Opelousas Junior High Will Merge With Senior High After 7 Straight Years of Failing Grades

OPELOUSAS, La. (KPEL News) — The St. Landry Parish School Board voted Thursday night to merge Opelousas Junior High School with Opelousas Senior High School, choosing local consolidation over the threat of a state takeover driven by years of failing grades.

The motion passed with eight votes in favor and one abstention, according to KATC. District 5 board member Bianca J. Vedell was the lone abstention, The Advocate reported. The merger will take effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

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Why the State Forced the Decision

The vote came after the Louisiana Department of Education sent a letter to the district warning that Opelousas Junior High could be taken over by the state’s Recovery School District. RSD Superintendent Pam Schooler wrote that the school had earned an “F” letter grade for seven consecutive years and was “academically unacceptable,” as reported by St. Landry Now.

The district was given two options: merge the junior high with the senior high into a single grades 7-12 campus, or hand the school over to the RSD. The board had until March 11 to submit a formal plan.

The RSD was created by the Louisiana Legislature in 2003 to take control of chronically failing schools. Schools taken over by the program are often converted into charter campuses run by private operators. That history made the takeover option deeply unpopular in St. Landry Parish.

“We don’t want to lose our students to the RSD,” District 2 board member Joyce Haynes said. “We do have to realize the school had a problem, and only one acceptable option given to us by the state.”

What the Merger Means for Opelousas Students

About 233 students currently enrolled at Opelousas Junior High will move to the Opelousas Senior High campus on Judson Walsh Drive when the 2026-2027 school year begins this August. Opelousas Senior High currently enrolls about 635 students, which means the combined campus could serve more than 800 students in grades 7 through 12.

Opelousas Senior High holds a “C” letter grade from the state, which means it’s not eligible for RSD intervention. Merging the junior high into the senior high keeps all students under local control.

St. Landry Parish Superintendent Milton Batiste III said the school’s struggles weren’t a recent development. They reflected deeper academic problems that started early in the pipeline.

“Traditionally, it’s been a systemic issue,” Batiste said. “We had kids who were struggling earlier on at a foundational level, and it was bottlenecking Opelousas Junior High School.”

District officials noted that other schools in the parish already use a similar model. MACA and North Central both serve grades 7 through 12, and Port Barre serves students from fifth through 12th grade, according to KLFY.

Community Reaction Split Between Frustration and Optimism

The mood at Thursday’s meeting was a mix of frustration with the state’s ultimatum and cautious hope about the merger’s potential.

Rod Sias, president of the local NAACP chapter, had raised concerns at an earlier meeting but said Thursday that he now believed the merger was the right call.

“After talking with people in the community, I truly believe this is the only path forward for the school,” Sias said, adding that there should be “no failing schools in St. Landry Parish.”

District 1 board member Anthony Standberry, whose district includes the junior high, pushed back on the state’s grading system.

“I still say that a letter grade does not speak to what goes on in a classroom,” Standberry said. “Public education is under attack right now, and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot a school district can do about it.”

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Principal Receives Standing Ovation Before the Vote

Opelousas Junior High Principal Sherika Simon, who was in her first year leading the campus, received a standing ovation from board and community members before the vote. Several board members said they believed the school’s performance would have improved if Simon had been given more time.

Simon said she was initially nervous about the merger but grew optimistic as she learned about the opportunities it could bring.

“I became very optimistic because they have many opportunities where the students can grow, if needed, in sports and academics that are available,” Simon said.

She acknowledged the school’s struggles but framed the consolidation as a step forward.

“This school, although it was an F school, combining it with a C school can only advance them to the next level,” she said. “I am telling them to step up to the plate. They can do this.”

Batiste was clear that the board’s decision was not a reflection on Simon or her staff.

“I think we all want to make it clear that this is no reflection on the effort and work of OJHS,” Batiste said. “We’re so grateful for all you have done for these kids, and it grieves us that we have to do this.”

LSU-Eunice Partnership Adds Resources to the Transition

The merger won’t just move students across town. Batiste told the board that a new partnership with LSU-Eunice will bring additional academic support to the consolidated campus.

LSUE Chancellor Nancee Sorenson confirmed the partnership at Thursday’s meeting, saying the university planned to offer a “summer bridge” program and other resources to help with the transition.

“I know what it’s like to not have every advantage,” Sorenson said. “We too are underfunded, but we’ve been able to make a lot happen.”

The district also plans to secure an annex building and develop academic opportunities for incoming seventh- and eighth-grade students, including access to high school credit courses and expanded athletics and music programs.

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What Happens Next for St. Landry Parish Schools

The district had until March 11 to submit its formal reconstitution plan to the state. Batiste said the transition will be handled step by step, with regular communication to staff and families leading up to the start of the school year in August.

Several students from Opelousas Junior High were recognized at Thursday’s meeting for placing in the district’s science fair, a reminder that even a school labeled as “failing” by the state’s accountability system still produced students capable of competing at a high level.