New order from Judge in CPSB Desegregation Case, most federal oversight ended
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - A federal judge has ended most of the decades-old federal oversight of the Calcasieu Parish School Board, though one issue remains unresolved.
The Calcasieu Parish school system has been under federal watch for over six decades. U.S. District Judge James David Cain ruled that most of that oversight is ending, but one major issue remains unresolved.
This morning, Cain issued a memorandum order regarding the desegregation case Conley et al. v. Lake Charles School Board, now known as Calcasieu Parish School Board.
According to the order, Cain first signaled his intent to reconsider the district’s federal oversight six months ago, through a status conference and subsequent orders appointing experts. The order states the school board did not formally object during that period, which the court cited in finding that notice and hearing requirements were satisfied.
The Calcasieu Parish School Board has released the following statement regarding the order and what it means for parents and students:
This morning, the Calcasieu Parish School Board received a Memorandum Order from the Honorable James David Cain regarding the longstanding desegregation case Conley et al. v. Lake Charles School Board, now the Calcasieu Parish School Board. This order was issued by Judge Cain today without allowing the Calcasieu Parish School Board to present any legal arguments.
In his order, Judge Cain provided specific directives outlining actions the district must take in the immediate future. A summary of those directives is provided below.
Judge Cain ordered that: “Calcasieu Parish School Board be released from all obligations contained within the orders prior rulings in the desegregation matters with respect to student assignment, faculty and staff composition, transportation, and extracurriculars. Accordingly, attendance zone oversight and majority-minority transfers are compelled under this court’s rulings shall cease for the 2027-2028 school year.”
What this means: Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, the district will no longer be under a court order to provide transportation for students seeking out-of-zone transfers under the majority-minority transfer provision. However, the district has been granted permission to continue providing transportation for students who have already received and are currently utilizing an out-of-zone permit under that provision.
Judge Cain further ordered that: “Calcasieu Parish School board devise a plan to move to parish- wide bonding for academic facilities and submit the proposed plan to the court within 180 days of this order. The court will, however, permit the existing bonding districts to continue for special projects such as athletic facilities. Gymnasiums are considered academic facilities under this ruling because of physical education requirements as well as the use of school gyms for assemblies and other academic purposes.”
What this means: The district’s current process for proposing and funding academic facility improvements through bond propositions must be reevaluated. The bond proposition currently scheduled for the November 3 ballot in Sulphur is permitted to proceed under Judge Cain’s order. However, bond plans that were being developed for District 33 for a spring election must be paused at this time. District staff will immediately begin developing the parish-wide bonding plan required by the court and will submit that plan within the timeline established by Judge Cain.
The district learned of this order this morning and felt it was important to promptly inform the public of these developments.
We recognize that these matters are significant to our students, families, employees, and community members. We also understand that this order raises questions regarding its potential impact and implementation. The Calcasieu Parish School Board is carefully reviewing the court’s directives and will work diligently to ensure compliance while keeping stakeholders informed throughout the process.
Because this remains active litigation, the district is unable to provide additional comment beyond this statement at this time. We will share updates as additional information becomes available.
Experts evaluated finances, demographics
On Feb. 11 of this year, Dr. Daryl Burckel of McNeese and later Michael Hefner were appointed by the U.S. District Court as experts charged with evaluating the school board’s financial status and demographics, respectively.
Regarding demographics, Hefner found that 37% of Black students in Lake Charles’ Ward 3 attend majority Black schools — down from nearly two-thirds when the desegregation order first took effect in 1970. Hefner attributed the current figure to “normal demographic changes,” not lingering segregation.
Oversight ends for several areas
Due to this, among other factors, Cain released CPSB from federal oversight on student assignment, staffing, transportation and extracurriculars. Court-ordered, majority-to-minority school transfers will end starting next school year.
The district has permission to allow the 591 students who currently use this method to continue.
Bonding oversight remains
The court will keep its oversight over the district’s bonding practices. Burckel’s report found that the school board had not met its obligations to certain lower-funded bonding districts, citing a nearly ninefold gap in per-student capital funding capacity between the wealthiest and poorest bonding districts in the parish.
The school board has 180 days to submit a plan to the court for moving to parish-wide bonding for academic facilities.
Additional Coverage regarding Conley et al. v. Lake Charles School Board.:
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