Cameron starts work to replace high school

By The Associated Press

February 04, 2013

2 Comments

CAMERON — Ground was broken last week on a new Johnson Bayou High School to replace the one shut down after damaged by hurricanes Rita and Ike.

Cameron Parish schools Superintendent Stephanie Rodrigue said construction of the $16.7 million, 58,000-square-foot school will take about 22 months.

“Johnson Bayou High School has a very long tradition of excellence in a number of areas so we’re very pleased to be able to have a perfect environment for that to continue and to grow,” Rodrigue said.

Bessette Development Corp. of Lake Charles is the general contractor.

The original school had been renovated in the early 2000s, but it was heavily damaged in 2005 when Hurricane Rita struck. The school was repaired, but in 2008 the storm surge from Hurricane Ike destroyed it.

The school district will spend about $1 million on the project with flood insurance and funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency covering the remaining costs.

About 70 students attend the school, which serves grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

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Comments (2)


1) Comment by Melisse3 - 04/02/2013

70 sounds about right. According to LDOE info, for the 2010/11 school year, Johnson Bayou had 56 students (33 K-8, and 22 in HS). Also, there were 19 faculty. The school is in the very far southwest corner of the state. Probably a good 30 to 50 miles from any other school. With that said, $16.7 million?? Sorry, there is something seriously wrong here. If I'm not mistaken, Dutchtown HS was built for around that amount, and accomodates up to 2,000 students. No doubt the folks in Cameron need a new school. But the cost of this is puzzling.

2) Comment by LawyerDan65 - 04/02/2013

$16.7M for 70 students? Is this a typo...that is nearly $240,000 per student for a school....this seems rediculously high....even if FEMA is paying, these are still our tax dollars.