Community members gathered Tuesday, April 14, at Harper Pathways to Excellence to discuss the planned closure of J.L. Jones Elementary School as district officials outlined how changes to the state accountability model are impacting the campus.
Officials emphasized the meeting was informational only, with no action required or taken by the Webster Parish School Board.
Superintendent Johnny Rowland said recent changes to the state’s accountability system would significantly affect schools with limited grade configurations, such as J.L. Jones, which serves only second and third grades.
Under the revised model, student growth scores — which account for a portion of a school’s letter grade — will not be calculated for schools like Jones. Instead, only state assessment scores will be used, and scores rated “Basic” will also no longer earn points.
“The third grade is the first year of testing accountability,” Rowland said. “If you have third, fourth, and fifth together, you have a growth component that benefits our children.”
Rowland said the district has historically relied on growth scores to reflect student progress.
“Now, we do a great job in Webster Parish of taking our kids where we receive them and growing them,” he said.
He added that Tier I curriculum assumes students enter kindergarten at a ready-to-learn level, but many students in the district require additional support.
“My point is that when they get to us, many of our students — many — are below kindergarten level,” Rowland said. “We have to work so hard just to catch them up, just to get them to where they need to be.”
Under the new model, growth accounts for 54% of a school’s overall score. Because J.L. Jones does not have a qualifying grade configuration, its third-grade students would generate no growth points.
“It’s not their fault, and an F letter grade is coming at them like a train,” Rowland said.
Previously, assessment scores made up 75% of a school’s grade, with growth accounting for 25%.
For the 2025 school performance score, J.L. Jones received an overall grade of D, with an assessment grade of F and a student growth grade of A. Without the growth component, district officials said the school would receive an F, potentially triggering state intervention.
In past years, Jones was paired with Richardson Elementary for growth calculations, but that practice is no longer allowed under the updated model.
Oreata Banks, 3-5 supervisor and Title I director, said the changes present a significant concern for the community.
“We can’t have an F school in our community … but this new accountability model, that’s exactly what it’s saying,” Banks said, noting that Jones “does an excellent job of growing, progressing kids.”
Krystal Friday, principal of J.L. Jones, echoed that sentiment.
“Our students are growing and our teachers are making a difference,” Friday said.
To address the issue, district officials proposed restructuring grade configurations across Minden schools. The plan would move second grade to Phillips Elementary, creating a pre-kindergarten through second-grade campus, and shift third grade to Richardson Elementary, which would serve third through fifth grades.
Officials also discussed potential future uses for the J.L. Jones building, including an arts and creative learning center, a family and community engagement center, a test kitchen, space for social studies and science fairs, and professional development.
“That building is not going anywhere … the possibilities are huge,” Banks said.
District leaders said they remain open to continued dialogue with the community. One attendee suggested that the community contact state officials to advocate for changes to the accountability model.