Caddo Parish Board Votes to Close Three Schools

SHREVEPORT, LA - Several residents showed up to voice concerns about proposed school closings of Caddo Parish schools. But in the end, the board voted to shut the doors at 3 schools:

81st Street Early Childhood Education Center

Queensborough Elementary

Blanchard Elementary

Students at 81st Street would move to Atkins Elementary after the 2025-2026 school year.

Students at Queensborough would move to J.S. Clark after the current school year. 275 students will be impacted by this change.

Students at Blanchard Elementary would be moved to Donnie Bickham which would be converted to a Pre-K - 8th grade school.

School Board President Jasmine Green says Caddo Parish is down to 33,000 students from more than 42,000 15 years ago. She says "we have to make the adjustments with the changing student population."

What Did Residents Say About the School Closings?

Mariam Harley told the board "We don't trust you guys. We have constantly seen a decline in all of our neighborhood schools and nothing has been done. There are no extra services or support for teachers at these failing schools."

Alvin Oliver, President of the NAACP told the board "I understand the financial aspect of this. I understand people are leaving the neighborhood of Queensborough. But what needs to happen is board members need to do a better job of explaining to people what is happening."

Kimberlay Jones says when a school closes, it impacts the children and the families, but it also is a loss to the entire neighborhood. She adds "education is the great equalizer, but unfortunately the Caddo Superintendent and the School Board appear to be complicit in the age-old movement that further disenfranchises certain children, certain schools and certain communities."

Reverend Dr. Tim Jones told the board:

Four of our schools in Cedar Grove were taken from us. 3 of them were turned into Magnet schools. Children who live across the street from these schools can not attend them. Instead, these youngsters are bused out of the neighborhood. As many as 75% of the children in Cedar Grove are bused out of the area.

He adds: "It's been more than 40 years and the Cedar Grove experiment has failed. The magnet school system has failed. We have bragged about five or six exceptional schools. But we have destroyed some of our schools to create five or six exceptional schools.

The board voted to close Queensborough on an 8-3-1 vote. Dr. Terence Vinson, Dr. Bonita Douzart and Jerry Bowman Jr. voted against the plan to close Queensborough. Christine Tharpe recused herself on this vote because she works for Willis Knighton. The hospital has expressed an interest in buying the Queensborough School.

On the proposal to close Blanchard, the board voted 11-1 to close the school. Dr. Terence Vinson was the only "no" vote.

The board voted to close 81st Street ECE on a 9-3 vote. Dr. Terence Vinson and Dr. Bonita Douzart voted against this closing.