A large turnout is expected at Mount Hermon School Thursday (September 10) for a community meeting to discuss potentially changing the school to an elementary-only school.
Currently, the school is for grades K through 12.
Under a proposal being considered by the Washington Parish School Board, Mount Hermon School’s junior high and high school students would move to other schools, and the school would have only elementary level students.
The proposal has been met with an emotional response in the Mount Hermon area. Numerous residents have said they are opposed. At Thursday’s community meeting, Parish School Superintendent Jennifer Thomas plans to explain the proposal in detail to attendees, and questions from the audience will be answered.
The 5 p.m. community meeting will be followed by the school board’s regular September meeting.
Prior to the community meeting, at 4:30 p.m. near the school, organizers are planning a prayer meeting, asking that residents pray for the school and the community. The prayer session is not affiliated with the school or the school system.
Mrs. Thomas, the superintendent, has said that the Mount Hermon proposal is just that --- a proposal. She said no definite decision has been made yet. The school board members will listen to input from residents during the community meeting and then, she said, at a later date a meeting will be held for the board to vote on the proposal.
She said it is important for people to understand that the proposal was prepared with plenty of though and consideration.
The small size of Mount Hermon’s classes is a factor, she said.
With only 139 students in total for grades 7-12, Mount Hermon School does have small classes, but small enrollment creates real academic challenges. Mrs. Thomas noted, "Small classes can sound ideal, but there comes a point when enrollment becomes so small that it limits what a school can reasonably provide. Several MHS classes have only four or five students."
Several of the parents and residents of Mount Hermon have told The Era-Leader that because the school is very much the hub of the commuity, they want the school board to shelve the proposal. They intend to point out at the meeting how important the school is to the Mount Hermon community.
