(The Center Square) — Concerned and distressed residents voiced their disappointment in school closures one month after the Caddo Parish School Board made the decision to close Queensborough Elementary, Blanchard Elementary and Eighty-First Street ECE.
“The decision to close Queensborough is corrupt and profit-driven,” said Omari Hussein from the All Street All People community organization, at Tuesday’s meeting.
Many people took the podium to address the school board’s decision, some of which resulted in emotional testimonies concerning their children, their families and the schools they attended as kids.
“That choice wasn’t given to us to better his education… That wasn’t just a school for him. Those weren’t just teachers for him. It was a family. It was a community,” said Ameshia Hall, mother of a Queensborough student.
The Center Square reached out to School Board President Jasmine Green regarding the school closures in the parish and recent public comments, also District 10 School Board Member Katie McLain, but a response was not received before publication.
The decision to close the three schools came in April. School board members had discussed the closures, which they said could potentially save taxpayers between $750,000 to $1 million each year.
When the decision was made, School Board President Jasmine Green spoke to those in attendance who had expressed opinions on the closures.
“I do understand that change can be hard,” said Green. “When I first got on the board, we had 42,000 children in Caddo. We’re now down to 33,000. That’s a lot of students. That’s a lot of money. You can’t continue to run a school system and have 150 kids.”
In 2008, according to data from the state Department of Education, the district had 43,248 students. Enrollment declined by the 2024-2025 school year to 32,504, a decrease of 24.8%.
In the previous school board meeting, some understood why the school board would close the schools from a financial standpoint.
“I hate to see Queensborough close,” said Alvin Oliver. “But, from a financial aspect, I can understand it.”
