BOARD BRIEFS: Special Called Board Meeting (Sept. 29)

In a special meeting on Tuesday, the Ouachita Parish School Board adopted a resolution to execute the Bond Purchasing agreement to issue and sell $25M in General Obligation Bonds, Series 2026, for the East Ouachita Parish School District.

This series is the second and final phase in the capital improvement bond issue approved by the voters of eastern Ouachita Parish in May 2025. The bond sale was considered successful despite a challenging bond market with rapidly increasing interest rates.

Ouachita Parish Schools maintained a “AA -“ bond rating from Standards and Poor’s. The Standards and Poor’s report credited the district’s track record of financial stability and healthy reserves for maintaining its strong bond rating. The district was also recognized for its strong financial position, manageable debt burden and stable economic base. 

The capital improvement plan for this bond issue includes construction of the new Richwood Upper Elementary School.

East Side Bond Issue Capital Improvement Plan

• Richwood Upper Elementary School
• East Ouachita Middle – new multipurpose building
• Jack Hayes Elementary – new entrance canopy
• Lakeshore Elementary – office and front entrance renovation
• Ouachita Junior – track and field renovations
• Ouachita High – turf for baseball and softball fields
• Swartz Lower – security upgrades and window replacements
• Swartz Upper – security and building renovations and painting
• Sterlington High – classroom and lab expansions, baseball and softball facility renovations, tennis court construction with lighting, female athletic fieldhouse

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                      Budget Amount
George Welch Roof Replacement                               M&O                                          $1,000,000

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

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                     Budget Amount
None