Photo by Don Kadair

THIS MAGNET DETRACTS
When the extent of the needed work to Baton Rouge Magnet High School became apparent, there was some consideration for tearing the school down, a shocking idea to the school’s alumni, many of whom angrily demanded a different solution.
The 12-member Baton Rouge Magnet High School Renovation/Restoration/Replacement committee, formed by Superintendent Charlotte Placide, ended up recommending a renovation of the existing main building while demolishing and replacing the surrounding buildings. It’s a more expensive proposition than building a new school on a new site, but more palatable to folks who care about the neo-gothic Mid City landmark. The School Board was expected to make the final decision when it voted on the system’s long-term facility plan Jan. 10. The system hopes to defray some of the expected $62 million cost of the renovation with help from the Louisiana Legislature’s Capital Outlay Fund and the school’s alumni association.
Scot Guidry, an alumni association board member, says they’ve spent more than $150,000 on various materials and improvements for the school over the years, but this would be by far the largest fundraising effort they’ve ever attempted. Guidry says a few people have said they are considering sizeable donations, but they want to wait and see what the School Board plans to do. The alumni association wants the school to continue as a magnet school at its current site.
The school, at 2825 Government St., was built in 1926. The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation has put the school on its 2007-08 list of the 10 most endangered historic sites in the state.