At the Lafayette Parish School Board meeting today, members will hear a proposal to start a new school in the parish. The World Studies Institute of Lafayette would aim to enrich and expands upon the local culture to improve the local economy while branching out globally to draw business to Acadiana, organizers said.

"A lot of people who are very knowledgeable in culture, curriculum and in the economy are here," said Charles Larroque, one of the people hoping to open the new site. "To develop these cultural assets, we are looking at a charter school to have the autonomy to create a path from school to career."

Charter schools are independent public schools which can operate under a five-year charter granted by a local school board or the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. They normally are organized as nonprofit corporations and governed by their own board of directors.

There are 15 charter schools operating in the state. Lafayette Charter High School, which is under the direction of the public school system, is the only charter school in the parish.

As students continue to leave the state for better job opportunities and return for cultural experiences like festivals, Larroque said the charter school could capitalize on the local culture by helping students develop careers based on that culture.

"People always talk about the culture here. Here's a way of taking someone and through cultural themes - arts and entertainment, culinary arts or the traditional way of life here in south Louisiana - you use those themes to build models for economic development, business entrepreneurship and tie in to resources that are already there," Larroque said.

It's a plan that couldn't have come at a better time, Larroque said.

"After the hurricanes, there is such an intense interest in all things Louisiana in the world. To me the timing will never be better," he said. "An institution where the cultural assets we have will continue to be sustained."

Not only will WISL utilize Cajun and Creole culture to fuel local industry, there also will be a focus on Spanish and Chinese languages.

"We can keep our Creole and Cajun culture and learn from other groups," organizer and retired Lafayette administrator Ken Douet said. "That kind of attraction - having a World Studies Institute - will lend itself to economic development because there'd be a reason to locate here."

Larroque and Douet, a retired French and English teacher and principal, said organizers envision the school locating in north Lafayette, which is where the organization behind the proposed school began nearly a year ago.

School board member Mike Hefner said the school could be a "great complement" to the district.

"This academy is going to be another offering that our community and students can benefit from," he said. "There's a lot of opportunity for collaboration for the school system."

The school board must approve the charter school because it will be the funding entity.

"We want to build it because we are pretty sure they will come," Larroque said. "Every time you talk about Louisiana, the first thing that comes up - if it's not the hurricanes - it's culture. We can train people to be experts in the field."