ST. LANDRY PARISH — KROTZ SPRINGS, La. (KATC) — Days after a judge dismissed a temporary restraining order that sought to stop the closure of Krotz Springs Elementary School, one parent is now asking the St. Landry Parish District Attorney's Office to review the St. Landry Parish School District's finances.
Derek Evans submitted a letter to District Attorney Chad Pitre requesting an independent review of the district's financial records to determine whether any laws were violated in connection with the district's budget deficit and the closure of Krotz Springs Elementary.
Evans said his request is not an accusation of criminal wrongdoing. Instead, he said he wants greater transparency into how the district's financial situation developed.
"It's like we've been saying the whole time—transparency," Evans said. "We want to make sure all the public records that we can access are available to the public and make sure nothing's going on. I just think we deserve to be able to review everything."
In addition to the letter, Evans also submitted a public records request seeking financial documents from the district, including payroll and other budget-related records.
He said his goal is to ensure communities have a better understanding of how financial decisions are made before schools are considered for closure.
"It's for the future health of St. Landry Parish," Evans said. "We're part of that regardless. Let's see if they did all their legwork to make sure everything was documented and broken down and how they got their numbers was accurate. It deserves an independent investigation from somebody else."
While the legal effort to stop the school's closure has come to an end, Evans said the community is now looking ahead.
One option being discussed is the possibility of opening a charter school in Krotz Springs.
"I was coming to talk to the mayor about our plans and where we're going to go forward as far as the town meetings," Evans said. "I gathered some data and wanted to discuss it with him, and we'll see how it goes."
Krotz Springs Mayor Carroll Snyder said he wants to introduce the idea to the town council during its regular meeting.
Snyder said the community is exploring several possibilities, including acquiring the current Krotz Springs Elementary campus or using other available property in town.
"The perfect scenario would be for us to acquire the existing Krotz Springs Elementary, but we don't know how that process would work," Snyder said. "My business partner and I have property that we would donate to build a charter school on, and the town also has property here in the city limits. Property is not an issue—it's getting on track and getting the ball rolling."At this time, no formal charter school application has been submitted. Town leaders say discussions are still in the early planning stages.
KATC reached out to the St. Landry Parish District Attorney's Office for comment. A representative with the office declined to comment on the letter.
KATC also reached out to St. Landry Parish School Superintendent Milton Batiste for comment but did not receive a response before the story went to air.
Below, you can read the documents submitted by Derek Evans:
Derek EvansLetter sent to the DA's office per Derek Evans, a Krotz Springs Elementary parent
The town's regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30pm.
