Published 11:28 am Thursday, October 8, 2026
By Pamela Sleezer
The Calcasieu Parish School Board deadlocked Tuesday night over a proposed funding agreement with the energy group behind a planned Moss Bluff solar farm.
The board voted 7-7 on a motion to move forward with the agreement with Persimmon Gulch Solar, LLC, which would have provided long-term funding for schools near the proposed solar farm site. The split vote reflected skepticism from some board members about whether the deal was in the district’s best interest.
Board members Phyllis Ayo, Shawn Baumgarten, Billy Breaux, Glenda Gay, Karen Hardymcreynolds, Desmond Wallace, and Betty Washington all voted against signing the agreement, while board members Russell Castille, Marye Fontenot, Damon Hardesty, Aaron Natali, Patrick Pichon, Dean Roberts and Tony O’Banion voted in favor of it. Board member Eric Tarver was absent.
According to Superintendent Jason VanMetre, the funding agreement offered an initial donation of $150,000 annually from Persimmon, so long as the project gains approval and begins operating. After the project becomes energized, VanMetre said, the contract claims the donation would increase by 30 percent every 10 years.
VanMetre said the donation would have applied to four schools in DeQuincy and four schools in the Moss Bluff area.
Board vice president Tony O’Banion said agreeing to the contract did not necessarily signal support for the project but was a lucrative move to secure the funds in the event the project is sold in the future.
“By doing it this way, if they sell the project, whoever buys it will be locked in to continue to give (the schools) this money,” he said.
Still, several board members were turned off by the donation being coupled with a contract.
“I don’t have a problem with the schools in DeQuincy and Moss Bluff getting additional monies to use as they need,” Gay said. “But to lock into a contract … I’m just not comfortable with the school board signing.”
Breaux said the deal didn’t “sit right” with him, and he questioned the company’s motivation behind it.
“I’ve been on the board for 25 years, and I’ve never had someone come in and say ‘I’ll give you $20, but you’re going to have to sign a contract for it’,” he said.
Regardless of concerns about the project itself, Pichon said he felt it was a wise move for the district to sign the contract and lock in long-term funding for those schools.
“While (the contract) may seem fishy, and I don’t disagree, but we’re turning down free money if we don’t sign it,” he said.
VanMetre also said the district amended the original contract from Persimmon to include verbiage asserting the donation would not reduce Persimmon’s taxes in the future, but that did little to sway the board members already against the agreement.

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