LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – There are changes for some voters when it comes to electing a Lafayette Parish School board member.
LPSB approved a reapportionment plan back in Sept. redrawing some district boundary lines.
Board President, Tommy Angelle, reminded board members that there will be changes that may not sit well.
“The first time I ran, the Carencro Highway 182 split Carencro into two. Half of my family couldn’t vote for me because I lived on the other side of 182,” Angelle explained.
Board member Mary Morrison spoke up when she saw that the newly approved amended plan moved Acadiana High School from one voting district into another.
“I noticed with the new maps Acadiana High is in District 1. I was wondering if we can keep Acadiana High in District 5 where it is currently. In District 5, their numbers are low and my numbers in my district are high,” Morrison stated.
Britt Latiolais of district five chimed in to say he did not move the district line, nor did he ask for it to be moved.
“You know, half of Scott was moved out of my district where I’m very very strong,” Latiolais responded.
Demographer Mike Hefner talked about balancing minority numbers among two districts with the board members’ consent.
“The north half of Precinct 17 north of Martin Luther King would go into three. The south part of 17 and the remainder would go into four; along with Precinct 52. To help rebalance that; Precincts 57 and 54 would go from District 4 to District 3,” Hefner said.
The board approved the amended plan with one member voting against it.
“Why don’t you want Acadiana in your district,” Latiolais asked Morrison.
“I’m not saying I don’t want it; I’m just saying that I know how much you love Acadiana High,” Morrison replied.
Latiolais responds, “I can move to Youngsville and still support Acadiana High. It doesn’t have to be physically in my district. My students go to Acadiana high. I will support that school until the day I die. I bleed green and gold.”
The re-districting does not impact school zones.
“The more you can keep communities and subdivisions as a whole the better off we are,” Angelle added.
