BATON ROUGE - School closures are looming in East Baton Rouge, as Thursday night, the school board is expected to decide on whether to close J.K Haynes Elementary, which has fewer than 150 students.

Carla Powell-Lewis and Superintendent LaMont Cole referred to the looming changes as facilities alignment saying school buildings may not end up fully closed, but they could be repurposed instead.

J.K. Haynes started as a charter school back in the 1990s, and it was named after a principal from Ruston, who helped push school desegregation. School Board member Powell-Lewis says despite the changes, she wanted to continue Haynes’ teaching legacy.

The school operated as a charter school for decades before the EBR school system took it over in 2023. The school serves Pre-K through sixth grade. 

Powell-Lewis says because the school spent so much time as a charter school it was not included in the EBR Parish tax plan. The building was never slated for any renovations and the school fell into disrepair.

In 2023, the East Baton Rouge school system took over and was able to annex the school into the district and started a teacher and leadership academy there. 

"As board members and others got to walk through the building, we realized that there were quite a few conditions that were not suitable for learning," Powell-Lewis said.

Low test scores and a building falling apart led to tough conversations with parents and staff. The school board met with parents about the possibility of moving students to Ryan Elementary which is less than a mile down the road from Haynes. 

Sixth graders could move to Scotlandville Middle Pre-Engineering Academy, according to Powell-Lewis.

"The hope is that they would be able to not only merge but be able to grow from this venture as well and get the intervention they need before spring testing," Powell-Lewis said.

If the board moves forward on the closure, it likely won’t be the last in the district. Superintendent LaMont Cole says it’s unclear what schools or facilities could be next, but he’s ready to let data drive the decision.

“Parents shouldn't be afraid,” Cole said. “Parents should be excited that we're going to make tough decisions for kids in order to put them in the best position possible, so they can learn at the highest level possible.”

The school board is set to vote on the decision at a special meeting Thursday at 5 p.m.