Jeff Davis offers help to Cameron schools

JENNINGS — The Jeff Davis Parish School Board is stepping up to aid Cameron Parish schools, which were swamped by Hurricane Ike last weekend.

The School Board is offering the use of local classrooms and maintenance workers to help Cameron Parish schools with disaster recovery.

“They’d help us if we needed it,” Superintendent David Clayton said.

During Thursday’s board meeting, Clayton said he had spoken with Cameron Parish School Superintendent Stephanie Rodrigue, who told him the damage caused by Ike was worse than that of Hurricane Rita three years ago.

Johnson Bayou High School suffered damage to about 80 percent of its structure and will likely have to be replaced. Temporary buildings at Cameron High School were also damaged beyond repair. The school’s gym was heavily damaged

Schools in Hackberry and Grand Lake also have “issues” that need to be addressed, but are expected to reopen soon, Clayton said.

Clayton said Cameron Parish school officials are trying to lease a warehouse in Lake Charles as an alternate site for South Cameron High School so “students will have a place to go to school.”

The warehouse would have partitions installed to divide classrooms. Plumbing and electrical work would also be needed, he said.

Under a joint service agreement approved by the School Board, Jeff Davis Parish is offering Cameron Parish schools use of its maintenance employees to help get the school set up. The employees would be rotated on a daily basis so that Jeff Davis Parish is not left without proper maintenance crews.

“It’s sort of a slow time of year for our maintenance crews anyway,” Clayton said.

Cameron Parish would reimburse Jeff Davis Parish for travel and salary expenses.

The board is also offering the use of 10-12 classrooms at the old James Ward Elementary School in Jennings. Under the agreement, the Cameron Parish School Board would use the school and pay the cost of utilities and upkeep of the building.