LAFAYETTE, La. — Several schools will face significant changes due to a recent decision to cut certain pre-kindergarten immersion programs in Spanish, French, and the Arts.
The announcement came as a shock to parents like Rene Sonnier, who has two children enrolled at Myrtle Place Elementary, one of the schools that's set to close its Pre-K program.
"It really doesn't make sense to any of the people that I spoken with, any other parents," she said. "Pre-K is such an important time to enter into an immersion program cause children are ready to learn and are like little sponges, their brains are seeking out language and are learning so much. It's a great time to enter that program and it really sets them up for success in the future. So it doesn't make any sense to me."
KATC spoke with Tracy Wirtz, a spokesperson for LPSS, about the closures.
“Immersion programs are expensive," she said. "In previous school board meetings, the superintendent and the board have been very budget conscious, looking ahead at projected shortfalls that will occur in the 2025-2026 school year. It’s all about fiscal responsibility,” Wirtz explained.
According to her, the decision to close the Pre-K immersion programs is projected to save approximately $1 million annually.
Josh Sonnier, Rene's husband, expressed concern that eliminating these programs could adversely affect their children's ability to learn French early and says this feels familiar.
"We've had periods in Louisiana's history where French-speaking in schools was actively curtailed, and it wasn't great. I would hate for us to return to that," he said.
LPSS confirmed that nine teachers and nine paraprofessionals will be affected and will be reassigned to other schools within the district, assuring that there will always be a place for certified teachers in Lafayette Parish.
Gretchen Grant, a concerned parent, voiced her worries about the long-term consequences of these cuts.
"I think it's really detrimental to their education because first of all there's plenty of research going into how effective it is to have a child in the Pre-K program to their academic success. It's very important to get them started as early as possible and it's detrimental that you are going to hold them back an entire year on a whim," Grant said.
This is a list of all adjustments made to Pre-K French, Spanish, and Arts immersion programs.
According to LPSS, schools closing in 2025-2026 school year are:
- J. Wallace James Elementary: 3 Arts sections
- Myrtle Place Elementary: 2 French Immersion sections
- Prairie Elementary: 2 French Immersion sections
- Evangeline Elementary: 1 French Immersion section
- Boucher Elementary: 1 Spanish Immersion section
LPSS leaders also stated the district will have only two Pre-K schools, which will both be located on either side of the Vermilion River, in addition to the regular Pre-K sections within the elementary schools.
