“We look at the performances of our schools, we look at the enrollment of our schools. We also look at the services that we provide at our school. The status quo is never really what we're looking for. We're always looking for what is the next step,” Tommy Byler, the Vermilion Parish superintendent, said.

 ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY)-- Two Abbeville elementary schools could possibly be changing for the better. 

“We look at the performances of our schools, we look at the enrollment of our schools. We also look at the services that we provide at our school. The status quo is never really what we're looking for. We're always looking for what is the next step,” Tommy Byler, the Vermilion Parish superintendent, said.

Byler told News 10 that one idea being discussed with school officials is the possibility of moving Eaton Park Elementary and Herod Elementary and making a K-5th elementary school back in Abbeville. 

“A lot of people still don't realize that Herod used to be a K-5 school. Eaton Park used to be a K-5 school. We broke up that configuration around accountability. Previous superintendents made some moves and so right now we're looking at what are the results of that. Did it pay the dividends that we wanted?” Byler questioned. 

“How do we embrace the Abbeville community? How do we provide the services, put the social workers we need in the schools, the school health, and the nurses in the school? Some of our most at-risk students don't necessarily get the services we need, you know, and so they get what we need but can we do better?” he asked.

“We're putting money into two facilities. We're putting money into two sets of services. Could we be spending our money better and up the services that we provide for our kids? So it's just one of those things that's on our radar of possibly making that move," he added.

Now nothing is final yet. Byler suggested if things would work out, his preference is that Herod Elementary be the school housing K-5th grade. 

“I just feel like it's more visible to the community,” Byler said. 

Byler said they would plan to turn Eaton Park Elementary into an educational center. 

“Moving our virtual school to one place. Moving our alternative school to another section of the school. It gives us a building that we can house some vital services in our system that currently are all over the parish," he said.

Byler adds with Vermilion Charter Academy in Maurice opening doors in the fall of 2024, he is watching to see if there is a possibility they might lose students in Abbeville. 

“Eaton Park sits at about 415 or 420 [students]," he told News 10. "Herod sits between 315 and 330 [students]. So with the onset of the charter school, we're going to lose some. Unfortunately, the population in Abbeville is dwindling. There's more choice out there. I mean, we're projecting that it would probably be a school about 650 to 680 [students]. That's smaller than those schools were when they were K-5. Both of them."

Byler said decisions have to be made based on numbers and finances. 

“We’re moving into, like I tell people, a return on investment, the money we're putting in," Byler said. "Are we getting out what we need? Are we spending money in places [where] we don't need to spend money?” he questioned. “It’s very early in the stages, and I have met with a couple of community people. I want to get business partnerships but again, I'm not going to rush into something.” 

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