Moss suggested for technical school

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Oct 22, 2009 - Page: 1BA

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LAFAYETTE — N.P. Moss Middle School would be the most logical location to phase in the Lafayette Parish school system’s proposed new career and technical high school by next fall, said a member of the school system’s master planning team Wednesday.

The board had planned to open the new high school next fall at the ninth and 10th grades.

The recommendation made Wednesday by Robert Sands of the board’s master planning firm, CSRS, also called for a phasing out of the middle school grades when the high school grade levels are expanded.

The site was recommended as a temporary location to open the school in time for the target launch next fall. A recommendation for a permanent site will be part of the master plan, Sands said.

No decision was made by board members Wednesday.

The board and staff will consider the recommendation, but it could take some time before it’s brought back for a vote, Carl LaCombe, board president, said.

“There were several questions asked today about the nuts and bolts of how this would work,” LaCombe said.

LaCombe said he first wants to hear what the community thinks about the plan. As part of the process, another community dialogue session is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at J.W. Faulk Elementary — Faulk is a feeder for Moss.

Initial discussions had the early start of the program at W.D. Smith Career Center, but renovations would likely be needed. The board assigned its master planning firm the task of finding a temporary site to begin next fall.

Sands said the CSRS team considered other sites, including the Career Center, Paul Breaux Middle School, rental properties, strip mall centers, and even a former K-Mart store was considered.

“We kept coming back to N.P. Moss,” he said.

The site is well-suited for the initiative because of its 40 acres and location near two major parkways — Teurlings Drive and Willow Drive — and a public bus stop.

The school is also underutilized, the firm’s report stated. About 390 students are enrolled at Moss in grades six to eight, while capacity is about 1,000 students.