– The St. Martin Parish School Board heard from St. Martin Economic Development Authority Director Jennifer Stelly about the impact that her organization has on the parish at this past week’s school board finance committee meeting.
The school board had agreed to a payment to SMEDA of just over $29,000, but some members had asked what SMEDA’s operations include.
Stelly gave a presentation to the board in response, noting that SMEDA helps find resources and incentives for new and existing businesses and looks to expand the parish’s tax base by promoting commercial locations and developing certified industrial sites for businesses.
The SMEDA Industrial Park, located in the Broussard area along U.S. 90, has generated around $25 million in property taxes from 2009 to 2023, the latest year for which those numbers are available, Stelly said. Almost $8 million of that money went to the St. Martin Parish schools.
SMEDA has gotten state certification for industrial sites totaling 400 acres in the parish, including sites Spanish Trail Site, I-10 in Breaux Bridge, the North Schaefer Site, the South Schaefer Site, the Mouton Site and a site at Henderson along I-10 that is being certified this year.
SMEDA’s total annual funding of $107,708 is provided by five government entities in the parish plus a portion from SMEDA Park assessments.
The parish government, school board, St. Martin Parish Sheriff, City of St. Martinville and City of Breaux Bridge all pay portions of that funding each year.
The City of Breaux Bridge increased its funding from $14,000 to $20,000 a couple of years ago, she said, and Sheriff Becket Breaux increased funding from $15,000 in the past to $35,000 this year and has committed to increasing that to $50,000 next year, Stelly said.
“With the new funding we’re hoping to do a little bit more planning,” Stelly said. “These site plans, these feasibility studies, cost money that we just don’t have to do that right now.”
Other area economic development agencies are funded at a much higher rate, she said, with St. Landry Parish at $3.5 million, Iberia Parish at $522,000, Lafayette Parish at $4.7 million, the City of Broussard at $223,000 and the regional One Acadiana at $2.6 million.
“So we are a little bit behind the curve on that, but we feel that the work we do with the little bit of money that we get every year is kind of speaking for itself,” Stelly said. “We try to be really good stewards of the money we have and use those funds in ways we think are most impactful, like the site certification programs. It’s costly for us, but the results are just blown out of the water.”
LSU Ag Center
LSU AgCenter Extension County Agent and Parish Chair Stuart Gauthier gave his annual report to the board and Associate 4-H Youth Development Agent Ashley Istre explained the 4-H program in the parish.
Gauthier explained the impact agriculture has on the parish, providing $90 million annually to the economy, led by the sugar cane crop.
He also spoke about new threats that are affecting agriculture this year, including pasture mealybugs in sugar cane crops and pastures, apple snails that affect pond crawfish harvests and New World screwworms that affect cattle and wildlife.
Istre talked about all the 4-H programs that students participate in, including shooting competitions, leadership programs at the local, state and regional level, project clubs and animal shows.
Several students introduced themselves and spoke about the impact the program has had on them.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda passed by the board included approving changes to the Pupil Progression, Teacher Information, Curriculum and Instruction and Response to Intervention handbooks.
The consent agenda also approved two school spirit days where students and staff can pay $1 to wear a spirit shirt with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
It also renewed a memorandum of understanding with the Lafayette Council on Aging for the Foster Grandparent Program at St. Martin Early STEAM Academy and one for Behavioral Health Services.
Also approved was payment for an assistant volleyball coach at Cecilia High School.
In Other Business
The board recognized of Cecilia High School senior Ashlyn Baudin, who took the Foundations of Education Course at CHS as a junior and applied for the Louisiana Department of Education Learning & Leading: Aspiring Educators Cohort program that gives high school students hands-on opportunities to explore the teaching profession.
Baudin was accepted into the year-long program and will participate, with teacher/sponsor Shawne Taylor, in virtual and in-person programs hosted by the Department of Education, culminating in a teacher leader summit in New Orleans next summer.
The board held off on a discussion of hiring freezes as brought up by board member Mark Hebert. Hebert explained why he had brought the issue up but said that since Lean Frog, a company hired by the school system to evaluate its operations to look into streamlining and costs savings, is going to bring its findings to the administration and board members during meetings this month.
Hebert said he is adamant about the studentteacher ratio being the last thing the school system changes in its costcutting efforts.
Board member Richard Potier also asked that his requested discussion of the status of Stephensville Elementary School be postponed.
Stephensville Elementary Principal Christopher Shirley was honored as the Southern Scripts Employee of the Month.
