HOUMA, LA (AP) — While Louisiana's college attendance rate edged up a percentage point, the rate fell three points in Terrebonne Parish.
Only two in five 2013-14 Terrebonne Parish high school graduates went to college, fewer than last year, according to figures recently released by the state Department of Education.
Officials say the area's robust workforce has traditionally offered attractive opportunities to high school graduates. Salaries offshore start around $40,000 to $45,000 for workers with no more than a high school degree and skill certification.
A good example is 2014 H.L. Bourgeois graduate Nick Bourgeois, who bypassed college but was immediately able to find a job as a machinist.
"I make really good money for my age, and I'm also not in debt from college," he said.
According to the education department, 43 percent of the Terrebonne graduates, down from 46 percent, and 58 percent of the Lafourche Parish graduates, same as last year, enrolled in a two- or four-year college.
Only six school districts have lower rates than Terrebonne: Madison, Catahoula, Grant, Avoyelles and LaSalle parishes and the statewide Recovery School District.
Statewide, the number of graduates entering college rose 1 percent, to 59 percent.
The number of low-income and minority students entering college each increased by more than 700.
"The numbers are positive but not surprising. We have raised expectations through more challenging standards, the ACT, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment courses, and Jump Start," said state schools Superintendent John White. "Our state should heed these results: we cannot afford to go backwards."
Programs such as Work It!, a workforce awareness program run by the South Central Industrial Association and the statewide Jump Start initiative are encouraging interested seniors to quickly join the growing workforce.
"The demand is still there…. We will continue the awareness campaign and the technical track because there is a need," said SCIA Executive Director Jane Arnette.
Local colleges felt the effects this fall of fewer students going to college as both Nicholls State University and Fletcher Technical Community reported 4 percent enrollment declines.
"Young people are taking advantage of employment opportunities in our area," Terrebonne school Superintendent Philip Martin said.
The cost of college is a driving factor in the enrollment decline. Nicholls increased tuition last fall for in-state students by 13 percent to $3,617 and for out-of-state students by 10 percent to $8,740. Another increase is likely unless the Legislature can find a way to fill a nearly $600 million hole in the higher education budget.
Others say many college degrees are providing watered-down salaries with some degrees not worth the student loan debt. Nicholls' graduating students last year owed an average of $30,069, higher than the nationwide average of $29,400, according to a College Access and Success study.
Raceland resident Matt Russo said he would encourage all three of his sons to go to college, "but only if it was a marketable profession that required a degree. No liberal arts, business, general studies or psychology."
Nearly 40 percent of Lafourche and Terrebonne graduates are attending two-year colleges, including Fletcher and South Central Louisiana Technical College, compared to 32 percent of their peers.
Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, has encouraged two-year colleges to recruit outside of high school. If colleges focus on high school seniors, they'll "starve," he said.
A 2014 Gallup Poll showed only 44 percent of Americans believe college is very important, down from 75 percent in 2010. In that same poll, only 69 percent of parents said it was somewhat or very likely they could afford to pay for college for their child, down from 77 percent.
– by AP/ Reporter Jacob Batte with The Courier
