By Kyle Roberts
The Lincoln Parish School Board held its second public forum to give Ruston’s school district residents a chance to hear updates regarding the upcoming $17.5 million bond proposal.
After a brief introduction by LPSB president Gregg Phillips, Ruston High School principal Dan Gressett talked at length about a proposed roof replacement for Ruston High that is estimated to be $1 million.
“The warranty on our roof goes out this year,” Gressett said. “It’s not in great shape at all, and we battled and battled as long as we can. It’s something that needs to be done.”
Gressett then discussed the need for increased security at Ruston High’s campus.
“Ruston High is the only school in the district where you are not buzzed in and come into a waiting area,” Gressett said. “When you walk in the doors at RHS, you’re in the middle of the school. You walk right into students. We have some money that I believe is going to cover that, but we want to secure our doors.”
A second part of security in the proposal is the Evolv body scanner machines that can be set up in entrances at the school but are designed to be portable, meaning they can be used to scan entrants at events outside of the school building.”
“The first time I encountered the body scan machines was at the quarterfinal game at Zachary High School (in March),” Gressett said. “They had it set up as you entered the gym. There were probably a thousand people at the game, and there was no stop in traffic. You walked straight through, and if you were “pinged,” you would be pulled aside and searched a little further. It was a very smooth process.”
In the proposal are five Evolv systems, three for Ruston High and two for Ruston Junior High for an estimated cost of $500,000 for all five.
Gressett also gave an update on the parking lot by the gym entrance, which is estimated to be currently two-thirds filled with dirt, slated to add more parking for students during school hours and for attendees at sporting events.
Ruston head football coach Jerrod Baugh then gave more insight on why the bond measure should not be seen as solely going to athletics and not the academic success of students.
“I don’t think you separate the two,” Baugh said. “Anyone that has been involved in athletics in the past or has kids or grandkids that are involved in athletics or extracurricular activities would agree that it has a lot to do with how they progress academically, as well. The experience that I have, which is over 25 years of doing this, has shown me that it’s absolutely intertwined and you can’t separate the two.”
Ruston School District No. 1 residents will vote on the proposal on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
