Will the Bogalusa and Washington Parish School Systems be Consolidated?

The first meeting of the Bogalusa City Schools/Washington Parish Schools systems Consolidation Commission will be held Monday, September 17, 2018 at 5:30 pm at the Bogalusa School Board Media Center on Sullivan Drive in Bogalusa. The purpose of the commission is to study the feasibility of consolidating the Bogalusa City and Washington Parish school systems, achieving one unified school district.

The commission was established by Act 413 (click here to read), sponsored by Louisiana State Senator Beth Mizell (District 12) and Louisiana State Representative Malinda Brumfield-White (District 75) and signed by the Governor on May 23, 2018. The commission consists of 24 members, serving without pay or per-diem. At least monthly meetings are required by the Act, with the meetings to alternate between Bogalusa and Franklinton and will be open to the public.

The commission is tasked to submit a written report of its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Bogalusa City School Board and the Washington Parish School Board not later than August 31, 2019.

If the commission determines that consolidating the two school systems is in the best interest of the students, each school board will pass a resolution calling for an election to gain voter approval of the consolidation.