LAFAYETTE, La. — The Lafayette Parish School Board voted Thursday to move forward with the closure of Ovey Comeaux High School, approving the measure in a narrow 5-4 vote despite opposition from several board and community members.
The vote marks another step in the district's effort to address declining enrollment and reduce operational costs across the parish.
Superintendent Francis Touchet said the decision was driven by enrollment numbers that have continued to fall over the past several years.
"People are going to have a hard time with change, but listen, for the last eight years, there has been a business that has been declining in revenue," Touchet said. "And here we are, we're asking, 'Why does it need to stay the way it is?'"
According to Touchet, Comeaux High currently serves 392 students despite having the capacity to accommodate approximately 2,100.
"The school can actually house 2,100 kids," Touchet said. "We can't survive by running schools that are just not being efficient."
Under the approved plan, the Comeaux campus would be repurposed into a career center. Touchet said the transition is expected to generate approximately $2 million in annual savings for the district.
"What are we going to do? We're going to leave it open?" Touchet said. "Are we going to look at how we're going to conserve the actual taxpayers' dollars? And that to me is what's more important here."
Touchet acknowledged the closure will be difficult for some students, families and alumni but said the district must make decisions that reflect its current financial realities.
"Just understand that this is a business decision," Touchet said. "Sometimes these decisions are hard to be made, and what it comes down to is the board made a decision. My job as a superintendent is to follow through with these decisions."
