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Statewide score rises in final year of the current accountability system The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) released School and District Performance Scores for the 20242025 school year today, marking the fourth consecutive year of statewide improvement. Louisiana students achieved the highest overall score under the current 150-point system.

“Four years of steady growth is a testament to Louisiana teachers, leaders, students, and families,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “This progress shows what’s possible when we remain focused on strong instruction and improved academic outcomes.”

2025 Performance Scores Louisiana’s statewide performance score for 2025 is 80.9, an increase of more than five points since 2021 (75.3) and nearly a full point above last year’s score (80.2). Statewide results held steady or increased across all index areas.

Introduced by Kiwanian Doctor Bill Gaddis, Chesney received a warm welcome. She succeeded Don Kelly in 2016, now in her second term.

She immediately went to the upcoming elections. Local Elections 2026 have been moved by the State legislature from Spring to Summer. A Close Party Primary will be held May 16, 2026, which includes Winnfield; Mayor, Chief of Police, and city council. This affects voting in the following: Democrats and Republicans are restricted to only vote for their party. Anyone previously registered as independent, will now be registered as No Party unless they change their registration. On Election Day: No Party Voters must fill out a “Declaration of Ballot Choice.” Offices included in the Closed Party Primary are: Senator, Public Service Commissioner and Supreme Court.

Winnfield Kiwanis Club Collects for Toys for Kids

The main branch of the Winn Parish Library welcomed friends from Learning Tree recently. The children enjoyed a special story time featuring “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and the children were very creative with pumpkin painting. Learning Tree at FUMC of Winnfield is located at 300 W Main St in Winnfield.

BATON ROUGE, LA –Louisiana Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Program has added $8.76 million in uncashed state income tax refunds from the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR).

There are 176 Winn Parish residents who have unclaimed property, among those are: Atlanta-5, Calvin-1, Dodson-18, Joyce-2, Sikes-8 and Winnfield-142.

These funds are available for immediate claim.

The Louisiana Unclaimed Property Program receives funds from the LDR from uncashed state tax refunds each year. This year, the allocation consists of unclaimed refunds from 27,171 taxpayers in Louisiana.

These funds are now easily accessible to individuals who might have inadvertently lost track of their tax refunds. “This $8.76 million belongs to the people of Louisiana, and we are eager to assist them in rightfully claiming their money,” said Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, M.D.

The employees of Six C Fabrications donated funds for filling Operation Christmas Child Shoebox gifts. These shoeboxes were filled with a wow toy, other fun toys, personal care items and school supplies. Six C also provides the trailers and manpower to load and transport the shoebox gifts to the central drop off location in Natchitoches. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that provides spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.

Operation Christmas Child delivers these giftfilled shoeboxes to children around the world in Jesus’ Name. These gift-filled shoeboxes are a tangible expression of God’s love as ministry partners share the Good News of Jesus Christ, God’s Greatest Gift. For more information on how you can participate in this world-wide reaching ministry, go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

The Kiwanis Club of Winnfield has named Tommy and Helen Lynn Bankston as Grand Marshals of the 2025 Winnfield Christmas Parade, slated for Friday, December 5, beginning at 6 p.m.

“It’s an honor to be selected by an organization whose focus is on the development and success of children,” Mrs. Bankston told the Enterprise. Both of the Bankstons invested their careers in the field of education where Helen Lynn spent 30 years and Tommy 25.

Their first encounter was an instance of farming country (Winnsboro) meeting forestry country (Winnfield) when the two met at a party here and sparks flew, leading to 68 years of marriage. They had actually been in the same place some years earlier but didn’t connect. “I was playing for the Wildcats against the Tigers on the old football field on South Jones Street,” said Bankston. “She was sitting up in the stands, cheering for Winnfield.”

Winnfield City Council Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Property tax notices for 2025 are on their way. If you’d like to pay online, you can do so quickly and securely at the link below: https://snstaxpayments.com/winn

You can also make payments through the Winn Parish Sheriff ’s Office website or mobile app for your convenience.

Secretary of State Nancy Landry reminds voters that early voting for the Nov. 15 Open General/Orleans Municipal Parochial General Election will take place Saturday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Nov. 8 (excluding Sun day, Nov. 2) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Citizens who want to vote early may do so in person at their parish Registrar of Voters Office or at other designated locations, which can be found at voterportal.sos.la.gov /earlyvoting.

Voters are encouraged to utilize Louisiana’s award-winning, free smartphone app, GeauxVote Mobile, to locate parish early voting locations, find their Election Day voting site, or view their sample ballot. GeauxBot, the virtual voter assistant, is also available to access pertinent election information such as registration deadlines, election dates, polling locations, and hours. GeauxBot is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by visiting voterportal.sos.la.go v or by selecting Elections and Voting on sos.la.gov.