To Our Natchitoches Parish Families and Community,
As we begin this school year, I’ve been thinking about how we can continue building trust between our schools and our community. At the end of the day, I truly believe we all want the same thing: what’s best for our children. Every decision we make, every conversation we have, and every goal we set should begin there. If we can keep our focus on our kids, everything else becomes a little easier.
No one is perfect, whether it’s a person, a business, or an institution, and that includes Natchitoches Parish Schools. We make mistakes. We face challenges. There are things we need to improve, and we’ll continue working on them every single day. Our goal isn’t to be perfect. Our goal is to be better tomorrow than we are today because our students deserve that.
Social media has changed the way we communicate. It’s allowed information to spread quickly, but it doesn’t always provide the full context, and it’s easy for all of us, myself included, to form opinions before all the facts are available. Schools are often at the center of community conversations, and that’s understandable because people care deeply about their children. I do too.
The reality is that most of what happens in our schools every day never makes Facebook, and honestly, that’s because it’s exactly what should be happening. Teachers are teaching. Students are learning. Buses are arriving safely. Meals are being served. Problems are being solved. Children are being encouraged, challenged, and cared for.
What I do know is this: Hundreds of dedicated employees show up every day because they care deeply about the children of Natchitoches Parish. They work long hours, celebrate our students’ successes, worry about them when they’re struggling, and give far more of themselves than most people ever see. They’re not perfect, and neither am I. But every one of us comes to work with the same purpose. Every goal we have is centered on our kids. Every decision we make is ultimately about giving them a better future.
That commitment is producing results. Over the past five years, Natchitoches Parish Schools has experienced more academic growth than any other district in Louisiana. We’ve climbed to become the 16th highest-performing academic district in the state, and we’ve been a Top 3 growth district for two consecutive years. I often tell people that those numbers mean something much bigger than rankings. They represent the equivalent of nearly two schools’ worth of students who are now performing on grade level when they weren’t before. That’s not just data. That’s children whose futures have been changed because of the hard work of our teachers, support staff, administrators, families, and community.
A strong public school system is one of the greatest investments a community can make because today’s students will become tomorrow’s workforce, parents, business owners, healthcare professionals, military members, and community leaders. The future of Natchitoches Parish is sitting in our classrooms today. That’s why every goal we have is centered on them.
As we begin this year, I’d ask our community to be our partner. Celebrate our students and the great things happening in our schools. If you have questions, ask them. If you have concerns, please reach out to me directly at Grant.Eloi@npsb.laso we can have a conversation. If we’ve made a mistake, we’ll own it, address it, and continue working to improve. I can’t promise we’ll always agree, but I can promise you’ll hear back from me.
I didn’t write this because everything is perfect. I wrote it because I believe this community deserves schools it can be proud of and because I know we’ve made tremendous progress together. I also know we’re capable of even more if we choose to work together instead of against one another.
At the end of the day, I hope we never lose sight of what matters most. Not politics. Not social media. Not rankings. Our kids. Every goal we have is centered on them, and if we all keep them at the center, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish together.
More than anything, I’m excited to welcome our students back into our classrooms. A new school year brings new opportunities, fresh starts, and another chance to help every child succeed. Here’s to a great school year, and thank you for believing in Natchitoches Parish Schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Grant Eloi
Superintendent
Natchitoches Parish School Board