Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Paul "Polo" Jean Voiron Polo was a remarkable man whose life was characterized by his extraordinary kindness and generosity he embraced the craftsmanship of his work with both passion and dedication earning the respect and admiration of all who knew him Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the visitation in the Magnolia Chapel of Chauvin Funeral home on Friday until the Memorial Liturgy of the Word Service at 1:00 p.m Polo was not only a talented professional but also a true cowboy at heart having spent many fulfilling years raising cattle He had a unique ability to infuse joy and laughter into the lives of those around him with his light-hearted spirit and playful nature Polo devoted countless hours helping others demonstrating the depth of his compassion and his commitment to being a good-hearted affectionately calling her the love of his life and taking joy in spoiling her in every way he could His devotion did not end there; Polo adored his family and enjoyed spending quality time with the grandkids and his dogs Polo grew up working at Voiron’s Stockyard for most of his young life as well as working cattle for numerous cattle producers across Southeast Louisiana Polo is survived by his loved fiancée Glenda Porche; children Bailey Breaux and companion Tayler Pitre; grandchildren the oldest living Voiron remaining; godmother and Loretta Rodrigue Voiron; paternal grandparents Eugene and Louise Voiron; maternal grandparents While his physical presence will be missed and kindness will endure in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know him This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Iberville Parish Schools Superintendent Dr Louis Voiron needed merely one word to describe his plans and outlook for 2025 Goals of higher test scores and projects to upgrade campus facilities highlight his outlook for schools as he heads into his third year as superintendent Improvement on ACT scores will top the list The letter grade for Iberville Parish’s ACT scores was B It was part of a statewide increase in ACT scores for the first time in seven years according to the Louisiana Department of Education The statewide school performance for 2024 was 80.2 – a 1.7 percent increase from 2023 “I met with teachers and administration last week on working not only on academic strategies to raise ACT scores but incentives for students so they can see the relevance of why it’s important to do well on the test,” Voiron said projects continue at campuses throughout the parish The kitchen project was completed at North Iberville and was opened last week for the return of school for 2025 while work continues on the Crescent Elementary cafeteria Work continues on the Dorseyville Elementary cafeteria which remains under construction despite unexpected delays Issues with the heating system arose when a blast of cold air swept into the state last week “We put a lot of emphasis on AC systems last 18 months which we’ve already begun working on heating systems,” Voiron said The transitioning to a new state accountability system that takes effect with the 2025-26 school year will pose perhaps the biggest challenge this year “There are shifts in transition they’re offering students to get involved in internships and it will have a bigger emphasis on JumpStart pathways on the career side while also focusing on the improvement of scores on standardized testing,” he said “LEAP will make up a huge percentage of that formula and we have to make sure we continue to provide quality opportunities for our students and improve those LEAP scores.”  Iberville Parish School Board members gave Superintendent Dr Louis Voiron a solid grade for his first year in office Board members agreed to a 4.72 on a scale of 1 to 5 for Voiron The issue was discussed in executive session during the monthly meeting July 8 “It’s a reflection of our work together… the Board and I communicate a lot,” Voiron said and I know what issues are priorities to them who announced his retirement in April 2023 after four years in charge of the school system He took office after serving as Chief Academic Officer for the Iberville Parish School System who led the way for installation of gun-detection AI software in the schools’ existing security cameras The first month of the school system under Voiron’s watch also included repairs and upgrades to aging HVAC systems during one of the hottest years on record who left the position last fall citing health concerns started a new job earlier this month as the Iberville Parish School District's chief academic officer Louis Voiron led Lafourche schools for nearly seven months before taking medical leave for unspecified health reasons in July. In mid-November, the Lafourche Parish School Board announced after a series of special meetings that Voiron had decided not to return to the position in October The board bought Voiron out of his contract for a lump sum of $220,000 Board President Brooke Huddleston said in a letter that the deal saved the school district $48,000 compared to if Voiron stayed on the payroll As the chief academic officer, Voiron stands to make at least $109,764 per year, according to the Iberville Parish School District's salary schedule The district accepted applications from Nov Voiron hasn't responded to The Courier and Daily Comet's requests for comment After the newspapers contacted all 15 School Board members about Voiron's recent hiring board attorney Pat Amedee said in an email that he advised all of the members to "withhold any public comment." Amedee pointed to state law that declares "a school employee's personnel file shall not be divulged to third parties." "It creates an expectation of privacy to employment records of school board employees -- both past and present," said Amedee in an email any discussion risks disclosure of information from Dr Asked why Voiron's contract had to be bought out and the reason he couldn't return to work Amedee said he didn't believe the board could comment beyond what was disclosed in November's settlement and the board president's letter or risk a "violation of Dr "We made every effort to disclose as much as we could including making public the settlement agreement itself along with a public statement," Amedee said "both known and unknown," against the board Voiron agrees that his payment and other consideration contained in the agreement satisfies his rights under his contract with the board and he releases the board from any future liability." Two of the 15 board chose to respond to the Courier's inquiry over email Both board members Valerie Bourgeois and Tyler Dufrene offered their continued support of Voiron He was and is still respected in this district," said Bourgeois "Can’t we just wish him well and say thanks for all your years of dedication to Lafourche He was an integral part of making us third in the state and an A-district." Voiron served as director of human resources assistant principal and teacher in his 23 years with the Lafourche School District Dufrene noted that Voiron "dedicated a significant portion of his life to the Lafourche Parish School District." "His acceptance of another job indicates he is able to continue contributing to public education and that he is healthy which is all one could ask for," Dufrene added When Voiron first took sick leave, the board was slammed by principals and parish residents who alleged that Voiron's condition was caused by stress from its members Board members denied the allegations of overreach The  board recently voted last week named interim superintendent Jarod Martin stay on and continue to lead the district -- Staff Writer Halle Parker can be reached at hparker@houmatoday.com or 857-2204 Louis Voiron will take the role of Iberville Parish Schools superintendent starting July 1 Iberville Parish Schools will have a new superintendent starting July 1. The board elected Dr. Louis Voiron, 50, to replace Arthur Joffrion, who announced his retirement in March Voiron said he was surprised when the job opened up but he felt prepared to apply after spending more than three years in his current role as chief academic officer at Iberville Parish Schools and his past role as a superintendent in Lafourche Parish “My mission at this point is to advance our district both academically and from every enrichment extracurricular activities we have to offer and to improve and make more efficient the operations of our system and the communication with our parents and community as a whole,” he said Voiron has held a wide range of roles across more than 28 years in education He started his career teaching civics and world history at St where he taught earth science and physical science at East Thibodaux Jr High and also worked as a coach and athletic director “I absolutely loved my teaching career,” Voiron said he became assistant principal at an elementary school He spent eight years as a human resources director and a year as a superintendent in Lafourche He left his superintendent role in Lafourche due to medical reasons my goal is always that I hope to enhance the career and the lives of the people that I work with,” Voiron said “I think I've been successful in that area and look forward to doing that in this new role.” Voiron said he’s excited to help the school district advance on the academic side “We are blessed with a variety and vast amount of business and industries that we partner with already and I want to see us expand even further and have Iberville Parish Schools be the top pipeline to providing our local employers with the next generation of employees,” he said “One of the latest changes is we currently have been testing kids for accountability purposes in U.S but it shifts how we sequence offerings to kids in high schools.” Voiron grew up in Assumption Parish and went to Belle Rose Primary School and Assumption High School “When I walked into Iberville three years ago I felt like I went back home I grew up 10 miles away from the parish line on Highway 69 right before you get into White Castle Email Rebecca Holland at rebecca.holland@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter Email notifications are only sent once a day News Tips:newstips@theadvocate.com Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: A White Castle High School student was taken to a hospital March 10 after he was stabbed during an incident on the school grounds School administrators and the school resource officer responded immediately after the incident Louis Voiron said in a letter he posted on social media The injured student received immediate medical attention and was transported to a local hospital “We are in close contact with the student’s family and are providing them with support during this difficult time,” he said “The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident We are cooperating fully with their efforts.” Sheriff Brett Stassi said his office has deputies at the hospitals and officials meeting him at his office to receive more details on the incident He said he did not immediately know the ages of the suspect and victim Voiron said the Iberville Parish School System understands that this news is “deeply concerning.”  He assured residents that the safety and wellbeing of the students remains “a paramount concern.” Students were placed on lockdown immediately following the incident to ensure the safety of everyone on campus The lockdown was lifted after law enforcement deemed the campus secure “We recognize that students may be experiencing a range emotions in the aftermath of this incident,” he said The School System put additional counselors and support staff available to provide support and guidance to students and staff who needed it He encouraged parents to talk to their child or children to speak with a trusted adult teacher or family member if they were feeling anxious or upset, The Iberville Parish School System is committed to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all students “We are extremely disappointed that this event occurred and will continue evaluating our existing security procedures to identify any areas for improvement and are committed to making necessary adjustments," he said the Lafourche Parish School Board this week agreed to buy the schools superintendent out of his contract for $220,000 Superintendent Louis Voiron was being paid a salary of $150,000 per year restore any sick leave used since July to his employee account and allow him to remain on the school district’s health insurance plan through his original term to December 2020 He will continue to pay his health insurance premium retired employees can receive a payout for up to 25 unused sick days She didn’t know how many Voiron had accumulated so far The board learned that the superintendent didn’t intend to return from his medical leave in October after discussions between the parties’ attorneys His medical condition still hasn’t been disclosed to the board or the public The board unanimously approved the terms of the settlement on Tuesday during a special meeting after meeting in private the board estimates that the settlement will cost the district about $48,000 less than if he had remained on sick leave The early termination doesn’t include payments to the retirement system or additional contributions to Voiron’s health insurance that were part of his original contract Voiron agrees that his payment and other consideration contained in the agreement satisfies his rights under his contract with the board and he releases the board from any future liability,” wrote Huddleston Clyde Duplantis and Al Archer said they were saddened that Voiron won’t return Fertitta said the board believed this was the best way to allow the district to move forward board member Ray Bernard said the board expected Voiron to eventually return until a few weeks ago “We wanted to see him come back to his position,” he said The School Board will pay Voiron $220,000 in full on Jan The board unanimously voted to start advertising for the position of superintendent Lafourche director of secondary and middle school education will continue in his role as acting superintendent Another special meeting of the board is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday after the Land & Facilities Committee meets The meeting will be at the School Board office --Staff Writer Halle Parker can be reached at hparker@houmatoday.com or 857-2204 A rare snowfall in south Louisiana brought Iberville Parish students and teachers an extra — and unexpected — week off from school Classes had been closed Monday for the observance of the Rev but a snowfall that broke a record set in 1940 forced shutdown for the remainder of the week School systems in Iberville and most other parishes throughout south Louisiana remained closed the duration of the week Schools were closed both in the Iberville Parish public schools It did not provide an additional break for maintenance crews Louis Voiron said Friday he hoped to have all school back in operation Jan but the crews had a long list of repairs to carry out before classes could resume “We had a few water leak issues that we’re dealing with where lines were frozen and busted,” he said ‘We’re in the process of getting those things repaired or replaced or whatever we have to do.”  Maintenance staff did damage assessments on each campus throughout the school system No leaks were detected shortly after the snowstorm but a few have shown up in the time since the pipes have thawed “We had to make sure our boiler and heating systems were properly working,” he said “Although heating systems are properly working it will still be pretty cool at this time of year.” All extracurricular events — basketball games and other activities — were canceled throughout the snow-out Voiron said he could not recall a cold snap to match what Iberville and all of south Louisiana endured “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said “We’ve had to shut down a day or two for extremely cold temperatures The Iberville Parish School Board is asking for voters to support renewal of four dedicated millages — at a lower rate — on the Dec The total reduction of 7 mills on the package will bring taxpayers a savings of nearly $80 million over the 10-year assessments The 26-mill bond renewal will fund construction and salaries while the 8.5-mill bond will fund salaries and benefits Renewal of a 4.83-mill bond will fund operations and maintenance The proposed renewal is a reduction from the 4.84 mills voters approved 10 years ago The 1.78-mill tax renewal will fund the district’s Alternative School Eighty-five percent of the revenue for Iberville Parish public schools is generated from the local level Substantial growth in Iberville’s assessed property value during the time since the millages were first put on the books enabled the board to offer the reductions to parish taxpayers The bond will be paid off when that tax rolls off at renewal The school system is paying $3.2 million on that bond The combination of paying off the bond — along with the increased value of the mill — has made it possible to put forth the 7-mill reduction some tax exemptions will roll off the books over the next few years the parish still needs the millages to continue the progress it has made in academics and the quality of the campuses across the parish school system “It’s critical for us if we want to maintain the type of programs we offer and to continue the progress we’re making,” he said “The local funds are the primary source we have to depend upon.” Along with servicing students in the public schools the Iberville Parish School Board provides transportation to more than 200 kids who attend St Much of the local revenue is also funneled into the Iberville Charter Academy The revenue the state allocates Iberville Parish through the Minimum Foundation Program has been reduced by $3 million to fund the charter school but the increased in assessed has gone up to $5 million “That number is that high because of the local revenue — not because of the state revenue,” Voiron said “All of our school systems in Iberville parish are benefiting from these local revenues one way or another.” The 2024 graduating class earned 619 college credits and 319 industry-based credentials which saved their parents more than $155,000 in tuition costs by earning extra credits the graduates from the Class of 2024 received a total of $2.2 million in scholarships for post-graduate programs Operations and maintenance projects included air conditioning for the entire IPSB school bus fleet as well as an investment of nearly $ 4 million in intercom systems at all campuses The school system also invested more than $400,000 in metal detectors at all schools along with $155,000 a year on Zero Eyes Weapon Detection camera systems The Lafourche Parish School Board narrowly chose the school system's Human Resources Director Louis Voiron tonight to be the next school superintendent The decision came down to a one-vote margin Voiron received the majority of eight votes needed in the first round of voting Terrebonne Parish assistant superintendent of schools received seven votes; while Clyde Washington assistant superintendent of the Rapides Parish School System “I thank the School Board for your decision tonight also thanking current Superintendent Jo Ann Matthews and the central office staff Board members interviewed all three candidates during a special meeting Saturday but voted to defer a final vote until tonight to consider input from constituents Voiron has worked for the Lafourche Parish School System for 23 years “We’ve done great things together and I think we’re going to do a lot more great things together as well,” Voiron said Matthews is scheduled to retire at the end of the year moving up from her original retirement date in March Voiron will officially take over the position in 2019 “I’m looking forward to the challenges,” he said The board also voted unanimously to authorize the board attorney to negotiate a contract with Voiron before presenting it to the board at the Nov Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com The first day of school is often rife with confusion or working way through kinks but Iberville Parish was spared those issues on opening day for 2024-25 classes teachers and administrators had a smooth start opening day in schools across the parish air-conditioning worked well on all campuses which brought a more pleasant opening one year after aging systems failed on some campuses It's a big relief for Voiron after the hardships that posed challenges in his first year as superintendent “Things have gone very smoothly so far,” he said as he walked through the hallway at North Iberville High School which has marked its third year since reopening The campus is home to a high school as well as K-8 NIHS had been shuttered 13 years when the Iberville Parish School Board shuttered the Rosedale school although other families opted to send their children to schools in Port Allen and this year — for the first time since the 2008-09 school year — North Iberville High School will be eligible for playoff action “We’re on a roll here at North Iberville,” Principal Jillian Dotson said as she and Voiron walked around the campus on opening day The school also has a band program and will offer classes ranging from architecture to robotics Those courses will be offered at on campuses throughout the parish firefighting classes will be offered this year for the first time at Plaquemine MSA East and MSA West are both working to continue the growth of the STEM programs Amanda Austin from MSA East — the 2023-24 Principal of the Year — said last week she is adding an agriculture curriculum to for her school and East Iberville along with the wide range of career classes already offered at the STEM schools The variety of career path programs have become a necessity for students “Not every high school athlete is going to go pro so they need to learn a skill if they don’t go to college,” he said The biggest change this year at North Iberville will be its return as North Iberville High School a move that came after the Iberville Parish School Board voted to remove the STEM classification The decision to revert to a traditional high school will enable the school’s athletic programs to play in a “non-select” (public school) district rather than the “select” (parochial/nonparochial) It will be built on the site of a recently demolished vo-tech building that had been on the campus for more than 70 years Enrollment is up on most districts across the parish While the official numbers will be determined within two weeks Voiron said MSA-East welcomed 66 more students than it had on opening day one year ago The student population has also increased at North Iberville and Plaquemine High The official population figures will be released in two weeks once absentees and determines are factored into the equation While most schools endure at least minor adjustment during opening week the lunch programs at Crescent and North Iberville are operating slightly different due to ongoing work The dining hall is complete at North Iberville but work crews are the lunchroom kitchens NIHS and Crescent Elementary Mobile trailers have been put in place on both school campuses to prepare the meals The work on the lunchroom at North Iberville is complete but students at Crescent are being served in the secondary gym on the school campus The transition process moved into full gear last week when the Iberville Parish School Board officially approved the two-year contract for incoming Superintendent Dr who announced his retirement in April after four years in charge of the school system Voiron officially will start as superintendent July 1 Board members last week approved a $170,000 salary for Voiron who will take over the top seat after serving as chief academic officer for the Iberville Parish School System Voiron will be at the helm of a school system that will have a $110 million budget for the next fiscal year That figure likely will increase because of current industrial programs coming off ITEP exemptions The school system has 4,500 students enrolled in classes ranging from Pre-K to K-12 The Iberville Parish School System has approximately 950 employees on its payroll the transition will amount to rolling up his sleeves and getting into the challenges of preparing for the school year Voiron is working with Joffrion as part of the transition “Everything has gone very evenly,” Voiron said “It’s been a very smooth transition so far.” The typical work plan for a superintendent will highlight both the interim and the official start of the job for Voiron “We will be planning out the opening of the school year and finalizing some reorganization plans I will present the board that will heavily involve the start of the school year,” he said The revenue is strong for the school system as he takes office and academic indicators – graduation rate and strength of diploma – look good as he takes office “We’re fortunate to have solid reserves,” Voiron said “It allows us to provide more for our students and provide more for our teachers than some other places are able to do.” But there is room for improvement on the academic front He wants the school system to improve from its current score of a “C.” “I want to see us improve on all the academic indicators,” Voiron said He comes in one year after a successful reopening year for North Iberville High School and he is upbeat about the direction things will go for the Rosedale-based school in the next several years “The strong first year is a very good accomplishment and I’m proud of the School Board and the community for that,” Voiron said and we’re very proud to have that campus back open and that’s especially the case when it’s a small community." A move to increase student enrollment will pose one of the biggest challenges to the school system but this all comes at a time when we’re seeing a decline in birth rate not just in Louisiana “We’ve got to be highly competitive and offer choices for students.” Voiron spent eight of his years in the Lafourche school system as human resources director graduated from Nicholls State with bachelor’s and master’s degrees He received his Doctorate from University of Louisiana at Lafayette Both he and his wife graduated from Nicholls State University He spent 5 ½ years in the classroom and went from assistant principal on up in the Lafourche Parish Schools System Voiron served one year as superintendent in Lafourche Parish A smooth transition into the job of superintendent has led into start of the 2023-24 school year for first-year Iberville Parish Schools chief Dr He spent the opening week of school visiting campuses to gauge feedback It’s a school year that has not opened with pandemic restrictions that had been commonplace in previous years the focus has been on the “normal activities” teachers and administrators address during the first weeks of the 180-day school year “The first week is getting all of our kids in and acclimated,” Voiron said “Our opening overall has been pretty smooth.” The school system held “meet-and-greet” events throughout the parish which opened the door to parents and guardians “We have some new administrations in place across the parish” he said we have a lot of new faces – including myself – and we laid out the expectations of what we want accomplished everything has been well received and we’re moving forward in a good direction,” Voiron said The process is not a routine that goes unchanged year to year no two school years have been alike for the superintendent who will enter his 30th year in education in January “Every school year is like every person – a different DNA Different issues and things you must deal with communicable diseases you deal with like the flu extreme cold weather that comes through,” Voiron said “Regardless of what Mother Nature or what bureaucracy is thrown our way what we have to do for our kids is our top priority,” he said Results of a national study on reaching proficiency showed the state and Iberville Parish are making significant strides in English-Language Arts test scores Iberville Parish Superintendent of Schools Dr “The results published indicated improvement in public education in our state and when you can show that kind of growth in reading and language that will ultimately transfer later down the line for kids,” he said “Seeing the fourth-grade ELA improvement was huge because that means more kids are prepared and ready to move on to higher level and I couldn’t be any happier about that.” Widely regarded as the gold standard of assessments these latest results measure the math and reading proficiency among fourth- and eighth-grade students in the U.S Louisiana’s students earned the state’s highest national rankings across both grade levels and subjects “It’s the result of all the work that’s happening in public schools throughout the state of Louisiana,” Voiron said “I’m pleased with it … it’s the result of all the work that’s happening in public schools throughout the state of Louisiana “It shows things are definitely better in public schools than some may think … hopefully and people realize they have a choice to stick with public education It means we have to continue to improve our outcomes and increasing our offerings for kids and at the same time we have to continue striving to do better.” Jeff Landry joined Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr Cade Brumley for a news conference announcing the results Jan 29 at Magnolia Woods Elementary in Baton Rouge “This is a historic achievement for our state and underscores the dedication of teachers and a laser focus on fundamental academic skills,” Brumley said we are not completely satisfied as there is more work to accomplish.” Unprecedented national rankingsThe Nation’s Report Card measures fourth-grade math eighth-grade math and eighth-grade reading Louisiana saw its national rankings continue to rise in each subject and grade level “These results demonstrate the power of a strong academic foundation and a relentless focus on academic excellence,” said Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Vice President Stacey Melerine “I’m especially encouraged to see students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students outpacing their national peers for growth and achievement.” Back to the basics and a commitment to collaboration Louisiana’s academic progress reflects the state’s emphasis on foundational skills and its investment in educators Literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading: Louisiana implemented a comprehensive literacy plan rooted in phonics transforming how reading is taught statewide and equipping educators with the training to help students thrive.Foundational math instruction: The state’s math plan emphasized mastery of basic math skills and classroom disruptions.“Our intentional focus on equipping teachers and leaders is one of the main factors that has translated into academic growth for Louisiana children,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr “By providing educators with meaningful professional learning we have supported them in using high-quality instructional materials in service of students.” Louisiana has implemented a number of programs and initiatives to build on recent progress Thanks to a substantial investment by the state legislature Louisiana has expanded its high-dosage tutoring program to reach more schools and students A new K-3 literacy screener has been launched to help identify and address early reading challenges Louisiana is introducing a K-3 math screener and statewide teacher training on foundational math instruction Louisiana also adopted a revised accountability system that will raise the bar for academic success and make it easier for the public to understand how schools are performing it has been called the strongest accountability system in the country by national education experts The Nation’s Report Card also known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress is the only nationally representative assessment of student achievement over time for the nation A representative sample of students across all 50 states and the Department of Defense (DoDea) schools take the assessment The math and reading assessments in fourth and eighth grades had been conducted every two years since 2003 until it was suspended due to the pandemic Maintenance and building issues have kept the Iberville Parish School System busy during the first two months of the 2024-25session Projects have ranged from upgrading cafeteria kitchens building a new gymnasium keeping ahead of the 8-ball on HVAC issues Climate control issues dealt maintenance crews a curve ball at Iberville Elementary where students were moved to the school library to ensure heat would not become an issue The upcoming fall break will provide work crews the time to do a repair on the air conditioning system and the system will be up and running when classes resume a groundbreaking was held at North Iberville classroom edition which has a targeted completion date of August 2025 The project also includes the addition of an elevator for the existing two-story building “The way it works is that if you don’t have ADA-compliant access and you have something on that second floor and you have a student who needs to access it without an elevator you’ve got to move whatever that program is to the bottom floor where they can access it,” he said “We’re fortunate we don’t have a wheelchair issue at North Iberville so we decided while doing the classroom addition we would go ahead and put an elevator in it as well.” The School Board set aside $7 million for the project The budget is now set at $6 million to cover any unexpected issues that could arise work crews are dealing with water pressure to ensure the fire suppression system is working properly for the Dorseyville cafeteria construction continues for the new high school gymnasium which will cost the school district $8.5 million The new buildings going up on campuses across the parish schools may be the most visible sign of work for the district Much of the work slate has included upgrades and repairs to the HVAC system which had issues at the start of the 2023-24 school year among one of the state’s worst heat waves in decades “We’ve done a lot of repair work over the years but we decided last summer when we faced that really intense heat wave and drought that it’s time to invest the money in rebuilding the infrastructure for the HVAC and that’s going to continue — and we’re trying to keep schools open while we do this work The situation at Iberville Elementary is a prime example it didn’t make educational sense to shut down the school for a week to replace that part and then start dealing with having to make up time later on down the road which would inconvenience far more than just the limited areas that are impacted,” he said The parish has invested almost $8 million HVAC upgrades we replaced all the underground condensing waterlines and we want taxpayers we’re not just investing our funds in new construction – we have to invest and upgrade in what we have.” The school system also has two cafeterias — one at Crescent and the other at North Iberville Elementary — where kitchens have been renovated and upgraded to ensure safety in those workplaces Plaquemine High’s cafeteria kitchen is set for a complete renovation next year The year 2023 will be remembered for a mixture of triumph and turmoil It also paved the way for new chapters in Iberville Parish Here’s a look at some of the biggest events of 2023 Businessman Chris Daigle punched his ticket to become the next Iberville Parish President following his win over J outdrew Ourso by just over 1,000 votes to become only the second chief executive of the Iberville Parish Government since voters approved the transition to Home Rule Charter in 1996 He has served three terms on the Iberville Parish School Board and had been school board president for several years An election for his seat will be held in March “We have a lot of work to do now and I’m ready for the challenge,” Daigle said the day after the election “I’m ready to prove to the residents of Iberville Parish that we’re going to move forward.” “We have a lot of work to do now and I’m ready for the challenge,” Daigle said Ourso delivered an emotional farewell speech during on Nov 10 during the annual “Salute to Veterans” he has orchestrated since 2009 He said he enjoyed the challenges and every controversial issue “I’ve been having my hand on this parish for 26 years and it’s time to let go – I need to be free should,” and I did it my way and I had a hell of a ride,” Ourso said Iberville for everything … these 26 years have been good and I’ve enjoyed every minute … no regrets.” was 44 when he started his first term his first term in 1997 Even though he did not land another term in office Ourso said the is not abandoning his efforts for the Mississippi River Bridge in Iberville Parish “Just because I ain’t elected doesn’t mean I don’t care for it that and I ain’t going to work for it,” he said who served nearly a year as Chief Academic Officer in Iberville Parish became the parish’s Superintendent of Schools in May when the School Board voted 6-3 for him to succeed retiring schools chief Dr Improvement of academic performance in the Iberville school district was of Voiron’s immediate goals when he took office he has aimed to improve efficiencies in academics “A school system in many ways is a business and an economic factor in our parish,” he said “We employee over 900 people and it takes both a focus on student outcomes in academics and operating efficiently from the business side of the organization we need to do that to make sure we’re being good stewards of the public funds we receive.” Operations for the Plaquemine City Hall and the Plaquemine Police Department were moved to different locations in spring due to mold and water damages in the two buildings The Plaquemine City Police moved operations to its training facility on Ferdinand Street It also used a mobile command center at the back of its police station on 23540 Railroad Ave. the finance department and human resources relocated their operations to a building on the corner of Railroad Avenue at Plaquemine Street The City Light and Water customer service department relocated to a building at 24655 Plaza Dr that was previously occupied by the Social Security Office The City Clerk’s office relocated to Plaquemine Street The Finance Office is operating temporarily on Court Street at the old post office White Castle residents voiced opposition to a proposed solar farm in their community over concerns that it would hurt their quality of life and threaten the future for local farmers They expressed their concerns over the proposed NextEra project during a community meeting the Iberville Parish Council hosted Sept More than 100 residents attended the meeting most members of the Parish Council and representatives from NextEra a multibillion-dollar company based in Juno that formerly operated as Florida Power & Light has proposed to build the solar farm project on 2,057 acres of land near Richland Road Ourso said he did not see any major economic benefit from the project let’s talk about Shintech in the next year or two spending another $4.5 billion,” he said and I think it can be detrimental to our community for years to come in the White Castle area.” and the banks that loan funds to them will become uncertain if the project comes to fruition “And we’re going to take all this prime real estate and we’re going to convert it into this?,” Ourso said ‘The parish of Iberville has got plenty of money who was elected Parish President less than one month later lives a quarter-mile away from the property for the proposed solar farm He said he hopes parish council members take note of the opposition “I’m a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due so I personally want to thank Parish President Mitchell Ourso for standing up for the White Castle community and proving he’s a good leader for the community,” he said I would also like to encourage our parish council members because this comes before them next.’ Stephen Engolio came out of retirement after more than 30 years with the Iberville Parish Police Office and went unopposed in an election to fill the post after former Chief Kenny Payne stepped down after pleading guilty on two counts of malfeasance in office Robbie took over and it evolved into him and me running the office together,” Engolio said who had been retired from the police force as assistant chief returned to the force to work as an administrator Johnson had no intentions to run for police chief He now serves as administrator under Chief Engolio Engolio has spent much of his life in law enforcement which most recently included work as chief criminal deputy under Sheriff Brett Stassi and Brent Allain He served as a deputy under then-sheriff Freddie Pitre less than three months after he graduated from Plaquemine High School A grand jury at Iberville Parish Courthouse indicted longtime St Gabriel Police Chief Kevin “Butchie” Ambeau on charges that include money laundering malfeasance in office and filing or maintaining public documents phones and videos from the actual building He also was charged with counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and theft of $25,000 or greater he was charged with conspiracy to commit theft and filing false public documents "All we want is for them to give us an honest day's work," District Attorney Tony Clayton said "We've convicted the chief of police of Brusly All the people want from us is to do our job and do it in an honest matter -- that's all they want The charges come after Iberville Parish Sheriff’s deputies raided Ambeau’s home July 15 after items from a murder investigation turned up missing computers and phones were seized in the raid Clayton issued subpoenas for the deputies to raid Ambeau’s home and office Ambeau's vehicle had some of the personal items some of which had not been put into evidence Gabriel police officer alleged in a lawsuit that he was fired in retaliation for being a whistleblower in a malfeasance case against the police chief The suit filed in Iberville Parish by Jamaal Carter against Police Chief Kevin Ambeau claims the workplace environment at the St Gabriel Police Department “became hostile” after Carter notified Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi of missing evidence that led to an FBI and sheriff’s office investigation in June 2022 The investigation led to the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office raid of the St Gabriel Police Headquarters and the home of Ambeau Budget issues arose between the White Castle Police Department and the town’s mayor and council but the temporary use of a deputy Sheriff Brett Stassi provided the department helped keep WCPD fiscal condition above water until the fiscal year ended Sept said he made up for a lot of hours that would have otherwise cost the town taxpayers more money which is one of the reasons I’m working as much as I work and patrolling as much as I patrol while trying to stay on top of the administrative part of the work,” he said The Village of Grosse Tete in December headed into the final stage of the process to annex an area on the north side of Interstate 10 The 160 acres of land will be added into the corporate limits on Sidney Road behind the Shell Truck Stop Beau Box Realty of Baton Rouge will develop the area for commercial and light industrial business and we want it so we can get some more economic development on this end of Iberville Parish,” he said The Lafayette law firm of Becker and Hebert A fatal shooting during a Week 1 high school football game in Port Allen led multiple parish school systems – including Iberville – to enact tighter security at high school football games and other athletic events The protocol included bag checks and metal detectors at all home football games The measures fell in line with protocol used at other public facilities Iberville Parish School Board Superintendent Dr national parks and college and professional sporting events,” he said “We’re just going to have it occur at the high school level when it comes to sporting events as well.” New protocol also took effect in other parishes across the state The move comes after an incident at Port Allen High School during the annual Port Allen-Brusly rivalry game where an altercation ended with the fatal shooting Ja’Kobe Queen The shooting did not stem from the team rivalry Gabriel need to move past the animosity that brewed during the recent election if they want to city grow Johnson – who first took office in 2011 – made his plea during a speech moments before he took District Judge Alvin Batiste Jr administered the oath for him to begin his fourth mayoral term on June 30 Johnson the city cannot afford to continue the divisiveness that prevailed during the election “I’ve never seen or run for an election that was as contentious as this last election,” Johnson said “This last election has literally divided our city.” His comments followed an April runoff election in which live feed of the tally initially showed that Kyle Grace won the race which was decided by only a 32-vote margin Johnson pleaded for residents to cast aside differences and work for a common goal if they want the city to continue its growth “We cannot afford four years of the contentiousness we’ve seen the last four months,” he said we will not grow and all of us will be out of office.” for a March 29 statewide vote on four constitutional amendments including one that would rewrite the constitution The early voting period will run until March 22 at the Iberville Parish Courthouse and satellite voting offices Amendment 2 has drawn the most discussion statewide in the past month A vote in favor Amendment 2 would “rewrite large portions of the Louisiana Constitution dealing with revenue collections savings account and taxation rule,” according to the Public Affairs Research Council The plan has drawn skepticism locally and statewide Louis Voiron said he is uncertain about much lower the employer of portion of teacher retirement will be and if the state can cover the pay hikes that would eliminate the annual stipends teachers have received in the past several years “What we don’t know is how much lower the employer portion the teacher’s retirement is going to go or if it’s going to actually cover the cost of the raise,” Iberville Parish School Superintendent Dr Louisiana Secretary of Revenue Richard Nelson in an interview on “Talk Louisiana” with Jim Engster on WRKF-FM 89.3 called the proposal a “giant leap forward for Louisiana.”  “It’s been effort going on for years and years trying to fix Louisiana recommended by policy experts on both sides of the ails forever and set Louisiana on a path we will all be proud of going forward with kids moving here instead of moving out,” he said He called the proposal “a great thing for Louisiana teachers” because it would pay off one-quarter of the debt incurred by teacher retirement It would lead to an elimination of stipends and would instead implement salary hikes of “at least” $2,000 or more “The alternative is that we continue to pay that money in interest (to teacher retirement) rather than giving teachers a raise,” he said “Do you support an amendment to revise Article VII of the Constitution of Louisiana including revisions to lower the maximum rate of income tax increase income tax reductions for citizens over sixty-five modify operation of certain constitutional funds provide for property tax exemptions retaining the homestead exemption and exemption for religious organizations provide a permanent teacher salary increase by requiring a surplus payment to teacher retirement debt Public Affairs Research of Louisiana, a private non-profit/non-partisan provides comprehensive guides on the amendments. For more information, log on to www.parlouisiana.org No signs or campaign ads are in sight across Iberville Parish but an election with major implications is on the Mach 29 ballot for four constitutional amendments that will go before voters statewide — including one that would rewrite the constitution But two days before the start of early voting a lawsuit challenging Amendment 2 is set to be heard by a Baton Rouge judge on behalf of a pastor and two teachers Plaintiffs want the item removed from the ballot on claims that it is biased and misleading A vote on favor of Amendment 2 would “rewrite large portions of the Louisiana Constitution dealing with revenue collections A vote against the overhaul would “continue the current provisions governing revenue collections savins accounts and taxation limitations.” A promise of “permanent teacher pay raises” is among the items that has drawn skepticism The amendment calls for a pay hike for teachers that would replace the stipends the state currently awards educators The plans would make stipends given the past two years become permanent How it affects other funding mechanisms is the big question The plaintiffs say that it would siphon money from three education trust funds Twenty percent of teacher salaries go into teacher retirement Support employees such as maintenance and bus drivers have a different retirement system “This is supposed to be for all teachers and certified staff and all support worker and we're supposed to pay for it with the savings that we get from our contributions to teacher retirement that are supposed to go down,” he said  “But what we don't know is how much that savings going to be and it cover the full cost of that rate.” Voiron said some fear that it will create a drain in revenue from education Billions of dollars are tied up in those funds that earn interest and the interest is being used for a multitude of programs in state education “We get some of that money for our early childhood programs for pre-K and if they use that money to pay down the teachers retirement debt then that funding won't be there,” he said we don't know if the state's going to make up for that some kind on the way or if we just got to eat the difference.” The proposed amendment also includes revisions to lower the maximum rate of income tax increase income tax deductions for citizens over 65 The thawing of ice brought an end to Louisiana’s most active winter storm in more than 80 years and Iberville Parish officials say they dodged a bullet when it comes to weather-related hardships It does not mean workers were not busy during the four-day deep freeze that brought near-record snowfall and single digits to the area It was a relief particularly for Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi He and many other law enforcement officials across south Louisiana urged residents to avoid the roadways last week “People ironically stayed home pretty much… that was pretty much the case during the week,” Stassi said “They know they’re not accustomed to driving in that kind of weather.” The minimal traffic made it easier for deputies and other officials to keep an eye on the Iberville Parish stretch of Interstate 10 from Ramah to the St Deputies manned the entrances of I-10 along both directions for several nights “Thank God we were able to get through that,” Stassi said “The strange thing is that north Louisiana did not get any snow at all — that’s not the norm I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like that again in our lifetime.” the campuses fared “pretty well,” Superintendent Dr but busted water lines multiple districts throughout the parish kept workers busy before classes reopened Jan things manifested themselves,” Voiron said when you deal with those types of temperatures but when you deal with those types of temperatures you always end up with problems Parents of Plaquemine High School and all other Iberville Parish schools received notice from the School Board that a weapon was found inside the backpack of a student at Plaquemine High School Friday Louis Voiron informed parents that the weapon was immediately confiscated by school personnel and there was no threat to students or staff “The Plaquemine High School Administration along with the Iberville Parish School Board and Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office are investigating this matter and are taking the necessary measures to ensure the safety our students and staff He said in the notice that the IPSB will “continue to ensure that safety takes precedence each day.” “We are also committed to communicating with you about any safety issues or concerns on campus when they emerge,” Voiron said “It is very disappointing that this took place and you can be assured that we take safety very seriously and appropriate action will occur to address this situation.” Iberville Parish public schools earned a B after improvement of nearly one percentage point in the 2023 District Performance Scores and Letter Grades the Louisiana Department of Education released last week The school system notched a 75.7 District Performance score for the year It marked an improvement from the 74.9 – a “C” letter grade – for 2022 “We are very proud,” Iberville Parish Schools Superintendent Dr “It was a collective effort of everyone who is involved in our school system but part of that was that the scales have advanced over the years but the letter grade went down due to a scale change.” Two schools – Plaquemine Senior High School and East Iberville Elementary/High School – earned a B on their school performance scores The remainder of the schools earned a C: Dorseyville Elementary North Iberville High School and White Castle High School North Iberville Elementary improved from 63.9 on its 2022 score to 69.9 for this year Iberville Elementary’s 73.9 score represented a three-point increase from last year Plaquemine Senior High School’s score of 76.3 was drop of two-tenths of a percentage point from last year while East Iberville Elementary/High dropped from 77.1 to 75.8 and Crescent Elementary/Junior High dropped from 74.2 to 70.8 White Castle’s score reflected a drop from last year’s 82.2 score – a “B” letter grade –to the 71.7 this year while Dorseyville’s score of 69.6 marked an improvement of five points from last year’s scoresheet Changes in the letter grades and tighter standards will go into effect between next year and 2025 Improvement will be the focus for every school in the district and we’re going to keep pushing for higher standards and a better climate and culture inside our schools because that makes a big difference as well,” he said “We also want to continue to find ways to address the needs of our students.” Mathematics will rank among the top priorities in the strategic plan one of the major priorities this year is mathematics,” he said  “We implemented some new curriculum in mathematics and we have quite a bit of professional development happening in that area.” which makes those improvement goals an even greater priority The Iberville Parish School Board is making a big push to improve the climate on all campuses in the district “This is not about me – it’s about all those folks in those schools,” Voiron said “We need to make sure we treat our kids the right way treating our employees the right way and that we have a level of accountability and a level of standards that we live up to.” Iberville and the 68 other school districts across Louisiana also must prepare for changes that may come when Jeff Landry takes office in January While those changes – if any – have not yet been announced Voiron said the Iberville Parish School Board will be ready to adjust “We’ll make whatever transitions we have to in order to make with whatever new policies or standards come out with the new administration,” he said it’s our goal to provide our students with the best educational opportunity that we can and to do so within the confines of the accountability system and whatever standards that are sent down to us from the state level “We have to set higher standards for ourselves and for our kids both from the academic standpoints and from the personal responsibility It comes to creating the right type of environment in our schools where everyone matters … whatever paths are that we pursue in our lives we want our students to have available opportunities to pursue them.” Rotary International has operated under a far-reaching principle for many years “Service Above Self” serves as the motto for the organization A ceremony hosted by the Plaquemine chapter June 13 honored residents who best represent that adage “These are all examples of what makes our parish and city a great place to live and a great place to raise a family,” outgoing President Jacob Wilbert said at the ceremony law enforcement officials and firefighters The leaders from those entities made the selections and announced them at the ceremony who is approaching his first anniversary as head of the public school system we‘re trying to live true to the motto and theme of moving forward,” he said “The individuals we’re recognizing today are truly outstanding individuals and educators who put forth every day what I call 'the work of God' for the children of Iberville Parish.” Brian Jordan was named High School Teacher of the Year “I can attest to you I haven’t seen too many young teenage males cry," Voiron said “But when he left White Castle to go to Plaquemine Renita Whitaker received the Middle School Teacher of the Year honor for her work at Plaquemine High “She does an amazing job developing the rapport with her kids and holding them both to personal and academic higher standards,” the superintendent said has had a consistent trait all year at Iberville Elementary “I’ve never saw her without a smile on her face,” he said “She’s a Master Teacher at Iberville Elementary who works not only with kids Louviere taught 20-plus years in Iberville Parish public schools She taught fourth and fifth grade math and social studies a seventh-grade enrichment class that teaches about the history of St John school and its impact in the community for the past 170 years Louviere has made a lasting impression on the lives of many students through her role as a teacher and has worked diligently to instill knowledge develop responsibility and lead her students to reach their fullest potential,” said Wilbert “She has been an example of faith and service to others and has led her students to many projects for St including the seventh- and eighth-grade youth legislative programs and the St who has served three years with the city department was selected Law Officer of the Year by Chief Stephen Engolio Chenevert has worked in law enforcement nearly seven years He started his career at the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Brett Stassi and joined Plaquemine Police Department in 2021 Chenevert’s arrest records and traffic records remain steady throughout the year and I don’t get complaints on him,” he said “I usually get two types of officers – the retired on-duty officers who don’t interact with anybody and the guys who interact a lot and you will get complaints “You see him at just about every event we have He's a good model for the rest of the people.” Chenevert is married and has four children he’s out crawfishing,” the police chief said “He's a good model for the rest of the people.” He fulfilled his career dream when he went to work with the Iberville Sheriff’s Office in uniform patrol under then-Sheriff Freddie Pitre Johnson served in that capacity until 2017 when he became a school resource officer “He has worked in all the Iberville Parish schools and has shown the same level of dedication throughout the years,” Stassi said Johnson has stepped up to help other SROs when needed “He’s come through for us all the time,” the sheriff said who has worked five years with the Plaquemine Fire Departments exudes the qualities of a model public servant “When I tell you someone goes above and beyond it’s Captain Matthew – he’s always there,” he said “When he’s off-duty and I need him – maybe for structure fire or a bad accident – Matthew’s always there.” Wall has also played a key role in the training division He started a thermal image camera training class and has spent many hours on it teaching new firefighters those techniques It does not stop him from his main responsibilities we had a lady go into cardiac arrest and Matthew went on that call and got her pulse back,” he said Mark Carline represents the type of public servant not seen often today “Volunteerism is going away because people don’t have time to give back just by volunteering because they have full-time jobs and some of their kids play baseball,” he said Carline was a volunteer 30 years ago when Ramirez started in the same capacity Even after decades of work and relocation out of state for 15 years the first place he stopped when he returned was the Plaquemine Fire Department and he said he was back and ready to start volunteering again,” he said during the weekends when he’s off – anytime I need him Carline continues training even after decades as a first responder "He goes to other departments for training and just got back from a session at Texas A&M and he’s brought what he learned back to the Plaquemine Fire Department," Ramirez said After four full terms on the Iberville Parish School Board Yolanda Butler Laws has landed an additional duty with her post a position she assumed as predecessor Chris Daigle heads toward his final days on the board before he becomes Iberville Parish President on Jan The board approved her appointment during its regular meeting Dec Laws will serve as board president as she heads into her 17th year on the school board She began her board tenure during the last year Martin Bera served as superintendent “I’m looking forward to this coming year with the new superintendent and his administration,” Laws said very impressive just for the history I know.” Accountability was the focal point of her platform in her last term and she is upbeat about the approach Voiron has brought to the school system His focus of 90-day and 180-day plans was to communicate what is expected “His whole thing is holding people accountable,” she said “If everyone is aware and knows what’s expected they should be accountable to what their position holds them to do ‘He diligently wants to be accountable in his position His philosophy is that if he’s accountable that shouldn’t hold back anyone else from doing the same.” She’s been vice president in different capacities and sought the president’s seat at one time but did not get the votes needed Laws reminds herself that things happen for a reason and that maybe the time was not right when she did not garner the votes to become the school board president maybe it wasn’t in line with other things I had going on,” she said Laws had served as her mother’s primary caretaker for several years until her sister relocated last year from Atlanta “She was helping to bear that transition in that caregiving task and it has really opened me up to serve these three years to the best of my abilities and that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Laws said we hope we’re able to move the district in the right direction “My mother was my number-one supporter after my father passed 10 years ago They were my top supporters and fans as I got into the political arena.” What brought her into the school system was the desire to advocate for her daugther Her daugther graduated from Plaquemine High and went to Nicholls State as a part of their programs and now works part-time in daycare so I feel very good about all the years I’ve spent in this space She also sees the school system as being one of the main catalysts for the parish to achieve productive growth “A good educational system is key to the growth of Iberville Parish both in terms of residents and industry,” Laws said “They industries want to know they’ll have a good pool of educated people to employ and that they will have a good public school system for the education of their children.” Louis Voiron said last Friday he applauded a decision by Gov John Bel Edwards to restore funds slashed from early childhood education Edwards’s decision funneled $7.5 million back into the program “We are more than pleased with funds being restored by Gov Edwards for Early Childhood Education,” Voiron said in a statement to Post/South “The earlier children receive educational services “The Iberville Parish School System has a strong early childhood program and partners with daycare centers in our parish for birth to 3 programs,” he said “Thanks to the governor for recognizing the significance of early childhood education and providing the necessary funds to move forward.” The governor’s move came in response to a decision by Louisiana Republican House leadership to cut funds from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) R-Houma and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee proposed the amendment to the budget proposal to cut funding for the program which helps low-income families access childcare where they work or attend school The cuts came the same day early childhood care and education advocates appeared at the State Capitol for Early Ed Day festivities Many children from low-income households do not have access to programs for the 0-3 age backet – the most crucial years in the developmental process executive director for the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children Children who do not start kindergarten until they are 5 or 6 usually trail those who have had an earlier start on education Those who start later are also more likely to struggle academically and eventually drop out of school District Attorney Tony Clayton said increased funding of early childhood education could lead the state onto a path that would improve test scores in schools curb the dropout rate and significantly reduce the crime rate “If you look at other first-world countries – Singapore for example – you’ll see that the higher the level of education the lower level you have for crime,” he said The Ready Louisiana Coalition – a bipartisan group of 120 organizations including chambers of commerce businesses and advocacy organizations – is urging lawmakers to restore the funds The coalition represents more than 1 million people in Louisiana’s workforce Three candidates vying to become the next Lafourche Parish superintendent of schools were given a chance today to explain why they are the best person for the job The three men were publicly interviewed for the position by the School Board during a special two-hour meeting They are hoping to replace Jo Ann Matthews The board is expected to make its final selection on Wednesday Terrebonne Parish assistant superintendent of schools; Clyde Washington assistant superintendent of the Rapides Parish School System; and Louis Voiron the Lafourche Parish School Board’s director of human resources Each board member was given the opportunity to submit questions Those questions were then narrowed down to five Each candidate was asked the same questions and was given six minutes to respond Although the three candidates agreed on several goals they each had their own road map to move the school district forward One such challenge is retaining quality teachers during lean financial times Washington said communication and transparency are important to build public trust He also emphasized the importance of managing finances more efficiently “When you’re putting forth some kind of proposal to consider a half-cent sales tax you have to communicate that,” Washington said You have to communicate everything and tell people where the money is going You have to look at costs all the time when considering certain things You have to look at how you’re spending your money and spend it wisely.”  Effective schools are built on the foundation of strong leadership has provided this strong leadership over the years and has been committed to the work that she has done in this district,” he said capable of building upon the initiative currently in place by enhancing areas requiring attention.”  As someone who’s worked in the classroom and had administrative duties Voiron said he had the knowledge and experience to benefit the students and teachers in Lafourche Parish Voiron proposed a collaborative economic plan to keep sales tax dollars in Lafourche to prevent such turnover “We need to devote a plan that can be supported by everybody in the community,” Voiron said “There are two things we need to stabilize the budget We’ve got to maximize the available resources we have and continue to analyze our budget to find places where we can save funds within existing resources But at the same time we need to increase those revenues through the current tax structure that we have to the fullest possible extent.”  Voiron said he plans to meet with local business leaders to promote local shopping as well “We need a unified effort in order to get all of the taxing authority involved,” he said “Our sales tax department must continue to pursue online tax payments We need a plan to go out and build public confidence in our school system in order to increase revenues to the point we can not only provide raises but bring back some programs that have been cut.” Orgeron has experience throughout both Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes He was a teacher for nine years before becoming assistant principal of Golden Meadow Lower Elementary School He would go on to become assistant principal at Larose Cut Off Middle and South Lafourche High School before spending four years as head principal at South Lafourche and eventually becoming the assistant superintendent of Terrebonne Parish “I feel the time is right to return home so I can contribute and give back with a fresh set of eyes,” Orgeron said “I think it only enriches what I bring to the table I know what it’s like to walk the halls and work with kids at every level of the school system.” Orgeron said his passion for children and learning is something he doesn’t take lightly “I have a heart for kids and everyone who’s worked with me can tell you that I have a passion for prepping kids for the future After three candidates provided closing remarks the board took a vote on the next steps in the process Board member Ray Bernard made a motion to elect the new superintendent today which was seconded by member Raymond Toups the board unanimously voted to make their selection during Wednesday’s meeting “We’ve had some real good interviews and to make a spontaneous decision like that would be an injustice,” board member Richmond Boyd Jr Bernard said the board has had ample time to make the decision and has thoroughly studied the resumes of all three candidates “We’ve seen the resumes and we’ve all received calls of support or nonsupport for the candidates,” Bernard said “We’ve heard their opening statements and heard them answer questions and closing statements I think it’s only fair we select today as well to remove any public skepticism of the validity of our individual votes.”  Board member Mary Breaud said she wanted to hear from her constituents before making a final decision on who gets the job “This is the single most important decision we’re going to make and to not allow the public to respond to these interviews would be wrong,” Breaud said “I myself would like to have to time to reflect and to make the best choice we possibly can.”  --Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 857-2202 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com PLAQUEMINE - The Superintendent of Iberville Parish Schools is urging people to vote in favor of four propositions on the Dec. 7 ballot. "We're not getting a penny more of state funding and we're not getting a penny more of federal money so it's critical and vital for us to have these tax revenues in place," Superintendent Louis Voiron said The largest tax renewal proposed could generate $29 million annually and would go toward paying salaries improving schools and building new facilities Voiron said this particular proposition of 26 mills is actually a decrease of five millage points from the previous rate "Any type of capital outlay projects whether it's new construction all of that is funded by local revenue," Voiron said Another proposition renews a property tax that helps pay for alternative school programs It would bring the school system an estimated $2 million each year The third tax renewal has a slight decrease and would bring in an estimated $5.4 million each year Those dollars would go toward operation and maintenance "Just keeping our air conditioning systems running is an extremely expensive proposition We made about seven to eight million dollars worth of HVAC expenditures over the last 18 months," Voiron said The fourth proposition also has a renewal at a lower rate bringing in $9.5 million dollars to pay salaries and benefits "People talk about the teacher shortage a lot We want to keep our employee compensation higher than the surrounding districts so we can get those positions filled as well," Voiron said Voiron added that the school system is able to propose renewals at lower rates because of recent increases in local revenues from property taxes This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Plaquemine police officers last week arrested two women on felony charges after an incident at an Iberville Elementary basketball game that ended with one of them allegedly punching the principal Alessia Parker was arrested by Plaquemine Department and charged with battery of a schoolteacher resisting officers and disturbing the peace allegedly “egged on” Parker and “cussed people out,” Engolio said The altercation began after the principal asked Parker to move her two small children off the basketball court The principal had tried twice to move the children off the court “She was sitting on the table with her feet on her chair she hit her head on the chair,” Plaquemine Police Chief Stephen Engolio said Engolio said the mother took exception at the principal moving the children off the court and the principal told her to keep the kids off the court Godchauux “egged Parker on and cussed people out,” the police chief said turned herself over to the police the following day District Court Judge Elizabeth Engolio set Parker’s bond at $100,000 Parker was charged with one count of battery of a schoolteacher — a felony — as well as resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by engaging in a fistic encounter Louis Voiron said the school system “would not tolerate the type of behavior.” Parker and Godchaux also have been banned from all campuses in the Iberville Parish School System IBERVILLE – The countdown to the new school year is on while the Grosse Tete bridge remains out of commission seven weeks after being struck by a barge At the center of attention is transportation for students with classes resuming Thursday It is estimated that 60-100 children will need to ride the ferry daily,  though the exact number could change the Iberville Parish government introduced a larger ferry with a capacity of 18 people Iberville Parish government and school officials hope their plans will alleviate the hardships faced by parents and students in the northern part of the parish as the Bayou Grosse Tete drawbridge awaits repair Superintendent Louis Voiron said in a meeting that he has been in many conversations about the transportation issue “We’re working together to make sure the education of our children continues,” Voiron said The Iberville Parish Public School System is offering parents four transportation options for getting their children to school The options listed on the Iberville Parish schools’ website are: Superintendent Louis Voiron emphasized that all elementary students will be required to sit inside while on the ferry Parents can also choose to have their child wear a life jacket.  the bridge itself is out of any control of anything we can do But offering options for the education of our kids to continue is within our control and we’re trying to do the best we can to ensure we’re giving our parents a choice.” Buses transporting students will start running at 5:30 a.m strict rules will be in place to prioritize safety Sheriff Brett Stassi reminds boaters that a “no wake” zone is in effect after yet another docked boat capsized from the wakes of a tugboat Some residents are leaving their boats docked to cross the waterway and Stassi urges commercial and recreational water vessels to be mindful and respectful of what these residents are going through “These folks just can’t catch a break,” Stassi said in a release “They can’t cross the bridge and then their alternate means of travel gets destroyed Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) was made aware of the boat collision with the drawbridge on La The process of opening when it was struck by the barge The Grosse Tete drawbridge has been closed since with an estimated 3 month repair time.  Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area. 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Or even better, do both! 1137 / 2459Arrow RightBlack arrow pointing rightBackArrow LeftBlack arrow pointing leftSeptember 21 Prince of Persia’s time-bending approach to puzzle-solving is making its way to a virtual-reality escape room near you gives teams of up to four players the chance to work together to solve puzzles and use the titular artifact’s powers to stop Developed by Ubisoft Düsseldorf – which also created two Assassin’s Creed VR escape rooms, Beyond Medusa’s Gate and Escape the Lost Pyramid – and based on The Sands of Time trilogy Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time challenges players to explore and use magical powers to solve puzzles with room-scale VR in a dedicated physical space players will need to escape from the Fortress of Time and prevent an army of Sand Monsters from being unleashed To find out more about how the experience took shape executive producer for Ubisoft Escape Games How was Prince of Persia chosen as the setting for a VR escape room Cyril Voiron: After doing two experiences based on settings from the recent Assassin’s Creed games It had to build on the mechanics and knowledge we developed during the first two games and we wanted an IP that would generate a strong interest in general as a standalone experience Our VR escape rooms are meant to be larger-than-life adventures; something you can’t do in the real world something you can totally immerse yourself into once you put on the VR headset The Sands of Time series seemed to be the perfect fit because it not only offers a fantasy setting but the original games also come with many elements that fit perfectly into VR we want to make sure that if you are a fan you feel that we have treated the IP with respect time control is the key element in our VR escape room So we built the experience around this function seeing where it might fit and how players can use the time manipulation to solve puzzles cooperatively Something different is that we don’t have any fights against enemies Our VR escape rooms are meant for gamers and non-gamers alike; therefore we concentrate on puzzle elements and co-op gameplay Ubisoft Düsseldorf created two Assassin’s Creed VR escape rooms; did creating one for Prince of Persia feel different CV: We decided to push the level of quality and complexity of our experiences to another level in Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time like being able to play not only with two or four players we are not mirroring the in-game environment like we did in Escape the Lost Pyramid and this makes the riddles and the level design way more complex The fact that Prince of Persia is more fantasy-oriented helped in some situations but time control in a multiplayer game is complex to execute Prince of Persia is known for vertical exploration and trap-filled environments; were you able to incorporate any of those elements into the escape room But they are not the core of the gameplay experience; time control is But we have re-imagined them for comfortable VR functionality We also incorporated vertical exploration with the different towers of the Fortress of Time that you have to explore How does time manipulation work within the game Does the escape room have moving elements that can be reset CV: Only the player who holds the Dagger of Time in their hands can control time we added some visual and audio cues so the other players also realize that time is being manipulated It is quite impressive the first time that you can freeze the world around you How do you handle this ability with multiple active players all the players receive a Medallion of Time so they are not affected by the power of the dagger So they have to take advantage that time is being manipulated to resolve some puzzles at the right moment What other magical abilities will players be able to wield in the escape room Will they work similarly to time manipulation For the sake of not spoiling the experience but we can say that there is also a very cool sword with magic powers to find in the Fortress of Time play a role or have a presence during gameplay players will meet Kaileena through the course of the game She mainly functions as the key narrative character who will guide the players through the Fortress of Time How does playing with two players differ from three or four Do the room or puzzle layouts differ according to the number of players and therefore the experience will be very similar but the puzzles are solved in a slightly different way One example: When playing with more than two players it might be that two or more players will need to activate a different switch at the same time Aside from hitting switches and collaborating on puzzle solutions what’s an example of something that might require players to work in tandem CV: There are many ways and nearly every puzzle requires teamwork Or it could be that a player gets trapped and can only escape if another players comes to their aid You cannot succeed on your own in our escape games You have to talk and collaborate with your team Players can teleport within the game while also taking advantage of room-scale movement; how does that work Are there any issues if their position in the virtual room is different from the real one CV: We do not map the real room with the virtual room We just have two ways of movement: natural walking in room scale but also teleporting by holding one button and pointing into a certain direction players will not be able to teleport to just any point; if there is an element blocking the way because our rooms can be quite large in terms of scale Are there accommodations in The Dagger of Time for players with limited mobility CV: Our customers are often non-gamers with no VR experience so they need to be able to understand how to play in just five minutes We have developed a one-button control system to make it easy for everyone and we give to our operators the ability to unlock some usability features We always test our rooms with wheelchair users this is a wheelchair-accessible experience For more on Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time and other Ubisoft Escape Games, check out ubisoftescapegames.com. And for more on other standalone Ubisoft projects, check out our previous coverage. Use a more generic search term for better results Ubisoft’s Escape Games combine escape rooms and location-based VR This immersive and unique fusion brings VR game playing to a mainstream audience Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time is the latest offering This joins the Assassin’s Creed games Escape from the Lost Pyramid and Beyond Medusa’s Gate in Ubisoft’s VR escape room collection The Dagger of Time takes place in the world of the Prince of Persia trilogy Players can control time itself as they collaborate to stop the evil Magi Blooloop spoke to Cyril Voiron, Executive Producer Ubisoft Escape Games he spent ten years at Atari as Vice President of Brand Management I tried to start my own games development studio It didn’t work; we had difficulty raising the money I knocked at the door of a studio in Germany and met Ubisoft Blue Byte They persuaded me to set up and lead their mobile games strategy.” as Executive Producer on Ubisoft Escape Games he leads Ubisoft Blue Byte’s various VR initiatives I proposed and submitted a concept to do an escape room in VR as part of the studio’s innovation track,” says Voiron “The concept was validated from our head office “I would say that one of the really cool things about Ubisoft is that the creativity don’t come from the head office to the studios we come up with an idea we think might work and that might be the right thing to do “If the idea is considered to be valuable or interesting we will often be given the opportunity to do a prototype And that’s exactly what happened three years ago.” Ubisoft has always had a strong interest in innovation and technology “We were interested in VR, and felt it was the perfect time to introduce a location-based VR,” adds Voiron. “As a company, we had already created some VR games on the consumer side. But location-based VR was something new the concept of VR escape rooms was an interesting business model The idea came from a discussion about the perfect VR experience So the tech is supporting what you want to achieve as an experience.” a way to transcend the limitations of a traditional escape room scenario “As an escape room, you have a very defined scope. You are still limited, ultimately, by the four walls. VR could allow you to go beyond the physical space and to do what you couldn’t do in a proscribed physical space technology could be used to facilitate a concept the optimal IPs for an escape room concept thinking about immersive locations and exploring mechanics in VR the team came back to us as a management and said ‘We think a tomb in a pyramid would be an interesting scenario’ “They did some cool mechanics with bows and with climbing. So the thought was that Assassin’s Creed Origin would be the best IP to start with.” “We chose the IP because the feedback was that it was something that would make a great experience,” says Voiron “And the second one was about building on what we had done “We had spent lots of time learning and developing the mechanics We had a similar universe: another Assassin’s Creed “We have had lots of feedback from consumers telling us what we have done is super cool “The third one is Prince of Persia, which we have just announced There is a certain amount of continuity with the previous ones But we wanted to move away from Assassin’s Creed sufficiently different in the way it works to prevent it from being predictable to those who have played the Assassin’s Creed escape games I know how it works,’ will be put in their place.” “We think about the experiences in two ways,” says Voiron How do we deliver a better experience to partners and consumers “With this experience, without doubling the size of the team it’s about getting better at challenging ourselves you could only play with two or four players But it has lots of implication in the level design “That was a big challenge for the team We are also introducing NPCs (non-player characters) for the first time So players will meet somebody who talks to them We also have more choice in terms of diversity when choosing an avatar That is something we have always wanted to do “The second part is that the players need to have to do things they’ve not done before the goal of VR is to have people feel they have experienced something they could never have done in real life what is super exciting about the Prince of Persia VR escape game is time control What does it mean if you have the Dagger of Time; if you can control time; pause it It is an experience that you would never have in real life because it’s a multiplayer experience “It’s about being yourself, in that universe. You go through the experience One innovation is a focus on the necessity of collaboration there is always the possibility that there is one clever member of a group who will invariably find the solution almost immediately “What we can do with virtual reality and what we have done here with the level design You have to work together and communicate to find the solution and progress to the next level.” the best escape game the Ubisoft team have created so far: Everybody so far has confirmed that this is our best one.” Technology will increasingly enable people to explore being active players rather than spectators and it’s linked also to why we chose escape rooms “We are creating these experiences so that even if you’ve never played a game in your life when we were starting and going to trade shows I don’t play games and I don’t like technology. VR would make me sick.’ because that’s a matter of frame rate then they want to go on and play the full game “I think that’s why this type of format is going to be successful,” says Voiron “Because you can make it work for everybody but it’s another layer of interaction with the machine you can create experiences where you just have to be there; you don’t have to learn; it’s natural.” he says: “The last months are usually crucial Because that’s when we add the final polish and make sure it’s really good.” The coronavirus pandemic is But the overall impact on location-based VR will be profound Our partners are often small companies who might have to remain closed for months.” so we are trying to organise offsets to be able to continue working There is a very good culture to make this happen This means we should be able to finish a game as efficiently as possible which is a problem because it’s a core principle of what we do and that’s why we have something so polished and natural when it’s released.” There are many places in the world where we want to expand to We want to continue delivering a great experience to audiences across the globe.” Get the latest attractions industry
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We visited the beautiful church of Saint-Bruno, sampled food from the large local market, and bought mouthwatering treats from Bonnat Chocolatier one of the few chocolatiers in France that roasts cocoa beans in-house Voiron provides a delicious day trip from Lyon Photo: Vintage bottles of Chartreuse by Anastasia Kolobrodova Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2025 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Taibi key for Algeria at AfroBasket Women 2015VOIRON (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Take a closer look at how Algeria women's basketball has evolved in the past few years VOIRON (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Take a closer look at how Algeria women's basketball has evolved in the past few years and two names are likely to stand out And the duo, who plays for local GS Petroliers, did it again two weeks ago, sparking Algeria to book their ticket for this year's edition of the African Championship Despite Algeria's success in Zone 1, after beating Morocco in two games the team's head coach Azzedine Labouize feels there is a lot to be done to reach the competitive level for AfroBasket Women 2015 a qualifier tournament for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics "As we speak, I have to admit that we are not ready yet to take on teams such as Mali, Angola or Senegal," Labouize told FIBA.com Labouize took charge last summer, replacing former Algeria international Sofiane Boulaya who had guided Algeria to a 11th-place finish in Maputo France-based Labouize has high hopes for his country but is going to need key players such as Belaidi and Taibi to step up and take the team Algeria is the #9 team to qualify for #AfroBasketWomen2015 http://t.co/F2U386HWum pic.twitter.com/WARtmz7M4W While Belaid sat out Game 2 against Morocco due to an injury We're going to need her at her best to compete against Africa top teams Taibi, who averaged 9.3 points and and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game in Maputo two years ago, left good impressions according to Labouize, who coached Algeria's men's team at AfroBasket 2003 in Alexandria and we have to benefit from her ability to score and play defense," said the coach "Belaidi is an experienced player who we can always trust "We have a few months to get ready for the tournament and our experienced players could play a key role for us Our objective is to finish in the top eight at AfroBasket Women 2015 "We need to work hard to reach an acceptable level of competitiveness," Labouize recalled Algeria have been drawn in Group B of the African Championship along with defending champions Angola two teams to be determined through qualifiers and another team to be invited through a wild card process "It is going to be difficult for us," Labouize said "But we have chances of finishing in top four of our group." Algeria became the ninth national team join Africa’s elite women’s basketball tournament