PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE PARISH OF CONCORDIA, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1998.

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 6, 1998, 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. Ricky Raven, Mr. Sam Williams, Jr., and Mrs. Georgia Washington.  Absent was Mr. Charles Partridge.

It was moved by Mr. Williams, seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried unanimously to re-elect Mr. White president and Mrs. Cowan vice-president.

President White stated that he would rotate committee members and send out a list of new assignments.

Dr. Pete Peterman, Assistant Superintendent, recognized the 6th grade winners of the Louisiana Hydroelectric Sidney A. Murray Citizenship Award:

                        Alicia Sanders                                      MHS

                        Lachiquita Vashawn McCray                FJH

                        Mac Ware                                            VJH

                        Andrew Clem                                       RES

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 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.

Mr. Fred T. Butcher, Director of Academic Affairs, announced that four schools had received state recognition for scholastic growth and scholastic achievement.  He presented a certificate to the principal of each school.  Accepting the awards were:

            Eddie Washington, Principal                  FUE                 Scholastic Growth

            Stephanie Blunschi, Principal                 RES                 Scholastic Achievement

            Ross Dyer, Principal                             VUE                Scholastic Achievement

            Gary Parnham, Principal                        VLE                 Scholastic Achievement

It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mr. Nelson and carried unanimously to approve the minutes of December 2, 1997, and the payment of invoices in the amount of $1,838,115.00.

Superintendent Lee presented his annual message as follows:

ANNUAL MESSAGE

PREFACE

In the annual message this year, I will reflect on some of our accomplishments over the past year with a more intensive concentration on our goals for the upcoming year.  Even though we have made advances in several areas, we must continue our efforts to improve the academic environment for our students, 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.

Parents and business partners are playing an important role in every aspect of our educational program.  We will continue to promote our slogan "Education is Everybody's Business" and to emphasis the importance of community involvement in the total school program.  Parents are the key to improved student performance in the classroom.  As we stress student accountability for learning, we will continue our efforts to bring parents into a full partnership with us.

ACADEMICS

School Uniforms

Research has shown that school systems which require school uniforms for students also experience academic improvement.  In an improved school climate without the tension of peer pressure, students are better able to concentrate on schoolwork.  The Board took a leadership role in having a Louisiana law changed to allow local school boards the option of requiring uniforms.  Pursuant to this change, uniforms will be required for all students in Concordia Parish at the beginning of the 1998-99 school year.  Some Central Office administrators and employees, as well as school administrators and some teachers, are voluntarily wearing uniforms to show their support for this policy and to promote team spirit.

Statewide Recognition

This year, several of our schools are being recognized by the State Department of Education for continued growth and scholastic achievement.  As you saw earlier this evening, we recognized FUE, VLE, VUE, and RES.   Last year, VLE, VUE and RES were recognized and in 1996, FLE, VJH, VLE , VUE and RES were awarded state recognition.

Once again, one of our teachers was selected as a regional teacher of the year.  Doris Polk, teacher at FUE, was named one of six state finalists in the Elementary Teacher of the Year competition.  Since the program's inception in 1987, four Concordia Parish teachers have earned regional honors.  This speaks highly of the abilities and dedication of our teaching staff.

Concordia Parish School System is recognized statewide as a leader in technology, curriculum and grant writing.   In technology, we are the only school system our size in the state which will have a computer in every core subject area classroom by the end of this school year.   Also by the end of this school year, more than eighty percent of our K-12 core subject teachers will have been trained to use technology, including the Internet, for teaching and learning.  We have been able to reach this level through successful grant applications for state and federal funds.  We have also been successful in other grant programs which have provided a wealth of instructional materials for classroom use.

Our teachers and administrators have been invited to serve on state committees which are developing new content standards for all state schools.  In addition, Assistant Superintendent  Dr. Pete Peterman and I have been asked to serve on a number of state and regional committees and task forces, such as a state task force on standards for principals, and to appear before legislative committees to discuss educational issues affecting local school systems.

Academic Action Plan 1998-2001

Instructional directors and supervisors are currently engaged in planning meetings to develop strategies to improve our student test scores in all academic areas.  We are in the process of developing a systemwide framework which will provide assistance and support as principals and teachers face new state requirements for accountability for students' academic progress. 

Two academic directors and I recently visited a school in Birmingham, Alabama, which has received national recognition for academic achievement.  We were very impressed with the results this district has achieved, and arrangements are being made for teams of teachers and administrators to visit the Birmingham school system this spring.  Teacher committees which have been focusing on state and local content standards and the scope and sequence of the elementary curriculum will also provide input in developing an action plan to improve the academic achievement of our students.

Our efforts must be intensive enough to reach our goal of 19.0 on ACT scores by the year 2000.  After four years of steadily improving scores, our ACT scores slipped this past year.  We are focusing our efforts to assisting students in improving their performance on the ACT.  I am optimistic that we can recover from this one year setback and reach our ambitious goal.

Alternative School

The Alternative School was reorganized this year to better accommodate our students who do not benefit from traditional instruction in the regular school setting.  At the alternative school, students who qualify are given the opportunity to earn a GED.  Also, the alternative school provides a setting for junior high and high school students who have been suspended from school for more than three days.  We hope to increase the capacity of this program for the 1998-99 school year.  However, the operation of the alternative school is costly in comparison to the regular education program. The Alternative School costs in excess of $100,000 per year to operate, which is not supported by state funding.

MAINTENANCE AND TRANSPORTATION

Even though strained by numerous requirements of the State Fire Marshal's Office and demands resulting from moving FJH to a temporary facility, our maintenance department has made great progress in addressing the needs of our ageing facilities and equipment.  The number of regularly scheduled maintenance rotations assigned to each school has been doubled so that each site will receive an additional rotation.  Several major emergency plumbing, electrical and gas service problems were successfully resolved by the maintenance crew.  We now have three employees who are trained DEQ and state-certified chemical applicators.

We have installed new fire alarm systems in several buildings and provided two-way communications in the modular classrooms.  Ramps and covered walkways have been built at VLE, MHS and FHS.

The roofing crew has been able to make a significant impact on the number of reported leaks.  Weather permitting, roof leaks are now addressed on a weekly basis. 

All cafeteria dining areas are now air conditioned, and Phase I of this project has been completed.  Phase II will begin with the approval of bids for exhaust systems in the preparation areas of the nine school kitchens not currently air conditioned.

During the past three years, seven schools have been painted inside and out.  By the end of the summer of 1998, painting at all schools will be complete.  Scheduled for painting this summer are VHS, FHS, RES, and FKC.

Transportation program staff development activities continue to focus on safety and on meeting state mandates.  A number of contract drivers have purchased newer, more reliable buses, with additional safety features. Two new activity buses and one new special education bus have been added to our fleet.  The special education bus which went into service in December has increased the amount of time special students are able to spend in the classroom.

SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE

The School Food Service Program continues to hold the line on finances,  to provide a choice of entrees on the serving line, and to provide salad bars and take-out lunches in spite of tremendous increases in federal nutritional guidelines.  Our charges for students have not increased since 1993.

FINANCES

Financially, our system is again on solid ground and debt free.  We have reached this goal through hard work and an attitude of team spirit on the part of all our administrators, as well as through the insight and capabilities of our business management team.

We must continue to emphasize the valuable resource of the second one-cent sales tax approved by the public in 1993 and is due to expire in 2000.  With this additional tax, we have been able

1. • to substantially enhance our classrooms, with new technology, new textbooks, new teacher and student desks, and additional instructional materials and supplies;

   • to improve our buildings and grounds;

   • to provide salary adjustments for our teachers and support staffs;

   • to increase the sales tax supplement for all employees;

   • to restore our retirees' benefits to the 1992 level;

   • and to issue a 13th check on the second Friday in January.  The 13th check, which was first distributed in January 1996, has been approved by the Board through 2000.   This Friday's check will constitute the third year of distribution at a cost of $215,000 in salary and benefits for our employees.

In addition, the 1993 sales tax has enabled us to provide

1. • five automatic, diesel-powered activity buses,

   • an automatic, diesel-powered handicapped bus,           

   • a drivers' education car,

   • a special education van,

   • 3  new maintenance trucks and a van,

   • two new company cars,

   • new stadium lights at FHS and VHS

   • new visitors' restrooms at the VHS stadium,

   • increased funding for the VHS and FHS band programs,

   • restoration of retirees' health insurance benefits to the 1992 level,

   • a three-man roofing crew to address leaks as they occur,

   • additional public parking at the Central Office.

   • additional handicapped access and covered walkways at VLE, MHS, and FHS

FACILITIES

As you know, we suffered a tremendous loss at the hands of arsonists who burned down Ferriday Junior High School.  We were fortunate to have enough classroom space at FUE to accommodate the number of students.  However, these students are having to do without a gymnasium for physical education and extracurricular activities, a fully operational school library, science and computer laboratories, and a home economics department.  Presently, we are providing only minimum services to these students.  It is imperative that we continue to work together to rebuild FJH and provide a full junior high school program to these 400 students.

We must keep in mind that the Central Office complex in an integral part of our school system.  We currently lack modern energy saving and technology features that are required in today's technology age.  In addition, we must address the requirements for handicap access just as we are at our school sites.  With the current focus on staff development at the state level, space for meetings and workshops continues to be a critical need.  To improve public access to school board meetings, we need adequate space with a sound system and audiovisual capabilities, as well.  As I have indicated in the last two annual messages, there is no longer any reason for the largest employer in the parish to do without necessary and appropriate meeting facilities.

In coordination with Citizens United for Better Education (CUBE), we are currently surveying facilities in Ferriday, Monterey and Vidalia to review and determine some short- and long- range goals for our buildings and grounds.  Through these meetings we are beginning to develop a vision about our school system to include such items as an early childhood center in Vidalia, renovated school sites to accommodate instructional technology; enhanced library/media centers; state of the art science laboratory complexes; and modern vocational and business departments.  We will continue the active involvement role CUBE is playing in developing our goals and capital outlay plans.

CONTINUING GOALS

Our ongoing efforts include, but are not limited to, the following:

• To provide every classroom with five computers and appropriate software and Internet access by the year 2000;

• To complete the installation of modern science labs at each of our junior and senior high schools;

• To continue the emphasis on staff development in order to improve student achievement at all grade levels;

• To install two-way communication systems in all our classrooms;

• To update electrical capabilities at our schools to accommodate instructional technology;

• To purchase an additional drivers' education car, which will satisfy our need in this area;

• To rebuild the Insurance Reserve Fund to $500,000 by June 1999;

• To replace exhaust systems and to air condition our school kitchens;

• To purchase one more maintenance work truck, which will complete the updating of our fleet of maintenance vehicles;

• to update all parking lots at school sites with adequate lighting;

• To eliminate potholes which create unsafe conditions for our students, parents, faculty and staff entering and leaving our school driveways;

• To replace panic devices and door closures on all exit doors at schools where these are not already in place.

I am personally and professionally gratified with the tremendous accomplishments of our system over the past six years.  We will continue to strive for improvement through a continuous program of review and evaluation.  The advice and support of a strong administrative staff and cooperation of dedicated teachers and support personnel have been critical factors in our accomplishments. With the support of you, the Concordia Parish School Board, we have worked diligently to provide the best possible school system for our children.  It is, after all, why we are here and what we are about.

I thank God for this day, for opening the doors of opportunity for our school system, and for giving us the mind to work together in a cooperative and genuinely caring spirit.  Working together, we can make a difference in the lives of our children.

/s/ James E. Lee, Superintendent    

•••

Mr. Nelson made a motion to move the item regarding Board members' compensation and expenses to the Executive Session.  Superintendent Lee reminded the Board that they must call a special meeting to discuss changing their compensation.  Mr. Nelson withdrew the original motion and moved to set a special meeting on January 27, 1998, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss Board members' compensation and expenses.  The motion was seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried 6-2, with Mr. Grantham and Mr. White voting no.

Dr. Peterman distributed observation forms for the superintendent's annual evaluation as required by state guidelines for all professional personnel and reviewed the process with Board members.  The forms are to be returned to President White at the next regular meeting on February 3, 1998.

Mr. H. L. Irvin, Supervisor of Supportive Services, provided an update on progress of the project to replace the exhaust system in the schools' kitchens.  Following lengthy discussion concerning the procedures of obtaining the specifications and bids, it was moved by Mr. Grantham and seconded by Mr. Raven to obtain an estimate on engineering costs for developing the specifications.  The motion failed 2-6, with Mr. Grantham and Mr. Raven voting yes.  There was continued discussion regarding the approximate date when specifications would be ready.  Superintendent Lee stated that the architect would be contacted for an estimated timeline.

It was moved by Mr. Nelson, seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried 7-1, with Mr. Grantham voting no, to purchase a large maintenance truck on state contract.  The truck will be used by the roofing crew and to pick up and deliver textbooks, equipment and other items as needed.

It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Washington and carried unanimously to revise the school calendar to add the second staff development day for teachers, as required by Act 306.

Item VIII.F. FEC/Florida Street Gym was passed.

It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried to approve a proclamation establishing January 28, 1998, as School Nurse Day.

It was moved by Mr. Williams, seconded by Mr. Coleman and carried unanimously to approve the second reading of revised policies JD, JDD, JDE, and JDF.

It was moved by Mrs. Cowan, seconded by Mr. Raven and carried 7-1, with Mr. Grantham voting no, to go into Executive Session at 7:06 p.m.

It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried unanimously to return to Open Session at 7:30 p.m.  President White reported that during Executive Session, the Board had discussed pending litigation and personnel matters.

It was moved by Mrs. Washington, seconded by Mrs. Cowan and carried unanimously to approve the following personnel recommendations:

Extended Sick Leave

            Paula Crawford, Assistant Principal, FHS, effective 12/1/97-1/16/98

            Elizabeth Nowlin, Teacher, FLE, effective 11/14/97-1/12/98

Maternity Leave

            Demicu Williams, Teacher, Assistant, FHS Alt. Sch., effective 2/15/98-3/24/98

Return from Sabbatical Leave

            Barbara Crenshaw, Teacher, VJH, effective 1/20/98

            Donna Connor, School Psychologist, FEC, effective 1/1/98

Resignation

            Johnnie L. Brown, Catahoula Caring, FEC, effective 12/9/97

            Burl Burns, School Bus Operator, FLE, effective 1/5/98

Appointment

            Rick Brown, Assistant Principal, VJH, effective 1/13/98

            Raymond Campbell, School Bus Operator, FLE, effective 1/6/98

It was moved by Mr. Coleman, seconded by Mr. Williams and carried unanimously to adjourn at 7:32 p.m.

__________________________                                            __________________________

James E. Lee, Superintendent                                                   Ernest Lynn White, President