Ville Platte-    Evangeline Parish Superintendent of Schools Toni Hamlin, Wednesday  joined with other school officials in addressing concerns and questions over the scheduled switchover to a letter grade to grade schools based on student performance test  scores.
                        A state department of education report indicated that if the grading plan was in place now, most of the schools would be getting a D grade or worse.
                          Hamlin told members of the Evangeline Parish School Board that the grading system would not reflect a true picture on improvements a school may be making. For example, a school that would have been labeled academically unacceptable and had made strides to improve the scores, would still be ranked in most cases a D.
                          The school board, in other business, received reports that summer school at Mamou High School is going well. It was reported that ninety  4th and 8th grade students are attending   LEAP remediation.
                          Business Manager Amy Lafleur explained that sales tax collections for the month of May showed a decrease of $126,071 over the same period a  year ago. The year to date sales tax comparison reveals that collections have decreased by $235,517 over the same period a year ago. Lafleur said there will be one more month to wait for to determine over how taxes have dropped for the entire year.
                         In other action, the school board approved the opening of the Pine Prairie High School Canning Center that is due to be opened three hours a day, five days a week for a six week period for the general public to shell peas and for canning purposes.