Cost stalls Head Start

• By KORAN ADDO
• Advocate Westside bureau
• Published: Jun 11, 2009 - Page: 1B

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NEW ROADS — A tight deadline to provide housing for Pointe Coupee Parish’s new Head Start program by September became even tighter after the School Board scrapped plans to build Head Start centers at four schools.

The School Board has $1.1 million to spend on the new buildings, but according to School Board documents, estimates for putting up permanent structures ballooned from $1 million in March to $1.7 million in May.

Efforts to bring down those costs, including reducing building sizes and eliminating office space and meeting areas, did not bring estimates low enough to stay within the construction budget, School Board members said during a June 2 special meeting.

During that meeting, the board authorized architect David Mougeot to revise the original plans and to draw up designs for modular or portable buildings at Rosenwald, Rougon, Upper Pointe Coupee and Valverda Elementary schools.

The switch in plans is intended to save the school system money, but it also means the early learning program for 3-year-olds could be delayed past Sept. 8, when it was supposed to begin.

Superintendent Mike Lucia said he’s confident the program would be up and running by sometime this fall. He said early September is still a reachable goal, but delaying the program for a few weeks, if necessary, won’t be a big deal.

School Board member Kevin Hotard, however, said there is no guarantee the program won’t be scrapped altogether for the 2009-10 school year if the price of portable buildings can’t be reconciled with the school system’s construction budget.

Architect David Mougeot, who designed the proposed permanent buildings, said he should finish new designs for portable buildings by next week.

When those designs are complete, the School Board would have to wait at least 30 days for a state-mandated public bidding process to run its course before the school system orders the portable buildings.

Mougeot said he expects the price tag for four portable buildings to come in at close to $1.3 million.

If he’s correct, School Board members would have to decide if they want to subsidize the difference — an estimated $200,000 — out of the school system’s general fund.

Last month, when Head Start construction estimates arrived as much as $700,000 over the school system’s budget, School Board President James Cline ruled out using a large chunk general fund money to cover the difference.

However, board member Kevin Hotard said the School Board always has recognized that some money may have to come out of the general fund to get Head Start under way.