PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE PARISH OF CONCORDIA, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1997.
The School Board of the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana, met in regular session at the Concordia Parish School Board Office, in Vidalia, Louisiana, on Tuesday, January 7, 1997, at five-thirty (5:30) o'clock p.m. The meeting was called to order by the Honorable Ernest Lynn White, President, who declared that the Board, after prayer by Rev. Robert Lee, Jr., and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, was ready for the transaction of business.
Members present were the Honorable Ernest Lynn White, Mr. Eddie L. Coleman, Sr., Mrs. Marie Cowan, Mr. Mike Grantham, Mr. Manson E. Nelson, Sr., Mr. Charles Partridge, Mr. Ricky Raven, Mr. Sam Williams, Jr., and Mrs. Georgia Washington.
It was moved by Mr. Nelson, seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried unanimously to re-elect Mr. White president and Mrs. Cowan vice-president.
President White stated that committee assignments for 1997 would remain the same as the previous year:
Building and Grounds Mrs. Washington, Chairperson
Mr. Partridge
Mr. White
Finance: Mrs. Cowan, Chairperson
Mr. Grantham
Mr. Williams
Personnel: Mr. Coleman, Chairperson
Mr. Nelson
Mr. Raven
Superintendent Lee announced that each year in January the Board celebrates "Family Night at the Board." He commented on the importance of the family and specifically noted the importance of the support their families provide Board members as they carry out their duties and responsibilities. The superintendent and each Board member introduced his or her family members who were present and pictures were made.
Larry Nugent of Bell South announced that Linda Spinks, teacher at MHS, had been awarded a $500 BellSouth minigrant.
Mr. Ralph Laukhuff of the Louisiana Hydroelectric Partnership presented the Sidney A. Murray Citizenship Awards to the following sixth graders:
MHS Heather Evans
FJH Elisha Piercefield
RES Sharina Mays
VJH Miranda Doughty
Mr. Laukhuff also announced that Louisiana Hydroelectric is funding $500 grants to the following teachers:
Mary Blankenship FHS
Phyllis Cage VLE
Pamela Hilton VJH
Mr. Laukhuff stated that it had been announced that Louisiana Hydroelectric will fund a scholarship for a total of $10,000 over four years to a Concordia Parish public school student who attends Louisiana Tech and majors in chemical engineering.
Mrs. Patricia Bellis, Coordinator of Grants and Public Information, announced that the following teachers have been selected to receive grant awards from the Northeast Louisiana Education Consortium:
Barbara Crum VHS $1000
Sharon Patrick VHS $2000
Linda Spinks MHS $2000
Mrs. Bellis also announced that the following teachers had been awarded QSM grants:
Linda Alexander FJH $750
Tressie Thomas FJH $750
Mr. Fred T. Butcher, Director of Academic Affairs, announced that three schools had received awards through the Louisiana School Recognition Program for attaining an average score of 95% or above on LEAP. He presented each principal a framed certificate.
RES Scholastic Achievement Award
VLE Scholastic Achievement Award
VUE Scholastic Growth Award
Scholastic Achievement Award
It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mr. Williams and carried unanimously to approve
minutes of December 3, 1997.
It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried 8-1, with Mr. Grantham voting no, to approve payment of invoices for December in the amount of 1,680,444.29.
Superintendent Lee presented his annual message to the Board:
In the annual message this year, as I have done in the past four years, I will reflect on the previous year and look ahead to the goals we have set for the upcoming year. Last year at this time we set a number of goals we hoped to accomplish, including a greater emphasis on academics, continuing our efforts for full funding of the MFP, improving the conditions of our buildings and grounds, improving the salaries of our teachers and support staffs, and continued staff development and training. We have had a successful year in all of these areas.
For your convenience, I am this year, for the first time, providing a separate report, containing the facts and figures which support these remarks and give other information about our schools.
All indicators are on the upswing: The academic area was highlighted by an increase in our ACT scores in 1996 to 18.3. This is an improvement of one full point over the three year period beginning with the 1993-94 school year, and we have set a very ambitious goal of reaching 19.0 by the year 2000. We made progress on some areas of the LEAP and the California Achievement Test, especially at the lower grades where we have concentrated our efforts. Vidalia Lower Elementary, Vidalia Upper Elementary and Ridgecrest Elementary have been recognized as you saw earlier this evening by the Louisiana Department of Education for continued growth and scholastic achievement, scoring above 95% on LEAP. Last year Ferriday Lower Elementary and Vidalia Junior High School were recognized by the state for scholastic growth, and Vidalia Lower, Vidalia Upper and Ridgecrest were recognized for scholastic achievement.
While we celebrate these successes, I must hasten to add that test scores alone do not provide a true picture of the total school program. For example, our LaSIP mathematics program emphasizes concept development through hands-on learning activities, and these activities do not necessarily translate into higher achievement test scores. A large number of our teachers emphasize higher-order thinking skills and cooperative learning, both valuable in developing a competent workforce, but they do not guarantee high scores.
We have continued our emphasis on the lower grades during the past year. Our pre-school and kindergarten teachers and administrators have worked together to develop new standards which more closely address the way young children learn and to help them enter the higher grades better prepared to achieve academically. We are tracking our pre-school and kindergarten children to learn whether these efforts will lead to a decline in the number of students retained at this level.
The alternative school and Saturday suspension programs are helping to keep more of our students in school. Our efforts to lower the dropout rate through these and other activities are proving to be successful.
The driver's education program has been expanded to include classes during the school year. The purchase of a driver's education car has enabled us to control costs which had been exceeding the fees collected.
We had another safe year in school transportation. With 42 school bus operators transporting over 2500 students, we had no major accidents.
The School Food Service Program has held the line on finances, and in spite of tremendous increases made in nutritional guidelines and a reduction in federal reimbursements, our charges to students have not increased since 1993. We also provide a choice of entrees on the serving line, in addition to our ongoing program of salad bars and take-out lunches. Our slogan in School Food Service continues to be "Feed the Children."
We have made great strides in providing enhanced classrooms in all our schools, and technology-rich classrooms continue to be a top priority. We are far ahead of other small rural systems in the technological enhancements we have incorporated into our classrooms, school libraries, and cafeterias. Through grants and community partnerships, we have dramatically increased the number of computers and technology-based teaching and learning tools during the past three years, and we have trained a large number of our teachers in the use of instructional technology. The Voice Link project paid for by the Louisiana Hydroelectric Limited Partnership has significantly increased the number of parental contacts.
Financially, our system is again on solid ground. One of our most important accomplishments this year was paying off, six years ahead of schedule, the $750,000 loan we took out in 1992. This has been accomplished through hard work and diligence on the part of all our administrators, as well as through the insight and capabilities of our business management team.
The single most valuable resource for these and other improvements is the second one-cent sales tax approved by the public in 1993 and due to expire in 2000. With this additional tax we have been able to improve our buildings and grounds, provide salary adjustments for our teachers and most of our support personnel, increase the sales tax supplement for all employees through a 5% increase and a 13th check, and provide new student activity buses, driver's education cars, new maintenance vehicles and a company car.
Most importantly, this sales tax has benefitted the classroom with the addition of new student desks, supplemental materials and supplies purchased with instructional allotments and teacher allotments, and new textbooks.
We are well on our way toward reaching our goals for 1996-97, which include:
(1) New stadium lights at FHS and VHS
(2) New visitors' restrooms at the VHS stadium
(3) The purchase of 2 additional activity buses ( a total of 5 purchased over the past two years)
(4) Two new maintenance vehicles, a work truck and a van
(5) One company car
(6) Increased funding for the band programs at FHS and VHS
(7) Improving the condition of our roofs with the creation of a roofing crew to address leaks as they occur
(8) Restoring retirees' health insurance benefits to the 1992 level
(9) Adding additional parking spaces at the Central Office
We are now in the process of setting goals for the 1997-98 school year. We will continue to focus on integrating technology into the curriculum and on expanding the number of technology-rich classrooms. The addition of satellite downlinks at FKC, FLE, MHS and RES as well as the purchase of a Starlab through grant money will greatly enhance our instructional program.
In addition, we will continue our efforts to bring parents into full partnership with our school programs. Plans are already underway for next year's ParentFest and for additional parent workshops and other programs.
In the area of facilities, we must continue the plan already in place at the school sites. This plan has worked well by establishing a training program for our school janitors and custodians and a rotation system for our central office crew to work at each school on a systematic basis. The three-man roofing crew, which we instituted last year, has finally brought our roof problems under control in a cost-effective manner.
Consideration should also be given to updating our Central Office complex. We currently lack modern energy saving features and we have outgrown our office and storage space. Also, we must begin to make the central office accessible to the handicapped in order to meet federal guidelines. We need adequate space for Board meetings with a sound system and audiovisual capabilities, as well. There is no longer any reason for the largest employer in the parish to do without necessary and appropriate meeting facilities.
As we revisit the issue of uniforms for our students, please keep in mind that the Board in August 1994 declared the uniform as the official attire for students. This means that students can wear uniforms now at any of our schools. I believe that we should strongly support the wearing of uniforms by our students if for no other reasons than for safety and improved self-esteem.
I have been encouraged to initiate a discussion of uniforms for employees. I will bring this issue to the administrators and leaders of our organizations for their comments. At the Central Office, however, there have been some discussions among the administrators about adopting a management level Central Office uniform such as the one I am wearing tonight. As you look around, you will see others similarly dressed.
Regarding state programs and policies, we must continue our efforts to have the MFP fully funded over a three-year period. In addition, we must encourage the state to raise teacher pay to the southeastern region average and to make it part of the MFP to guarantee future funding.
State Superintendent Picard within the last few months announced that the state would focus on K-3 reading as the foundation for all other curriculum areas. We will strongly support this effort. In fact, in Concordia we have been ahead of this movement because we have been focusing on the pre-school and lower elementary level for the last four years.
Several specific recommendations I will make for next year are the following:
(1) To continue the 13th check in January of each year through the year 2000
(2) To increase the $600 General Fund supplement for teachers by $300 to a total of $900 (This will make us much more competitive in seeking certified and qualified teachers.)
(3) To rebuild the Insurance Reserve Fund to $500,000 by June 1999
(4) To develop an overlay plan in an effort to eliminate potholes in our school driveways and parking lots. Potholes create unsafe conditions for our students, parents, faculty and staff entering and leaving our schools parking lots.
(5) To purchase an additional driver=s education car
(6) To implement a technology plan which includes providing every classroom Internet and parishwide network access by the year 2000
As I reflect on the past five years, I am proud of the work we have accomplished and I am looking forward to continued success for our system. As always, I seek divine help and guidance in every recommendation presented to you. I pray that we carry out our responsibilities with a positive attitude and a cooperative spirit, keeping in mind that everything we do, we do for children. With the support of this Board, our employees and the public, Concordia Parish School System will truly exemplify what can be accomplished when "Education is Everybody's Business."
Mr. Lowery Herrington, Title I Supervisor and chairperson of the Insurance Committee, recommended that the Board approve payroll deduction for a tax-sheltered annuity program through Horace Mann Insurance Company. It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried unanimously to approve the recommendation.
Superintendent Lee presented information to the Board about the survey conducted regarding school uniforms. The strongest support was at the elementary level. At schools where the survey return rate was below 50%, the principals will survey parents again on Parent Conference Day, January 24, 1997. It was agreed to draft a resolution asking the Legislature to allow local option for mandating uniforms for students.
It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Washington and carried unanimously to approve a contract with Head Start to provide services jointly for preschool noncategorical special education students in the Ferriday attendance zone.
It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried to advertise for a 10-month janitor at VHS.
It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mr. Williams and carried unanimously to continue compensation for Board members at the current level.
President White distributed observation forms for the superintendent's annual evaluation to Board members and requested that the completed forms be returned by the February 4, 1997, Board meeting.
It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mr. Raven and carried unanimously to approve the following leaves:
Return from Extended Sick Leave
Robert H. Davis, School Bus Operator, effective 1/6/97
Military Leave
Michael G. Lyles, Maintenance, Central Office, effective. 12/7/96-12/21/96
Following discussion of the application process and the qualifications required for the positions, it was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried unanimously to approve the following transfers:
Transfers
Elizabeth Crane, Sp. Ed. Teacher, MHS, to Project Challenge
Technology Specialist, effective 1/6/97
Frances D. Lee, Teacher, FKC, to Project Challenge Curriculum
Specialist, effective 1/6/97
It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Washington and carried unanimously to approve the following:
Appointments
Jan Abernathy, Teacher Assistant, RES, effective 12/9/96
Darlene Baker, Sp. Ed. Teacher, MHS, effective 1/13/97
Nancy Crosby, Teacher, FKC, effective 1/6/97
Chrisandra Lee, Teacher Assistant, FKC, effective 12/9/96-5/30/97
Cindy Roberts, Part-time Teacher Assistant, VLE, effective. 12/3/96-5/30/97
Debra C. Weatherly, SFS Bookkeeper, Central Office, effective 12/27/96
Mr. Raven distributed a copy of a newspaper article and commented on the need to reduce dropouts and truancy. He also requested that the Board review assistance for bus drivers on bus operational allotments and to receive an update on the status of air conditioning of food preparation areas in the school cafeterias.
It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mr. Williams to adjourn at 7:30 p.m.
__________________________ __________________________
James E. Lee, Superintendent Ernest Lynn White, President