Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, Louisiana

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools
Lake Charles, Louisiana
District details
Superintendent: Karl Bruchhaus
# of school board members: 15
Website: Link

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools is a school district in Louisiana. In the 2011-2012 school year, Calcasieu Parish was the fifth-largest school district in Louisiana and served 32,563 students.

About the district

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools is located in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools lies in southwestern Louisiana in Calcasieu Parish. The seat of parish government is Lake Charles. Calcasieu Parish was home to approximately 195,296 residents according to 2013 estimates by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographics

Calcasieu Parish underperformed compared to the rest of Louisiana in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 19.8 percent of Calcasieu Parish residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 21.4 percent for Louisiana as a whole. The median household income for the parish was $44,247 compared to $44,673 statewide. The poverty rate in the parish was 16.8 percent compared to 18.7 percent for the entire state.

Racial Demographics, 2013
Race	Calcasieu Parish (%)	Louisiana (%)
White	71.2	63.5
Black or African American	25.2	32.4
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.6	0.8
Asian	1.2	1.7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.1
Two or More Races	1.7	1.5
Hispanic or Latino	2.9	4.7

Presidential Voting Pattern, Calcasieu Parish
Year	Democratic Vote	Republican Vote
2012	28,359	51,850
2008	30,244	50,449
2004	32,864	46,075
2000	33,919	38,086

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Superintendent

The superintendent of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools is Karl Bruchhaus, who has held the position since 1996. He has worked as the coordinator of accounting for DeSoto School Board, business manager and controller for St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, financial services officer for Vermilion Parish Schools and director of finance for Jefferson Davis Parish School Board. He is the president and was formerly a board member of the Louisiana Association of School Business Officials (LASBO).

Bruchhaus earned a degree in accounting from McNeese State University in 1987.

School board

Calcasieu Parish Schools is overseen by a school board comprised of 15 partisan members who are elected to represent geographical districts for four-year terms. The partisan affiliation in the table below represents the affiliation which the officeholder held in his or her most recent election

Calcasieu Parish School Board
Member	District	Partisan Affiliation	Assumed Office	Term Ends
Aaron Paul Natali	District 1	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Fredman Hardy Jr.	District 2	Democratic	January 1, 2007	December 31, 2018
Glenda Gay	District 3	Democratic	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Annette Ballard	District 4	Democratic	January 1, 2007	December 31, 2018
Ronald Hayes	District 5	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Dean Roberts	District 6	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Mack Dellafosse Jr.	District 7	Democratic	January 1, 2007	December 31, 2018
Eric Tarver	District 8	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Frank "Coach Max" Caldarera	District 9	Democratic	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Alvin Dale Smith	District 10	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
Chad Guidry	District 11	Republican	January 1, 2007	December 31, 2018
Charles Wayne Hansen	District 12	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
William Breaux	District 13	Republican	January 1, 2003	December 31, 2018
Wayne "Coach" Williams	District 14	Democratic	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018
John Duhon	District 15	Republican	January 1, 2015	December 31, 2018

School board elections

See also: Calcasieu Parish Public Schools elections (2014)

The 15 school board members are elected concurrently by district in partisan elections. This means that regular school board elections are held every four years with all eight members being up for re-election at that time. Additionally, all members are elected by a geographically defined district which they represent. Fifteen seats were up for general election on November 4, 2014, and three seats were determined in a runoff on December 6, 2014. The next regular school board election will be held November 2018.

Any member who, at the end of his or her term, has served more than two and one-half terms in the last three consecutive terms cannot be re-elected in the following term. However, they can be re-elected following the one term break. School board candidates in Louisiana are elected by majority vote, which means the winner must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast. Candidates who are unopposed at the end of a candidate filing period are considered elected as of that date.

Public participation in board meetings

The Calcasieu Parish School Board maintains the following policies on public testimony during board meetings on their website:

“	PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The Calcasieu Parish School Board shall conduct all meetings in full view of and with welcome participation by the public. All delegations or individuals who wish to appear before the Board shall submit their requests in writing to the Superintendent at least eight (8) working days prior to the meeting date, stating the matter they wish considered by the Board and the approximate time such matter should consume at the meeting. Such items may be included on the agenda of the meeting at which the delegation or individual wishes to appear before the Board. Each delegation appearing before the Board shall select one (1) person in advance as its spokesman. After the agenda is set and published, all delegations or individuals who wish to comment on any agenda item must submit their requests, in writing, to the Superintendent prior to the convening of the meeting, stating what agenda item they wish to address. A procedure of general consent may be used for Board action but that procedure shall not preclude public participation or public comment as provided for in this policy. Each delegation appearing before the Board shall select one (1) person in advance as a spokesperson. In the event that the Board should add an item to its agenda after the Board meeting begins, the Board President shall orally request of the audience whether anyone in attendance would like to speak on the added agenda item. Each person indicating a desire to do so shall be given an opportunity to address the Board on each agenda item added. The Board shall delay deliberations on that agenda item until such time as all interested members of the public have had an opportunity to speak. The Board reserves the right to recess into or call executive sessions as provided by state law. At no time will actions be taken or resolutions made during executive sessions. The Board may have removed from a Board meeting any person or persons who willfully disrupt a meeting to the extent that orderly conduct of the meeting is seriously compromised.	”
—Calcasieu Parish Public Schools website (2014)

“	PROCEDURES FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT AT BOARD MEETINGS The Calcasieu Parish School Board has established a five (5) minute rule on comments by the public. With a 2/3 vote of the Board, this time can be extended by the Board for a time to be determined by a 2/3 vote of the Board. To be entitled to comment on an agenda item persons must complete a "Request to Appear" Form and submit it to the Superintendent prior to convening of the meeting. The public may comment on any agenda item, including items appearing on the consent agenda. Only discussion relevant to specific agenda items will be allowed. The Board will not allow discussion on previous actions of the Board or on an agenda item from a previous meeting. The form may be picked up from and returned to the Secretary at the Board meeting.	”
—Calcasieu Parish Public Schools website (2014)

Budget

From 1993 to 2013, the Calcasieu Parish school district had an average of $253,560,571 in revenue and $256,085,905 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $230,514,143 in outstanding debt. The district retired $13,199,952 of its debt and issued $34,109,667 in new debt each year on average.

Revenue

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal Year	Local		State		Federal		Revenue Total
	Total	% of Revenue	Total	% of Revenue	Total	% of Revenue

Click [show] on the right to display the revenue data for prior years.
1993	$60,478,000	41.19%	$74,322,000	50.62%	$12,020,000	8.19%	$146,820,000
1994	$63,024,000	41.81%	$74,112,000	49.16%	$13,610,000	9.03%	$150,746,000
1995	$69,533,000	43.27%	$76,945,000	47.88%	$14,216,000	8.85%	$160,694,000
1996	$87,791,000	49.65%	$74,445,000	42.10%	$14,578,000	8.24%	$176,814,000
1997	$93,754,000	50.92%	$75,840,000	41.19%	$14,536,000	7.89%	$184,130,000
1998	$94,456,000	48.70%	$83,256,000	42.92%	$16,250,000	8.38%	$193,962,000
1999	$90,975,000	46.84%	$86,352,000	44.46%	$16,914,000	8.71%	$194,241,000
2000	$95,172,000	48.63%	$82,723,000	42.27%	$17,806,000	9.10%	$195,701,000
2001	$101,520,000	47.74%	$91,460,000	43.01%	$19,650,000	9.24%	$212,630,000
2002	$105,204,000	47.25%	$95,704,000	42.98%	$21,752,000	9.77%	$222,660,000
2003	$108,607,000	46.38%	$100,453,000	42.89%	$25,129,000	10.73%	$234,189,000
2004	$114,062,000	45.62%	$107,932,000	43.16%	$28,054,000	11.22%	$250,048,000
2005	$121,364,000	45.74%	$112,532,000	42.41%	$31,467,000	11.86%	$265,363,000
2006	$147,266,000	45.91%	$120,873,000	37.68%	$52,640,000	16.41%	$320,779,000
2007	$144,595,000	46.63%	$119,583,000	38.57%	$45,883,000	14.80%	$310,061,000
2008	$148,055,000	43.07%	$154,459,000	44.93%	$41,273,000	12.01%	$343,787,000
2009	$155,353,000	44.39%	$158,462,000	45.28%	$36,171,000	10.33%	$349,986,000

2010	$140,531,000	40.92%	$151,486,000	44.11%	$51,440,000	14.98%	$343,457,000
2011	$145,136,000	41.78%	$148,278,000	42.68%	$54,007,000	15.55%	$347,421,000
2012	$152,625,000	41.78%	$166,811,000	45.66%	$45,892,000	12.56%	$365,328,000
2013	$156,130,000	43.86%	$153,778,000	43.20%	$46,047,000	12.94%	$355,955,000
Avg.	$114,077,667	45.34%	$109,990,762	43.67%	$29,492,143	10.99%	$253,560,571

Expenditures

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

• Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
• Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
• Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
• Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
• Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services

Expenditures by Category
Fiscal Year	Instruction		Support Services		Capital Spending		Debt & Gov. Payments		Other		Budget Total
	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget

Click [show] on the right to display the expenditure data for prior years.
1993	$78,936,000	55.38%	$51,928,000	36.43%	$6,769,000	4.75%	$4,578,000	3.21%	$328,000	0.23%	$142,539,000
1994	$81,038,000	56.05%	$53,219,000	36.81%	$6,224,000	4.30%	$3,792,000	2.62%	$307,000	0.21%	$144,580,000
1995	$81,758,000	50.43%	$56,705,000	34.98%	$14,347,000	8.85%	$7,022,000	4.33%	$2,284,000	1.41%	$162,116,000
1996	$91,616,000	52.01%	$60,525,000	34.36%	$16,165,000	9.18%	$7,490,000	4.25%	$370,000	0.21%	$176,166,000
1997	$97,960,000	52.39%	$63,695,000	34.06%	$16,849,000	9.01%	$8,073,000	4.32%	$415,000	0.22%	$186,992,000
1998	$104,120,000	54.66%	$66,312,000	34.81%	$12,274,000	6.44%	$7,370,000	3.87%	$419,000	0.22%	$190,495,000
1999	$107,804,000	55.47%	$68,428,000	35.21%	$12,093,000	6.22%	$5,588,000	2.88%	$446,000	0.23%	$194,359,000
2000	$108,112,000	54.95%	$69,055,000	35.10%	$13,465,000	6.84%	$5,800,000	2.95%	$315,000	0.16%	$196,747,000
2001	$109,486,000	50.85%	$72,227,000	33.54%	$25,329,000	11.76%	$7,718,000	3.58%	$568,000	0.26%	$215,328,000
2002	$116,992,000	47.42%	$75,980,000	30.80%	$45,158,000	18.30%	$7,931,000	3.21%	$657,000	0.27%	$246,718,000
2003	$122,865,000	46.16%	$83,324,000	31.30%	$48,739,000	18.31%	$10,388,000	3.90%	$875,000	0.33%	$266,191,000
2004	$125,925,000	45.68%	$89,651,000	32.52%	$48,151,000	17.47%	$10,632,000	3.86%	$1,305,000	0.47%	$275,664,000
2005	$135,713,000	47.45%	$97,728,000	34.17%	$39,647,000	13.86%	$10,537,000	3.68%	$2,407,000	0.84%	$286,032,000
2006	$141,899,000	48.74%	$119,163,000	40.93%	$20,172,000	6.93%	$8,541,000	2.93%	$1,349,000	0.46%	$291,124,000
2007	$153,611,000	51.66%	$120,249,000	40.44%	$14,496,000	4.88%	$8,250,000	2.77%	$746,000	0.25%	$297,352,000
2008	$176,087,000	52.58%	$132,455,000	39.55%	$17,573,000	5.25%	$7,801,000	2.33%	$967,000	0.29%	$334,883,000
2009	$185,225,000	51.06%	$134,126,000	36.97%	$32,773,000	9.03%	$9,158,000	2.52%	$1,488,000	0.41%	$362,770,000

2010	$184,516,000	51.01%	$132,033,000	36.50%	$35,174,000	9.72%	$8,577,000	2.37%	$1,432,000	0.40%	$361,732,000
2011	$180,928,000	51.72%	$130,141,000	37.20%	$28,381,000	8.11%	$9,230,000	2.64%	$1,147,000	0.33%	$349,827,000
2012	$189,332,000	53.63%	$139,895,000	39.63%	$14,533,000	4.12%	$8,122,000	2.30%	$1,153,000	0.33%	$353,035,000
2013	$190,134,000	55.41%	$132,663,000	38.66%	$11,573,000	3.37%	$6,953,000	2.03%	$1,831,000	0.53%	$343,154,000
Avg.	$131,621,762	51.65%	$92,833,429	35.90%	$22,851,667	8.89%	$7,788,143	3.17%	$990,905	0.38%	$256,085,905

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal Year	Retired	Issued	Outstanding

Click [show] on the right to display the debt data for prior years.
1993	$17,714,000	$12,474,000	$68,322,000
1994	$20,599,000	$22,359,000	$70,082,000
1995	$5,484,000	$5,000,000	$69,598,000
1996	$7,224,000	$16,595,000	$78,969,000
1997	$5,995,000	$0	$72,974,000
1998	$5,491,000	$3,385,000	$70,868,000
1999	$5,151,000	$17,555,000	$83,272,000
2000	$5,510,000	$33,082,000	$110,844,000
2001	$7,406,000	$17,862,000	$121,300,000
2002	$11,121,000	$50,106,000	$160,285,000
2003	$12,664,000	$65,102,000	$212,723,000
2004	$15,444,000	$51,365,000	$248,644,000
2005	$13,474,000	$76,506,000	$311,676,000
2006	$15,703,000	$23,358,000	$319,330,000
2007	$16,794,000	$4,902,000	$307,439,000
2008	$17,277,000	$44,782,000	$334,944,000
2009	$17,549,000	$60,693,000	$378,089,000

2010	$17,388,000	$60,855,000	$421,556,000
2011	$20,100,000	$36,708,000	$438,164,000
2012	$20,024,000	$30,911,000	$449,051,000
2013	$19,087,000	$82,703,000	$512,667,000
Avg.	$13,199,952	$34,109,667	$230,514,143

Teacher salaries

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools employs 2,602 teachers. Teacher salaries are categorized based on higher education achievement, professional development and years of service. A teacher can earn higher salaries by earning graduate degrees. The salary schedule also accounts for graduate degrees by providing higher starting salaries and greater potential salaries. A state provision allows for pay increases due to demand "since recruitment and retention are adversely impacted by the persistent poverty parish status." Additionally, staff may receive "Highly Effective" compensation following an assessment.

The following table details the salary schedule for Calcasieu Parish school teachers for the 2014-2015 school year:

Salary structure
Degree level	Minimum salary ($)	Maximum salary ($)
Base salary	39,431	58,861
M.A.	40,586	62,213
M.A. + 30	40,586	62,428
Specialist	40,624	62,520
Doctorate	40,688	62,582

Schools in Calcasieu Parish Public Schools

Enrollment

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools served 32,563 students in the 2011-2012 school year. The district does not publicly archive enrollment data.

District schools

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools operates 57 schools listed below in alphabetical order:

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools
School Name
Arnett Middle	Henry Heights Elementary	Pearl Watson Elementary
Barbe High	Iowa High	Prien Lake Elementary
Bell City High	J.I. Watson Middle	R.W. Vincent Elementary
Brentwood Elementary	Johnson Elementary	Ralph Wilson Elementary
Clifton Elementary	Kaufman Elementary	Reynaud Middle
College Oaks Elementary	Key Elementary	S.J. Welsh Middle
Combre-Fondel Elementary	LaGrange High	Sam Houston High
Cooley Elementary	LCB Academy	St. John Elementary
Cypress Cove Elementary	LeBlanc Middle	Starks High
DeQuincy Elementary	LeBleu Settlement Elementary	Sulphur High
DeQuincy High	Lewis Middle	Vincent Settlement Elementary
DeQuincy Middle	Maplewood Elementary	Vinton Elementary
DeQuincy Primary	Maplewood Middle	Vinton High
Dolby Elementary	Molo Middle	Vinton Middle
F.K. White Middle	Moss Bluff Elementary	Washington-Marion High
Fairview Elementary	Moss Bluff Middle	Watkins Elementary
Frasch Elementary	Nelson Elementary	Western Heights Elementary
Gillis Elementary	Oak Park Elementary	Westlake High
Henning Elementary	Oak Park Middle	Westwood Elementary

Academic performance

Louisiana administers three main sets of tests to measure the academic performance of K-12 students: DIBELS Next, iLEAP and End-of-Course tests. Additionally, districts are given a letter ranking of A-F based on performance across all grades of students.

DIBELS Next

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test, also known as DIBELS Next, is administered to K-3 students statewide. The test places students into one of three categories. Those who meet the benchmark levels are placed in the "core" category, indicating they only need core reading curriculum going forward. The other two categories indicate students who need "strategic" or "intensive" intervention in reading education. The following chart outlines the percentage of students in the district in each of the categories:

DIBELS Next results
Testing date	Kindergarten			1st grade			2nd grade			3rd grade
	Core (%)	Strategic (%)	Intensive (%)	Core (%)	Strategic (%)	Intensive (%)	Core (%)	Strategic (%)	Intensive (%)	Core (%)	Strategic (%)	Intensive (%)
Spring 2013	69	18	13	65	14	21	68	16	15	65	15	20
Fall 2012	63	16	21	66	12	21	74	11	14	68	11	21
Spring 2012	67	17	15	62	15	22	61	18	21	61	16	23
Fall 2011	60	17	23	69	13	18	71	12	17	67	12	21

iLEAP and LEAP

LEAP and iLEAP percentile ranks
Year		Mastery and above (%)	Basic and above (%)
2014	District	26	74
	Statewide	24	69
2013	District	26	75
	Statewide	23	66
2012	District	N/A	73
	Statewide	N/A	68

Louisiana 3rd through 8th grade students statewide are tested annually in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. These tests are called iLEAP and LEAP.

On both tests, students can earn the following scores:

“	Advanced: A student demonstrates superior performance in the subject. Mastery: A student demonstrates competency of challenging subject matter and is well prepared for the next level of schooling. Basic: A student demonstrates only fundamental knowledge and skills in the subject. Approaching Basic: A student only partially demonstrates the fundamental knowledge and skills of the subject. Unsatisfactory: A student does not demonstrate the fundamental knowledge and skills.	”
—Louisiana Department of Education website (2014)

The table on the right compares the percentage of district students scoring either mastery and higher or basic and higher on the iLEAP and LEAP with the statewide averages. The percentage of mastery and higher is not available prior to 2013 results.

End-of-course tests

High school students in Louisiana take end-of-course tests in algebra I, geometry, English II and III, biology and U.S. history. The students receive one of the following four scores on each test:

“	Excellent: A student demonstrates superior performance of the course content. Good: A student demonstrates mastery of course content and is well prepared for the next level of coursework in the subject. Fair: A student demonstrates only the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of coursework in the subject. Needs Improvement: A student does not demonstrate the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of coursework in the subject.	”
—Louisiana Department of Education website (2014)

In the 2013-2014 school year, 61 percent of students taking end-of-course tests across all subjects in the district earned a grade of good or excellent. This was down 1 percent from 62 percent in 2012-2013.

District letter grade

Louisiana uses a letter grade system of A through F to describe school performance scores. The table on the right outlines the district's letter score by year. The scores are based on the following measurements:

A-F Letter Grade Results
Year	Performance score	Letter grade
2014	94.2	B
2013	94.7	B

“	Elementary schools (K-6): 100 percent of the school grade is based on student achievement on annual assessments in English language arts, math, science, and social studies. Schools may also earn points for significant improvement with students who are academically behind. Middle schools (7-8): 95 percent of the school grade is based on student achievement on annual assessments with the final 5 percent based on credits earned through the end of students’ 9th grade year. Schools may also earn points for significant improvement with students who are academically behind. High schools (9-12): Half of the school grade is based on student achievement (25 percent on the ACT and 25 percent on End-of-Course assessments). Half of the school grade is based on graduation (25 percent on the graduation index, which rewards achievements like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam credit, and 25 percent on the cohort graduation rate, the percentage of students graduating in four years). Schools may also earn points for significant improvement with students who are academically behind.	”
—Louisiana Department of Education website (2014)

Issues

Board term limits

On November 6, 2012, Calcasieu Parish voters elected by over 67 percent to instate term limits. Terms won in the 2014 election were the first to be affected by the change. Starting with terms that began on or after January 1, 2015, any member who, at the end of his or her term, has served more than two and one-half terms in the last three consecutive terms cannot be re-elected in the following term. However, they can be re-elected following the one term break. The limit does not apply retroactively to incumbents, thus allowing them to potentially serve up to 12 more years.

Parishwide School District Local Option Term Limits Proposition (2012)
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		50,546	67.85%
No		23,950	32.15%

Ballot text:

“	LOCAL OPTION ELECTION Within Calcasieu Parish School District: Shall the number of terms of office that any member of the school board may serve be limited to three consecutive four-year terms?	”
—Louisiana Secretary of State's website (2014)

Contact information

Calcasieu Parish Public Schools
3310 Broad St.
Lake Charles, LA 70615
Phone: 337-217-4000

See also

• Louisiana
• Louisiana school districts
• List of school districts in Louisiana
• Calcasieu Parish Public Schools elections (2014)
• School board elections portal

External links

Suggest a link

• Calcasieu Parish Public Schools
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
• Louisiana Department of Education
• Louisiana School Boards Association (LSBA)

References