During an exclusive interview, Livingston Parish School Board Superintendent Jody Purvis described the completed and upcoming projects across the parish before moving to discuss the state of the schools across the parish as MFP funding changes hit some schools harder than others amongst the 2026-2027 school year’s theme of growth and support.
Summer Projects
For capital projects completed over the summer, Purvis noted that the most expansive project had to be the completion of South Fork Junior High, the 90,000 sq.ft. structure that the Walker Junior High students will be relocated to for this school year.
Additionally, Walker Junior High has plans for the campus to be renovated to become an additional school in the coming years. The renovation is set to go out to bid soon but Purvis noted that, as of now, there is no notice on the exact date for these renovations to be completed.
“The whole purpose of South Fork Junior High and the renovation… was to be able to help with the growth that’s been in the Walker area the last several years… and reduce some of those growing pains there,” Purvis stated.
Purvis went on to explain that when South Fork Elementary was originally built, the building plans included potential growth for a Junior High to also be added to the campus as well if the need arose. The cafeteria specifically was engineered to have the potential to be expanded upon the addition of another grade level’s campus, which is how they are operating now with the completion of South Fork Junior High.
“This puts the school kind of in the heart of the attendance zone,” Purvis noted. “When they were located at Walker Junior, it was across the interstate.”
Additionally, other, less extensive projects, were also completed over the summer break including the final phase of the Denham Springs Field House, a remodeling of the Northside Elementary’s entrance, renovations of the Doyle Highschool’s carpentry and welding shops, and the remodeling of the old Albany Upper’s cafeteria into a library and additional classrooms.
Upcoming Projects
There are also several upcoming projects set to enter construction or bidding soon, according to Superintendent Purvis.
Firstly, construction on multipurpose buildings for South Live Oak, North Live Oak, and Live Oak Elementary schools are set to start soon.
The Denham Springs Stem Center is set to see an administration and additional classroom building in the future.
Additionally, Albany Middle School’s gym and parking lot is “in the works at the moment” and the parking lot construction at Denham Springs High School has already begun.
MFP Changes
As many are aware, the “detrimental” effects of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s recent order to provide one-time stipends to certain educational staff by approving a $168 million dollar reduction in the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) for public school funding has resulted in school boards throughout the state being forced to make a series of hard decisions.
Purvis noted that Livingston Parish was projected to see a reduction of $6.4 million if they only give stipends to the staff within the educational positions named in the Governor’s order. The Livingston Parish school board, which seeks to provide stipends to all educational positions, will actually be facing a $7.7 million reduction in funds for the 2026-2027 school year.
“During the summer and spring, when you’re preparing for the following year and have no idea the budget is going to be cut by $6.4 million… that’s a hard pill to swallow” Purvis noted. “You’re stuck with trying to manage how to do it.”
“For the last three years, we’ve been working through an operational and efficiency study to determine… if we were being efficient,” Purvis added. “During that study, it was determined that we were running very lean, and if you look at the state per-pupil expenditures for the state… Livingston Parish is the lowest per-pupil expenditure for the state.”
“If you’re the lowest, you have less to cut,” Purvis concluded gravely.
Purvis went on to note that, on top of these issues, Livingston Parish does not have competitive salaries compared to surrounding parishes and, as such, the MFP changes create a space where employees are not able or willing to stay and educate within the parish. Purvis added that some parishes have sought to cover the MFP gap by increasing class sizes per educator, but Livingston Parish is unwilling to do that since it is facing a salary deficit, and employees are already operating at their maximum.
Purvis stated that Livingston Parish will be attempting to combine general funds with some district funds to cover the $7.7 million and will then review staffing for the 2027-2028 school year to make adjustments so that nothing more is cut or left lacking due to the MFP changes.
“We were in a very bad situation,” Purvis noted, “but we want to take care of our employees.”
New Classes
Superintendent Purvis also briefly discussed some new programs and classes that will be coming to schools throughout the parish.
Many new classes are set to be rolled out this school year, including additional computer science standards classes in several Junior and High Schools to help with the continued growth of the robotics programs across the district.
Additionally, Springfield High School will be piloting a new career exploratory program as part of the Quest for Success class, allowing freshmen students to explore 13 different careers to determine their interests as they move forward with their education.
Lastly, Live Oak High School continues to see success with their newest aviation program and will have a new Advanced Placement (AP) course, AP Business, focusing on financial literacy to cover personal finances as well as how to start and open a business.
“We try to make sure each school has opportunities available for all students, regardless of the size of that school, so that all students can experience those different courses,” Purvis concluded.
New Principals
There are four new principals for the 2026-2027 school year, each of which are listed below:
School Year Theme
Purvis concluded his discussion of the new school year by emphasizing the year’s theme: Navigating Growth – Impacting What Matters.
The focus of the theme is growth and being intentional about how that growth is achieved.
Purvis noted that to achieve this growth, the needs of each individual school and its students will be considered as they work on formatting the support and services provided to each school.
Purvis added that the school board also hopes to see parents and the community working together with the schools to encourage this year’s theme of growth and development, emphasizing that the school board is always available to help in times of need.
“We’re excited to have our kids back,” Purvis stated. “We worked for a couple of years doing a whole lot of professional learning to really try to refine the things that we do that can impact students, and this is the year we are hoping to see that pay off.”
“We’ve seen growth for the past 3 years… we’re hoping to see that growth continue, and I think we will,” Purvis concluded.
