Here's where Terrebonne and Lafourche school districts are in the rebuilding process

Ellender Memorial High School is slated for demolition this summer. A few schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche remain untouched, awaiting decisions from FEMA.

The two school districts collectively took out more than $350 million in loans to cover the initial costs. This money is frontloaded for repairs and later reimbursed at 90% by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Lafourche is nearly finished with its repairs, with two holdouts awaiting approval from FEMA. Meanwhile, Terrebonne Parish has had many of its schools approved and is now in the design phase to begin work, with one exception.

The decision recently was made to demolish Ellender Memorial High School, which was determined to exceed 50% of its value in repairs.

"The new building is basically going to be in the exact footprint of where it's at now," Terrebonne Parish Superintendent Bubba Orgeron said. "It's going to have a different configuration… We're going to modernize it some and kind of get everything under one roof, without all the various wings. We're going to make it more, for lack of a better word, box-shaped."

Terrebonne

The cost for Ellender Memorial High School will be about $41 million. According to Orgeron, the school will be rebuilt on its exact footprint, with slight modifications to its layout, which the architect is working out. The gym will be the first part demolished, beginning this summer. The bid should go out for the school in the next few months, he said.

The new configuration will have fewer halls and windows and will be built to modern storm codes.

"Something that's going to be much sturdier to wind loads," Orgeron said.

South Terrebonne High School renovations have begun. The gym is expected to be complete around the 2025-2026 school year at the cost of about $20 million.

Upper Little Caillou and Grand Caillou Elementary both have been obligated $12 million to $15 million each, and both have been demolished. They are currently in the architectural design phase. According to officials at FEMA Region 6, Grand Caillou Elementary and Upper Little Caillou are slated for completion in the summer of 2027.

Lacache and Montegut Middle schools will be merged in a new school adjacent to South Terrebonne High School. It will be named South Terrebonne Middle School. It is waiting on FEMA approval as classes continue to be held in modular buildings.

Lafourche

"We've got obligated something to the order of $46 million, so we are largely on the road to recovery," Lafourche Parish Superintendent Jarrod Martin said.

The two most damaged schools in his parish sit untouched as they await approval from FEMA: Bayou Boeuf Elementary and Golden Meadow Middle School. If anything is done to the schools in the meantime, it could jeopardize federal reimbursement.

"We have been given some assurances from FEMA that they expect to have that done within the next few months," Martin said.

North Larose and Larose Cut Off Middle School are complete. South Lafourche High School is largely complete with the exception of the JROTC and the cheer buildings. The two buildings are set to be demolished soon, Martin said.

Raceland Upper Elementary and Central Lafourche High School are having their rooves repaired, which is expected to be complete in the next six to nine months. Once Raceland Upper Elementary is complete, Martin said, upgrades to the school will begin.

"Then we'll do an assessment of the infrastructure to see if its justified to do the extensive renovations that we want to put in place," he said.,

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne, Lafourche schools continue to rebuild after Hurricane Ida