Repurposing a legacy: School Board votes to make Ralph Wilson a Center for Opportunities
Published 7:03 am Thursday, April 10, 2025
- Ralph Wilson Elementary is located at 1400 Opelousas St. (Special to the American Press)
With the 2025-26 school year will come a new era for both Ralph Wilson and J.J. Johnson elementary schools.
The Calcasieu Parish School Board finalized a Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Committee decision to reconfigure the two schools with unanimous approval on Tuesday. This move will turn J.J. Johnson into a kindergarten through fifth-grade school and convert Ralph Wilson into the Ralph Wilson Center for Opportunities.
CPSB Chief Academic Officer Ronnie Harvey Jr. said the plan is meant to “repurpose” the schools to “improve student outcome, address underperformance, promote equity and address economic shifts” at a community meeting on Monday, the American Press reported earlier this week.
The Ralph Wilson Center for Opportunities will be an educational center for CPSB students who are over-age, under-credited or have any special circumstances that have hindered their education. Superintendent Jason VanMetre said this equates to about 100 students district-wide.
The school will be an alternative program, but not an alternative school, that will use the Edgenuity program — a credit recovery course that is adapted to each student.
J.J. Johnson will take on the approximate 90 students who attend Ralph Wilson.
Ralph Wilson teachers will remain employed so long as they are certified.
The district will rely on several funding sources to support the changes, potentially including career and technical funds, alternative funds and grant funding.
The C&I Committee approved this change during a March meeting. It was presented to the full board on Tuesday for final approval. The board approved the change without discussion.
Board members Billy Breaux, District 13; Mary Fontenot, District 4; and Dean Roberts, District 6, were not present at the meeting.
