Parents discussing separate south Baton Rouge school district

Talk of eliminating direct bus routes for gifted and magnet school students is helping reignite discussions about forming a new public school district in East Baton Rouge Parish. Talks are in the very early stages and there is no working map yet, sources say. One possible district might take in most of the southern portion of the parish, but extend as far north as Government Street. An expanded St. George Fire Protection District is also mentioned as a starting point. Creating a new district would require a state constitutional amendment. Critics say they are dissatisfied with school performance and how the administration is handling system budget cuts in general. But transportation issues, which parents say cause some children to spend four hours or more a day on a bus, appear to have been the spark. Craig Harvey, who has four children in the public school system, says “at least a couple hundred parents” have been made aware of the discussion, with 10 to 15 parents actively involved in his group. Cajun Industries chairman and political activist Lane Grigsby has been brought into the discussion, but says he won’t have an opinion until a study is conducted. One activist suggests his group will commission a private study, but Grigsby says the state Legislature should direct the study so lawmakers can trust the results. “What we leave behind is threatened with ruination,” Grigsby says. “That is a big concern of mine.” —David Jacobs