EPSB agrees to move forward with $2.3 million upgrade

Despite the concern of some members, the Evangeline Parish School Board unanimously agreed to move forward with upgrading schools’ online infrastructure at a cost of approximately $2.3 million at the recommendation of Superintendent Toni Hamlin and other supervisors.
With the use of PARCC assessment (online testing) still in the air, with the governor stating he would like to withdraw from PARCC testing and State Superintendent John White claiming the governor does not have the power to do so, the school board was left unsure which direction to go. However, Hamlin informed board members that despite what happens with PARCC’s online testing, the schools in this parish will be tested online now and in the future. She stated this is simply where technology is headed and it was in the best interest of the students and the future of education in this parish to move forward with the upgrades.
Some board members voiced their concerns over spending the funds necessary for this upgrade, stating that if it turns out that the governor is granted the power to pull out of PARCC testing, the parish could potentially be wasting that money when it does not need to.
Hamlin stated that she would follow with whatever the board’s decision is on this issue, but pleaded with them to allow the school district to move forward so that it would have the time to finish this project for testing in the spring. Chief Financial Officer Amy Lafleur estimated the upgrades would take approximately eight months to complete in schools across the parish. Hamlin reiterated that regardless what happens with PARCC, online testing is the way technology is going and it was in the best interest of everyone involved to prepare the schools for what’s to come, which is online testing.
The board finally approved a motion confirming its decision to move forward, a motion made by board member David Landreneau, and it was approved unanimously.
Hamlin and Lafleur informed the board that the school district would be given seven years to pay the $2.3 million in an agreement with the company performing the infrastructure upgrades.