Attendance boundaries for the new high school on Louisiana Highway 1088 were not decided Thursday night at a three-and-a-half-hour meeting of the St. Tammany School Board.

By a vote of 11-2, the board postponed a vote to determine the boundaries until another public hearing and meeting can be held, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

Board member Donald Villere introduced another boundary map proposal for the new school that would eliminate subdivisions off of Louisiana Highway 59 and Lonesome Road, and would simply include the attendance boundaries currently used for Monteleone Junior High School.

An overflow crowd of concerned parents voiced their opinions as to the attendance boundaries for the new high school located on Louisiana Highway 1088 being carved out of the current Fontainebleau High School attendance area. The third such meeting, another one be held Tuesday, Oct. 28 before a final decision will be made. (Staff Photo by Debbie Glover)

In addition to Villere’s new proposal, the alternatives from the last meeting, including “Map 2” which would include rural Abita Springs in the new high school’s district and “Map 1” which would include subdivisions off of Lonesome Road, are also being considered.

An overflow crowd of parents and a few students filled the School Board Meeting room at the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex and spilled into the lobby and the atrium of the first floor. Chairs were set up in the atrium with a television feed onto a large viewing screen.

Participants were allowed three minutes to speak and express their opinions on the proposed attendance boundaries, which will affect the Fontainebleau High School boundaries as well. Speakers had to sign up in advance, and 50 parents and students signed the roster.

Villere introduced his proposal early in the meeting and many of those attending live in subdivisions off of Lonesome Road, an area in dispute on the maps. Those residents cheered when he produced the alternative, which would allow them to stay at Fontainebleau High.

The main opposition to Map 1 of the committee’s alternatives is the distance and proximity of those living in Lonesome Road area to FHS.

These students would be bused to the new high school, about seven miles away instead of staying at Fontainebleau, located two miles away.

Other protests to former alternatives include the length of the commute to the new school by residents in rural Abita Springs.

The boundary controversy has been fueled by the delay of the U. S. Interstate 12/Louisiana 1088 interchange and a north-south road that would facilitate traffic from outlying areas. Other reasons given by School Board President Neal Hennegan for the location of the new not-yet-named high school included the growth projections of new subdivisions expected once the interchange is built.

“No road exists between Louisiana Highway 36 and La.1088, so the northern areas of the attendance boundaries would have to zigzag to reach the [new] school,” Hennegan said.

Each group of parents had their own set of statistics, including times and mileage needed to reach each school from each area. These differed from the school board figures, adding confusion to the question of student population at both schools.

Villere’s proposal would give the new school a population of 858 students and Fontainebleau 1,523 students when the new school is totally populated, in about four years. His figures do not include any projections of growth of new subdivisions.

School board member Ray Alfred pointed out that in order to fully populate a school with honor programs and competitive athletic teams, a student population of about 1,000 to 1,200 is needed. Villere’s proposal would not reach that critical population. His figures do not include any developments in any area, but are based upon current subdivisions and enrollment figures, Villere said.

Some of the comments from parents that live in the area off Lonesome Road as considering FHS as their “community school.”

Resident Randy Bridges painted a picture for the board, “Imagine a cool, crisp Friday night; you are in your front yard when you hear the high school band belting out the fight song. The crowds are cheering as the football game begins. You can hear the cheerleaders and imagine yourself sitting in the bleachers. This is what I do every Friday night. This is my community school — Fontainebleau. Why would I send my child to a school seven miles away when we can see the stadium lights in the northeast sky?”

Other residents agreed, saying that their children can ride their bikes or even walk to the school, using the Tammany Trace.

Several in attendance represented subdivision homeowner associations, and the first speaker to address the board, Joseph Chotin, submitted a petition containing 1,564 names asking the board to leave the Lonesome Road area at FHS.

He asked the residents of the area to stand, and an overwhelming majority of those present rose in agreement.

Other parents said they chose to live in certain subdivisions because of the proximity to FHS. The recurring theme of community school repeated during the three hours. The additional driving time and mileage was also a concern for rural Abita Springs residents.

Hennegan and the board voted to give everyone more time to examine the three options. The board set up another public hearing on Oct. 28. To view the three options, visit the school board Web site at www.stpsb.org.