Window Replacement                         ES Bond                                 $390,000
Sensory Playground Surfacing                                     IDEA B                                   $320,000
Architect of Record Storm Damage                            N/A                                        N/A
Property Sale – Burks School                                                                                      $67,600