LPJ Staff Report
RUSTON, La. — As the Lincoln Parish School District prepares for its elementary school reconfiguration this fall for the four Ruston schools, district leaders say the transition is progressing smoothly and is already producing benefits for students and families.
The reconfiguration, approved by the Lincoln Parish School Board earlier this year, will shift the district’s elementary schools to a neighborhood-school model while also relocating pre-kindergarten classes from the Lincoln Parish Early Childhood Center to individual campuses. Assistant Superintendent Justin Barron confirmed that “(we had) six classes at LPECC last year, and we’ll have the same capacity within the four elementary schools.”
One of the most immediate impacts will be later bus pickup times for elementary students.
“We’ll be ready to receive students at 7:10, which is twenty minutes later than our arrival time in previous years,” Superintendent John Young said. “The changes will reduce time spent on buses and in car lines and will create more efficient transportation routes.”
Barron said the district remains on schedule to have all teachers and classrooms ready before the start of the school year. “We have been really intentional about both personnel changes and moving instructional materials and furniture. The vast majority of staff and teachers stayed on their same campus. That was a priority that we had.”
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Emily Howell said teachers who were changing schools or grade levels were notified before spring break and received training before the school year ended.
“Every teacher that was new to a content or grade level received training in May and left with their grade level materials in hand,” Howell said. “I think anytime you ask a teacher to teach something new, that can be stressful. Our teachers were a delight to work with in their spring training. They exhibited flexibility and positivity.”
“On May 12, we did open houses, and it was powerful for me to see families attending together with siblings that would be at the same school,” Howell said. “I do think over time, we’re going to see benefits and results for kids being able to be rooted in a neighborhood school.”
To help address concerns from educators, Young said the district established a teacher reconfiguration advisory group that met during the spring.
“We wanted to hear what they had to say — the good, the bad, ugly — and we wanted to address those needs as they went on,” Young said. “There are legitimate feelings that are involved with moving, and we get it; we tried to alleviate some of those fears as best we could.”
At the school level, Glen View Elementary Principal Jordan Blachier said teachers are eager to begin the new year despite the uncertainty created by the transition. “I think we’ve already worked through all that, and everybody is excited for the things that are in store for 26-27,” he said.
“I’ve had teachers contact me daily, ‘Hey, when can we get back in our classrooms to start setting up?'” Blachier said. “They’re eager to start and get ready for the new year to welcome students back.”
The district is also moving forward with plans to convert the former Lincoln Parish Early Childhood Center into a new central office and operations complex. At the July 2026 board meeting, Triad Builders of Ruston was selected in the bid process to handle the project.
“In terms of a timeline, it could be anywhere from 12 to 18 months,” Young said. “Our goal is to hopefully move in at some point during the 27-28 school year.
The new site will consolidate maintenance, child nutrition, student services, and other district departments into one location.
“That’s a huge benefit to us academically and from an operations standpoint. One location allows departments to work more collaboratively in pursuit of better outcomes for kids,” Young said.
Young added that no decision has been made regarding the future use of the current school board office, but added that he expects that “hopefully, there will be some good use the community gets from it.”
