WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, SportsNew school district proposed in EBR

People living in the Shenandoah and Woodlawn areas of Baton Rouge want to leave and form their own district.

Sen. Bodi White says the people in the Sixth District tell him separating from East Baton Rouge Schools will improve their sense of community. He agrees and will take their concerns to the State Capitol this March.

"EBR Parish just continues to have a hard time getting it together. They want to do something different. They want to be a top 10 percent school district in the state of Louisiana," said White.

Norman Browning, with a local community group, says the independent school model has worked in the nearby Central District. Their proposed new system would include nine existing schools in the Woodlawn-Shenandoah area.

"The new proposed district will take Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 where they meet and form a pie with Ascension Parish line and Livingston Parish line. So everything inside there," said Browning.

White says any such legislation would have to be approved by the state legislature before it would go to a statewide vote in the fall. He says if everything goes as planned, they'll have a new district by next summer. But the question on everyone's mind: what does this mean for EBR's remaining schools?

"Smaller school system gives you greater control, greater structure," said Browning. "I can see it being a good thing because it's not gonna affect them financially. They'll still have their same tax base. They'll still have their tax base just like we'll have our tax base."

"You'll lose dollars but you'll lose the children. You don't have to educate them. You don't have to pay those teachers. You don't have the costs associated with those schools. You're just downsizing," said White.

The following schools would be part of the proposed new district:

• Woodlawn High School
• Woodlawn Middle School
• Southeast Middle School
• Wedgewood Elementary School
• Shenandoah Elementary School
• Woodlawn Elementary School
• Parkview Elementary School
• Jefferson Terrace Elementary School
• Westminster Elementary School

The next community meeting will be at Woodlawn Baptist Church on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

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