APSBulletin - October 2024
Dr. John Barthelemy, Superintendent
SCHOOL BOARD
Honoray Lewis, Ward 1
Lee Meyer Jr, Ward 2
Andrea Barras, Ward 3
Electa Fletcher-Mickens, Ward 4
Joshua Hebert, Ward 5
Daniel Washington, Ward 6
Bambi Hood, Ward 7
Jessica Ourso, Ward 8
Doris Dugas, Ward 9
CALENDAR
Oct. 8 -- First Nine-Weeks Report Cards Issued
Oct. 26 -- ACT offered to students
Nov. 5 -- Election Day -- No Classes
Nov. 6 -- Teacher Professional Development -- No Classes
Nov. 25-29 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No Classes
Dec. 23-Jan. 2 -- Christmas & New Year's Holidays -- No Classes
Jan. 3 -- Teacher Professional Development -- No Classes
Jan. 8 -- Second Nine-Weeks Report Cards Issued
Students in first grade at Bayou L’Ourse Primary School recently adopted a classroom cow as part of their efforts to learn more about farming and the dairy industry. The class pet, Delta Dawn, will not live on campus, but remain comfortably housed in her home barn. The students are enjoying getting to know about her habitat and traits.
School Board Seeks Renewal of Critical Funding
The Assumption Parish School Board is asking voters to renew three critical school funding propositions on the Dec. 7 ballot. The three renewals account for nearly 50% of all local revenue collected by the school system to pay for employee salaries and benefits, facility maintenance and operations and construction costs.
The renewals are NOT new taxes and a vote YES for the three property assessment renewals will not increase millage rates for taxpayers in Assumption Parish.
The three dedicated millage assessments bring in nearly $7.8 million of the $16.1 million of revenue collected through local sales and property taxes. The 6.12-mill assessment and 20.8-mill assessment were put on the rolls by voters more than 30 years ago, while the 6.97-mill assessment was put on the books more than 25 years ago.
State Department of Education Focusing on Third Grade Literacy
Act 422 of the 2023 Regular Louisiana Legislative Session mandated that students in traditional public schools meet specific literacy proficiency standards to be promoted to the fourth grade. Those standards are in effect in Assumption Parish Schools.
The focus on third grade is crucial as this marks the time when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn across subjects.
Research suggests that students who are not proficient by this grade often face ongoing academic challenges, leading to higher dropout rates and fewer students prepared for college and careers. Therefore, boosting proficiency and closing achievement gaps in third grade are primary goals in our district and across the state system.
Third-grade students must achieve a satisfactory composite score on the literacy screener, DIBELS 8th, which assesses various literacy skills including phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy, fluency with connected text, and reading comprehension.
Parents can be proactive about their child’s literacy development by contacting their child’s teacher to discuss the results of the literacy screener, as well as the resources and services available for children. Parents can also learn ways on how you can support their child’s literacy development at home.
District Analyses Declining Enrollment Projections
Assumption Parish Schools is closely examining the district’s population trends for various communities and age groups to best determine how to effectively utilize and invest resources across the district.
An in-depth analysis of the district’s population shows that for the ten-year period of 2010 to 2020, the school system reported an overall loss of student population. The report showed that the areas of Belle Rose and Bayou Corne had nearly a 37% drop in population during that time. The report also suggested that the mild population gains in Napoleonville and Labadieville during that same time were likely due to a shift in population within our parish.
Furthermore, Assumption Parish Schools is projected to decrease by approximately 273 students or minus 9.8% between school year 2024 and 2030. There are no external factors present at this time, according to the study, that would change the trajectory of the student enrollment trends.
“The historic data shows Assumption Parish has had a decline in population over the past ten years, and that trend is expected to slowly continue based on CRSR’s report through 2030,” said Superintendent Dr. John Barthelemy. “We must look at our options on how to determine the best use of our resources for our children today, and for tomorrow.”
Barthelemy, school board members and planners with CSRS Engineers recently held town meetings across the parish to share data and hear concerns from local community members.
Teachers Expand Social Studies Knowledge
Several social studies teachers from the district recently attended the Louisiana Council for the Social Studies (LCSS) Conference, which was held at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
The teachers participated in professional learning sessions that covered various topics, including the Bayou Bridges Social Studies curriculum, the LEAP 2025 Social Studies writing expectations and other relevant subjects related to social studies standards and content.