Principal makes case for keeping M.E. Norman

M.E. Norman Elementary Principal Shannon Hoffpauir spoke to parents and the community Tuesday about school closures in order to clarify issues recently mentioned in the media.

“There’s been a lot of information in the newspapers and on social media about school closures and M.E. Norman,” Hoffpauir said.

“I wanted to address those issues with my parents and share some information with you that I received from the school board meeting last Thursday.”

Hoffpauir informed parents of the school board’s consolidation proposal for closing M.D. Shannon Elementary and redistributing the children to Norman and Wyandotte elementary schools.

The board put off this decision for three weeks, Hoffpauir said. The board wanted more time to review information.

In a letter last week to The Daily Review, a group of former teachers and administrators proposed closing Norman instead of Shannon, citing what the writers said are Shannon’s superior facilities.

Hoffpauir said Tuesday that closing Shannon would be best.

“We think that consolidating Shannon and having them move over here and move to Wyandotte would be the best decision because we’re looking at the information from this report,” Hoffpauir said.

A copy of the Morgan City (District 3) schools’ facility study by architect Carl Blum was available for everyone to pick up at the meeting.

Based on student enrollment and classroom usage data provided by the school board, none of the four elementary schools in District 3 are operating at capacity, Blum said in the study.

The capacity average for the four schools is 58 percent. Shannon is operating at 34 percent capacity. Wyandotte is operating at 70 percent.

No information was listed in Blum’s recommendation about Norman’s operating capacity.

Because none of the District 3 elementary schools are close to capacity, it allows mobility for students to move to other campuses.

Adding together the capacity of any three of the four facilities indicated that all of the presently enrolled 1,024 students can be accommodated in any three of the existing facilities stated in the report.

Blum said Shannon, which is the oldest facility, is the greatest long-term cost generator.

Significant investment in roofing, waterproofing, code upgrades, Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and cafeteria renovation will be required over the next few years, said the report.

The main maintenance issue at Norman is the need to level floating concrete slabs in the classrooms and cafeteria areas, according to the report.

Also, future construction of a multipurpose building, proposed since 1995, has been partially funded by District 3 capital outlay savings. But the report stated construction is not yet scheduled.

The annual costs in 2015 for general and maintenance funding for the Shannon and Norman were similar.

If capital expenditures for maintenance and code upgrades are added, the cost for operating Shannon is higher than Norman by $550,000 over the five-year projected period.

The recent expenditures of approximately $1 million at Wyandotte and J.B. Maitland elementary schools have reduced the potential upgrade costs at those locations.

Wyandotte Elementary had reroofing and ceiling replacement work. Maitland received new air conditioning and window wall replacements.

The report said Shannon can be closed while maintaining reasonable class sizes.

No additional classroom construction would be required at Norman and Wyandotte.

But in order to absorb additional students, both schools can use existing classrooms, library, cafeteria and support spaces, said in the recommendations.

Overall, “in my professional opinion, M.D. Shannon Elementary is the first site to be considered for closure as a school facility and repurposing for other community needs,” Blum said in the study.

Hoffpauir highlighted successes achieved and advantages for students attending Norman, was included in the information packet for attendees.

—Norman received a school performance score of B for the 2014-15 school year .

— It’s the only elementary school in the parish to earn the honor of “Top Gains School” by increasing the school performance score by 11.6 points.

—Norman increased the school performance score without additional resources from Title 1 funds.

—Five available classrooms would hold some or all of Shannon students.

—The one-story building is accessible for students, faculty members and parents with disabilities.

—Norman is centrally located in a quiet neighborhood.

“We have a great school and some things have been overlooked,” Hoffpauir said. “We have made significant strides. We are now ranked fifth out of the 12 elementary schools.”

Also included in the packets, were reasons Shannon should be closed instead of Norman.

—Shannon is not handicap accessible on the second and third floors.

—It is a C school.

—It is ranked seventh of the 12 schools.

—It is on a major road.

—Shannon students must use stairs in case of a fire or emergency.

—Shannon has no bathrooms on the second and third floors.

Hoffpauir supports the consolidation plan presented to the school board during the special session meeting on Thursday.

“We welcome those students and teachers over here with open arms and we will help them do whatever we need to do to make that transition smooth for them,” Hoffpauir said.