School Board election called

VILLE PLATTE — The Evangeline Parish School Board voted Wednesday to call a special election on Nov. 6 to replace School Board member Dan Hoffpauir, who died Tuesday after a lengthy illness.

Hoffpauir had served the District 7-Mamou area as a board member for the past 24 years.

Superintendent Toni Hamlin said Hoffpauir was “a real gentleman. This is a great loss to the board and to the staff. He will be sorely missed.”

Funeral services are planned at 3 p.m. Thursday at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Mamou for Hoffpauir, 73. He operated a Western Auto store in Mamou for 28 years.

The School Board has called a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to appoint a replacement board member until the election.

Other items discussed during the meeting included:

SALES TAXES: Business Manager Amy LaFleur reported that revenues from school sales taxes increased by $524,671 for the fiscal year over the same period a year ago. The school district ended the fiscal year June 30 with $7.7 million in sales tax collections as compared to $7.2 million in 2010-2011.

NETWORK REGIONS: In her comments to the School Board, Hamlin said she was unsure how efficient the Louisiana Department of Education’s restructuring of school districts into network regions will be. In the past, Evangeline was part of the Acadiana region with neighboring southwest Louisiana parishes.

“We had a lot of things in common with these other parishes including our Cajun and Creole French heritage,” Hamlin said.

Evangeline, St. Landry and Lafayette parishes are now in a network that includes parishes such as East Baton Rouge, Orleans and Jefferson.

NEW PRINCIPAL: Hamlin reported that Dexter Brown was appointed principal at Evangeline Central School, reclassified from an interim principal.

Barbara Lee was appointed principal at Pine Prairie High School, also reclassified from an interim principal at the school.