St. Landry Parish School Board District 2

About this race

Two Democrats qualified for this seat on the November 3, 2026 ballot: "Don" Dejean and Joyce Haynes; voters choose one, per the Louisiana Secretary of State's certified candidate list for St. Landry Parish.

About the St. Landry Parish School Board

The St. Landry Parish School Board sets policy for the parish's public schools. Under state law it decides how many schools to open and where, how many teachers and other staff to employ, and who serves as superintendent, per section 17:81 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The board runs 34 schools with 10,702 students, per its audited financial report for the year ended June 30, 2025.

The board has thirteen members, each elected from one of thirteen districts to a four-year term, per that audit. That means this seat is decided by voters who live in the district, not by the whole parish. Members are paid $9,600 a year, and the president and vice president $9,900, per the audit. The full board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 5 p.m., per the board's meetings page. Louisiana's election calendar lists November 3, 2026 as the open primary date and December 12, 2026 as the open general election date, per the Secretary of State.

The board's general fund took in about $138.8 million in the year ended June 30, 2025, per the audit. Tax revenue that year included about $34.8 million from a parish sales tax and $18.3 million from property taxes, and the state's Minimum Foundation Program added about $74 million, per the same report.

Joyce P. Haynes holds District 2 now, per the Secretary of State's elected-officials list, and is running again. The list shows the current term ending December 31, 2026.

Official source: St. Landry Parish School Board: audited financial report, year ended June 30, 2025 (Louisiana Legislative Auditor), Louisiana Secretary of State: elected officials by parish