CROWLEY, LOUISIANA
DECEMBER 6, 1999
1) The Acadia Parish School Board met on this the 6`h day of December 1999, at 5:00 p.m., in a regular session, with President John H. Quebodeaux presiding. Members present were Mr. Lyle C. Johnson, Mr. Bill Pinac, Ms. Kitty M. Valdetero, Ms. Wadie H. Bias, Mr. Woody M. Marceaux, Mr. John A. Suire, Mr. Lynn Shamsie, Mr. Nolton J. Senegal, Sr., Mr. Roland J. Boudreaux, Mr. Rodney J. Trahan, Mr. Johnnie L. Smith, Mr. Charles F. Daigle, Mr. Shirley Vige', Dr. Robert McManus, Mr. Paul K. Bellon, and Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Marietta W. James.
2&3) Megan Blanchard a student at Richard Elementary School led in the prayer and pledge of allegiance. Megan is the daughter of Ronald and Paula Blanchard. She has an outstanding record of achievement during her years at Richard. She is a member of the Beta Club, served as Student Representative for Richard Elementary School Improvement Plan, is on the basketball team, received Outstanding Sixth Grade Player and Outstanding Seventh Grade Player awards, is a member of the 4-H Club and has served as treasurer, secretary and vice president, has won numerous awards, and is currently on the principal's list with all A's.
4) The agenda was revised by adding Routine Item 2a (CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO ADVERTISE FOR PRINCIPAL OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL), Routine Item 16a (CONSIDER APPROVAL OF DISMISSAL OF IOTA HIGH, IOTA MIDDLE, IOTA ELEMENTARY, EGAN, AND EVANGELINE SCHOOLS ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1999), Consent Item 8 (CONSIDER REQUEST FROM TRACY BROUSSARD, TEACHER, ESTHERWOOD ELEMENTARY, FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE FOR THE 1999-2000 SPRING SEMESTER), and deleting Opening Item 7, upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Bellon, and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
5) Reading of the minutes November 1, 1999, board meeting was dispensed with (copies of minutes were sent to each member prior to this meeting) and adopted as submitted, upon motion by Mr. Trahan, seconded by Mr. Senegal, and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
6) Mr. Eric Stutes and Ms. Brenda Francis presented awards to students who were winners of the Red Ribbon Contests this year. Students were recognized individually and presented with a certificate in honor of their accomplishments.
ACTION ITEMS:
1) The Open Meetings Law as it relates to APSB committees and other ad hoc committees has been discussed and tabled several times with no action taken. The background of this issue was restated by Dr. James. Detailed procedures were provided to the Board last month. The Board discussed the matter further and a suggestion was made to eliminate the Compensation Committee. Upon motion by Mr. Daigle, seconded by Mr. Smith, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Compensation Committee was dissolved by the Board.
ROUTINE ITEMS:
1) Ms. Valdetero motioned and Ms. Bias seconded to accept the Superintendent's recommendation to renew a performance contract for Linda Wilkerson, principal at Ross Elementary School, from January 19, 2000, through June 30, 2003. Mr. Johnson offered a substitute motion to renew Mrs. Wilkerson's performance contract for 21/2 years from January 19, 2000, through the end of the school year in June of 2002. The substitute motion was seconded by Mr. Boudreaux and passed by a roll call vote of 8 to 7.
YEA: Johnson, Pinac, Valdetero, Marceaux, Boudreaux, Trahan, Vige', Bellon
NAY: Bias, Suire, Shamsie, Senegal, Smith, Daigle, McManus
The policy regarding renewal of performance contracts (two years versus four years) will be discussed in more detail at the next board meeting.
2) Mr. Senegal motioned and Mr. Shamsie seconded to accept the Superintendent's recommendation to renew a performance contract for Keith Cahanin, principal, Branch Elementary School, from February 7, 2000, through June 30, 2003. A substitute motion by Mr. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Trahan to renew Mr. Cahanin's performance contract for 21/2 years through the end of the school year in June of 2002, passed by a roll call vote of 8 to 7.
YEA: Johnson, Pinac, Valdetero, Marceaux, Boudreaux, Trahan, Vige', Bellon
NAY: Bias, Suire, Shamsie, Senegal, Smith, Daigle, McManus
2a) Mr. Senegal motioned and Mr. Smith seconded to authorize the Superintendent to advertise for principal at the Alternative School. A substitute motion was offered by Mr. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Trahan to re-evaluate the operations of the Alternative School, in light of current budget concerns, before replacing this principal. Others expressed concern about the high cost of operating this school for relatively few students. Mrs. Brenda Savoie, outgoing principal, asked the Board not to close the school, as it is now operating for the first year in its permanent location. A question was raised regarding whether a waiver was still available from the state for an alternative school. Others voiced concerns about the admission policy at the Alternative School, and suggested that a legislative relief be sought, whereby expelled students could be compelled to attend the Alternative School in lieu of homebound programs. Dr. James suggested the possibility of expanding the enrollment at the Alternative School next year to include alternative classes presently at middle and high schools. Question was called by Mr. Senegal. The substitute motion failed by a majority voice vote.
Another substitute motion offered by Mr. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Marceaux to fill this position with an acting principal until the end of this school term failed by a majority vote. The main motion to authorize the Superintendent to advertise for a principal at the Alternative School passed by a majority voice vote (Mr. Johnson opposed).
3) Ms. Lee Ethel Dupont made a presentation to the Board regarding the Career Major Plan which was recently adopted by the state through Act 1124. She provided details of the APSB plan and answered questions of the Board. Ms. Janie Chappelle concluded with highlights of the Teacher Cadet Program at Crowley High School. Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Shamsie, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Career Major Plan was approved.
4) Dr. James provided background of the proposed health insurance renewal for January. Two different proposals have been recommended by two different committees. The Personnel/Insurance Committee's recommendation is to accept an increase of 17 % at an estimated cost of $211,000 to the APSB general fund. The Budget/Finance Committee's recommendation is to accept a 23.4% increase at an estimated cost of $290,000. Ms. Mickey Price, AAE president addressed the Board. She expressed concern regarding the increasing cost of health insurance coverage. Mr. Alton McIver, insurance agent, explained the history of the APSB health insurance plan. He explained that the APSB has a fully insured plan which is self-rated. Dr. James explained why the Budget/Finance Committee opted for higher premiums with better drug benefits. She explained that a two-tiered prescription drug benefit is no longer available for the APSB group. This renewal is proposed for six months, at which time proposals will be sought for health insurance renewal. Ms. Bonnie Lyons addressed the Board. She represented APSB retirees and supported the more favorable drug benefits' plan. Mr. Mitch Meynard, Blue Cross representative, explained the three-tiered system in more detail. The matter of cost was discussed further, with concerns being expressed by many.
Mr. Senegal motioned and Dr. McManus seconded to accept the Budget/Finance Committees recommendation of the proposed 23.4% increase at an estimated cost of $290,000 to the APSB general fund for the remainder of this fiscal year. Other funds will bear their respective cost of this rate increase.
Mr. Johnson offered a substitute motion which was seconded by Mr. Vige' to eliminate the spending of any discretionary funds for the remainder of this fiscal year to cover the estimated cost of this insurance increase, and that all discretionary funds come before the Board for approval.
Then a substitute motion offered by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Ms. Valdetero, to refer this to the Superintendent to make recommendations to the Budget/Finance Committee to find the cuts necessary to cover this increased health insurance cost, failed by a majority voice vote.
The substitute motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Vige', failed by a roll call vote of 9 to 6.
YEA: Johnson, Pinac, Valdetero, Marceaux, Boudreaux, Trahan
NAY: Bias, Suire, Shamsie, Senegal, Smith, Daigle, Vige', McManus, Bellon
An amendment to the main motion was offered by Mr. Suire, seconded Mr. Bellon, to include wording to refer this matter back to the Superintendent and the Budget/Finance Committee to find the budget cuts necessary to fund this increase, passed by a unanimous voice vote. Another substitute motion by Mr. Johnson did not receive a second. The main motion as amended passed by a unanimous voice vote.
Upon motion by Mr. Suire, seconded by Mr. Pinac, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board recessed at 6:58 p.m.
Upon motion by Mr. Suire, seconded by Mr. Pinac, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board returned to regular session at 7:08 p.m.
5) Mr. Carl LeJeune explained the need to hire two additional first grade teachers, one at Mire Elementary and one at Martin Petitjean Elementary. Due to limited space at Mire Elementary, team teaching will be necessary to reduce the class size in accordance with the grant guidelines. Dr. James indicated that this is similar to having a teacher aide in the classroom. CSR funds will pay the salaries and benefits for these teachers. Ms. Valdetero called for question which passed by a unanimous voice vote.
Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Suire, and carried by a majority voice vote, the Personnel/Insurance and Budget/Finance Committees recommendation to hire two additional first grade teachers at Mire Elementary and Martin Petitjean Elementary Schools was approved.
6) With the anticipated January 2000 retirement of the current purchasing agent, the Personnel/Insurance Committee recommended that the purchasing agent position be downgraded from 260 to the 240 pay grade and a replacement be hired. The Budget/Finance Committee recommended eliminating this position. Mr. Senegal motioned and Mr. Trahan seconded to accept the recommendation of the Budget/Finance Committee and eliminate the position of purchasing agent. Dr. James suggested that a purchasing agent be retained. She asked whether or not the administration may continue to make routine replacements of classified personnel. She mentioned five other positions currently open, and also mentioned that routine replacements take place at the school level and asked for guidance on this matter. She then presented the revised purchasing agent job description for the 240 pay grade. Question was called, and the main motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Trahan, to eliminate the purchasing agent position, passed by a majority voice vote.
6a) At this time, upon motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Shamsie, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, Routine Item 6a (DISCUSS REPLACEMENT OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES)was added to the agenda.
Dr. James asked the Board if she may make routine replacements of classified personnel. Mr. Johnson motioned and Mr. Boudreaux seconded that all vacant positions come before the Board before being filled. Some suggested that the Superintendent be allowed to make routine replacements of support personnel. Dr. McManus offered an amendment to the main motion, seconded by Mr. Vige', to state that this applies to central office classified positions only.
Mr. Boudreaux suggested more flexible scheduling of janitorial staff, with the possibility of eliminating positions through attrition. Question was called. The amendment to the main motion passed by a majority voice vote. The main motion failed by a majority voice vote. Mr. Johnson appealed the call of the President but failed to prevail by a roll call vote of 14 to 1.
YEA: Johnson
NAY: Pinac, Valdetero, Bias, Marceaux, Suire, Shamsie, Senegal, Boudreaux, Trahan, Smith, Daigle, Vige', McManus, Bellon
7) Upon motion by Mr. Trahan, seconded by Mr. Boudreaux, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Personnel/Insurance Committee recommendation was accepted and Mr. Dudley Simon was named as sales tax collector. He has been serving as acting sales tax collector for two years. Mr. Simon was recognized and congratulated by the Board.
8) Upon motion by Mr. Shamsie, seconded by Mr. Daigle, and carried by a unanimous
voice vote, the Transportation/Facilities Committee's recommendation to authorize the Superintendent to advertise for a lease of five acres of pasture near Branch was approved. It was suggested that adequate fencing and insurance be required if the property is leased again.
9) Upon motion by Mr. Pinac, seconded by Ms. Valdetero, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Transportation/Facilities Committee's recommendation that the Board adopt a resolution to the Department of Transportation to install a traffic light at Crowley High School and martin Petitjean Elementary Schools and also adopt a resolution to the sheriff's department to solicit assistance with traffic control at Crowley High School was approved.
10) At the Transportation/Facilities committee meeting, Mr. Ron Lawson, architect, reported that there were minor cracks in the walls and floors in the south gym at Rayne High School. He and a structural engineer have examined the structure and feel that these cracks are superficial and do not indicate structural damage. Mr. Shamsie motioned and Dr. McManus seconded to accept the recommendation of the Transportation/Facilities Committee and continue to monitor this condition and that no additional moneys be spent at this time. A question was raised regarding the timing of the acceptance of substantial completion of this project.
Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Trahan, and carried by a majority voice vote (Boudreaux, Johnson, Valdetero opposed), this item was tabled until the next Board meeting.
11) Upon motion by Dr. McManus, seconded by Ms. Valdetero, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board approved the Transportation/Facilities and Budget/Finance Committees' recommendation to authorize external review of reconstruction costs at Midland High School and pay the estimated cost of $2,500 with Midland tornado insurance funds.
12) Upon motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Pinac, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board approved the recommendation of the Budget/Finance Committee not to obligate E-rate funds (presently $31,800 in the general fund from last fiscal year) due to current budget concerns at this time.
13) Mr. Michael Leonards provided additional information showing final enrollment of 10,021 for October 1, 1999. Final MFP numbers will be sent by the state in January 2000. Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Mr. Shamsie, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, a request from the Budget/Finance Committee to accept the year-to-date budget revisions (copies previously presented to board members) was approved.
14) Mr. Cal Simar presented revisions to the Pupil progression Plan (copies previously mailed to board members). Questions were raised regarding whether social promotion was still possible under this plan. After other discussion, upon motion by Ms. Valdetero, seconded by Ms. Bias, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board approved Pupil Progression Plan revisions.
15) Upon motion by Mr. Trahan, seconded by Mr. Senegal, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the minutes of December 7, 1998, were corrected on page 386, routine item 1 to show the following action taken by the Board. Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Ms. Valdetero, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the recommendation of the Personnel/Insurance Committee regarding the teacher aide job description was approved.
16) Upon motion by Mr. Pinac, seconded by Mr. Suire, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the January board meeting was changed from January 3 to January 10, 2000.
16a) Upon motion by Ms. Bias, seconded by Mr. Bellon and carried by a unanimous voice vote, Iota High, Iota Middle, Iota Elementary, Egan Elementary, and Evangeline Elementary Schools were dismissed from attending classed on Friday, December 10, 1999, to attend state playoffs in New Orleans.
17) Mr. Vige' recommended having an Audit Committee to provide oversight to the financial reporting process and look at internal controls. President Quebodeaux appointed Mr. Vige' as chairman, Mr. Pinac and Mr. Marceaux as members. Mr. Johnson motioned and Ms. Valdetero seconded to accept the recommendation and appointments of the President. Mr. Daigle suggested that these functions be handled by the Budget/Finance Committee. Others suggested that this be handled by a subcommittee of the B/F Committee. Question was called. The main motion passed by a roll call vote of 8 to 7.
YEA: Johnson, Pinac, Valdetero, Marceaux, Boudreaux, Trahan, Vige', Bellon
NAY: Bias, Suire, Shamsie, Senegal, Smith, Daigle, McManus
21) out of order Upon motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Pinac, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, Routine Item 21 was taken out of order at this time. Dr. James indicated that the Board first needs to decide if it will hear a suspension appeal from a bus driver, as the normal grievance process was not followed. Mr. Johnson motioned and Mr. Pinac seconded to hear this appeal. Question was called. The motion failed by a majority voice vote, and the appeal will not be heard.
Mr. Kenneth Privat indicated that the driver may file an appeal and come back to the Board later. Questions were raised regarding the timeliness of this appeal. The board president stated that this was a dead issue.
18) Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Ms. Valdetero, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board went into executive session at 8:35 p.m. to consider items 18, 19, and 20. Upon motion by Mr. Trahan, seconded by Mr. Bellon, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board returned to regular session at 9:08 p.m..
Upon motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Shamsie, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board upheld the Superintendent's recommendation for expulsion of a Church Point High student.
Upon motion by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Bellon, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board took a five minute break at 9:10 p.m., before going back into executive session to consider Routine Item 19.
19) Upon motion by Mr. Bellon, seconded by Ms. Bias, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board went into executive session to consider Routine Items 19 and 20. at 9:15 p.m.
Upon motion by Mr. Shamsie, seconded by Mr. Smith, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board reconvened at 9:50 p.m.
Upon motion by Mr. Senegal, seconded by Dr. McManus, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Superintendent's recommendation for expulsion of a Church Point High student was upheld with the Board's recommendation for Alternative School.
20) Upon motion by Mr. Daigle, seconded by Mr. Smith, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Superintendent's recommendation to suspend an employee at Church Point Elementary School was upheld.
21) This item was addressed out of order after item 17.
22) There was no correspondence to report.
23) Upon motion by Dr. McManus, seconded by Mr. Bellon, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, Routine Item 23 (CONSIDER SUSPENSION OF FIELD TRIP POLICY TO ALLOW BUS DRIVERS TO ATTEND STATE PLAYOFFS IN NEW ORLEANS ON DECEMBER 10, 1999), was added to the agenda.
Upon motion by Dr. McManus, seconded by Mr. Bellon, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board approved suspension of the field trip policy to allow a bus driver to attend the state playoffs in New Orleans on December 10, 1999.
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
1) Dr. James gave background on the Board's deliberation of travel during the past year. Mr. Leonards previously mailed information to board members. He provided printouts showing year-to-date budgeted travel and staff development for general funds and all other funds. Mr. Johnson suggested reducing travel in an attempt to offset increased insurance cost. Ms. Valdetero suggested a moratorium on general fund travel for the remainder of the year.
Mr. Trahan suggested that only mandated travel be allowed.
2) Mr. Bellon motioned and Mr. Shamsie seconded to go into executive session to discuss the matter of authorizing the Board President to enter into negotiation with the Superintendent for termination of contract and review the Superintendent's evaluation. Mr. Smith asked if the Superintendent had the option of choosing open or closed session. Mr. Privat opined that executive session was proper. Mr. Smith disagreed. The motion to go into executive session passed by a roll call vote of 10 to 5.
YEA: Johnson, Pinac, Valdetero, Marceaux, Shamsie, Boudreaux, Trahan, Vige', McManus, Bellon
NAY: Bias, Suire, Senegal, Smith, Daigle
A member of the press objected to this action. Mr. Smith, Mr. Daigle, Mr. Suire, Ms. Bias, and Mr. Senegal opted not to participate in this session, since the Superintendent was not given the option whether or not to have this discussion in an open session. The Board went into executive session at 10:10 p.m.
Upon motion by Mr. Marceaux, seconded' by Mr. Boudreaux, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the Board reconvened at 10:58 p.m.
Mr. Senegal lodged an official complaint against the APSB for the following reasons: 1) violation of the Open Meetings Law and specifically in denying the superintendent to elect whether she wanted to discuss item #2 in executive session, 2) violation of the Open meetings Law in discussing the superintendent's evaluation when in fact that item was not part of the agenda for the December 6, 1999, meeting. Mr. Senegal requested that the minutes reflect this official complaint.
Superintendent James objected to the fact that the Board went into an executive session without allowing her the option of an open or closed session.
3) Mr. Trahan expressed concern that janitors have not been given step increases and indicated that a janitor has been improperly demoted. Dr. James passed out information showing janitorial staffing throughout the parish, along with janitorial job descriptions.
Upon motion by Ms. Valdetero, seconded by Mr. Johnson, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, this item and Discussion Item 5 (Discuss salary structure for classified personnel.) was tabled until next month..
CONSENT ITEMS:
Upon motion by Ms. Valdetero, seconded by Mr. Senegal, and carried by a unanimous
voice vote, the following action was taken by the Board.
1 Approved personnel assignments and changes, since the last meeting.
New Appointments: O'Neal Richard, Church Point High, Computer Science/Math, effective 11-1-99; Jude Sittig, Midland High, Agriculture, effective 11-3-99; Kenneth Winfrey, Church Point Middle, PE, effective 11-1-99
Resignations: Leslie Chenevert, North Crowley Elementary, lst grade, effective 11-5-99; Jason Ducote, Midland High, Agriculture, effective 11-2-99; Leah Kern, church Point Elementary, 4th grade, effective 11-11-99; Ashlee Sanders, Church Point High, French/English, effective 10-29-99
2 Received sales tax report showing a year-to-date decrease of 1.96%.
3 Granted request to Mrs. Antoinette Pete, principal, for Crowley Middle School band students to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to participate in National Competition at the Heritage Festival, April 6-10.
4 Granted request to Mr. Richard Lavergne, principal, for Rayne High Agriscience/Agribusiness students to travel to Houston, Texas, on December 7, 1999, to explore career choices at Universal Technical Institute.
5 Granted request to Mr. Jessie Joubert, principal, for fifteen Egan Elementary 6th and 8th grade students to travel to Washington, D.C., during the Spring break, April 21-18,2000.
6 Granted request to Dina Briscoe, teacher, Head Start, for maternity leave, 9-28-99 through 1-10-2000 (19 days).
7 Approved continued employment of retirees: James Young, industrial arts, Crowley Middle School; Joyce Baker, elementary grades, Crowley Middle School; Letitia Quebedeau, science, Church Point High.
8 Granted request to Tracy Broussard, teacher, Estherwood Elementary, for sabbatical leave for the 1999-2000 spring semester.
CLOSING:
There being no other business to come before the Board, upon motion by Mr. Trahan, seconded by Mr. Marceaux, and carried by a unanimous voice vote, the meeting adjourned at 11:05 p.m.
s/_____________________________
John H. Quebodeaux, President
ATTEST:
s/___________________________
Dr. Marietta W. James, Superintendent