The February 17th Kiwanis meeting guest speaker was Dr. Troy Bell, Superintendent of Schools for Winn Parish. Dr. Bell and his wife have 4 children between them and 3 grandchildren. They live in Kelly, La and she works for a bank in Columbia. Her commute is shorter than his and that’s alright.
He started in education at the age of 38 and has been in education for 21 years. He began coaching and teaching math which is not what a coach normally teaches but he says he is a math nerd. He taught and coached in Caldwell parish and was in the Franklin parish Central office. In Franklin parish he did every job which was helpful in preparing him to be Superintendent. His doctorate is in theological education and ministry.
Both Caldwell and Franklin are similar to Winn in that they are rural areas but he said Winn has more community involvement.
He was hired on September 2, 2025 and worked with Al Simmons during the time of transition and Simmon’s retirement. Simmon’s was very helpful to him and answered his numerous questions.
The school enrollment for 2025-26 is 1567. This number has decreased by 200 over the last 6 years. There is a general decline across the nation not just in Winn parish. Only 2 school districts out of 69 districts in Louisiana have increased. Those districts are Lincoln(Ruston) and Calcasieu(Lake Charles). Our district receives $6800 per student in MFP funds. The decline in enrollment has cost $1.6 million in funds. If the enrollment continues to decline there will have to be adjustments made just like in any other business or household. One reason for the decline in enrollment is virtual school, home school and private schools. There are many options for parents for schooling. If a student is enrolled in virtual school their MFP money goes to that virtual school. Seventy per cent of money received has to be spent on instruction.
The Winn Parish school system has 300 employees of which 115 are teachers. The general fund budget is $15 million and the total budget is $20 million. There is no money paid for Pre K students because Pre K is not required. The teachers are paid through grants.
In academics there will be a new system for grading schools next year. Schools are basically graded on ELA (English and Language Arts) and Math. It will grade the growth of the student.
A question was asked about the 4 day school week whether it was beneficial or detrimental. Bell said Caldwell parish schools have had a 4 day school week for over 20 years so it was not new to him.
There is less time in the classroom which is not necessarily good however it is better for teacher recruitment. It is a way to attract teachers because the pay is not as good as other parishes. But there are several other parishes in our area who have gone to a 4 days school week. We have 88% certified teachers and there are currently no teacher openings in Winn Parish.
A question was also asked about employees of the Central office. Most of them are paid through grants and they do more than one job. They are of great benefit to the teachers according to our Kiwanis teacher.
The Kiwanis club appreciated Superintendent Bell coming to speak to us and giving us information that helps us understand our school system better.