ST. MARTIN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
DECEMBER 5, 2007
BREAUX BRIDGE, LOUISIANA
MINUTES
The St. Martin Parish School Board convened on this day at 5:00 P.M. at the Breaux Bridge Instructional Center with the following members present: Messrs., James Blanchard, President, Floyd Knott, Steve Fuselier, Aaron Flegeance, Richard Potier, Rodney Ledoux, Frederic Stelly, and Mrs. Barbara Latiolais and Ms. Wanda Babin.
ABSENT: Mr. Mark Hebert
The meeting was called to order by Mr. James Blanchard, President. Superintendent Lavergne opened the meeting with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
On the motion of Mr. Ledoux, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board clarified that the motion made by Mr. Ledoux and seconded by Mr. Fuselier to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Louisiana Technical College, including a statement indicating that if the campus should shut down, the property would revert back to the St. Martin Parish School Board was the motion that unanimously carried at the November 7, 2007 School Board meeting.
ABSENT: Mr. Hebert
On the motion of Mr. Flegeance, seconded by Mr. Stelly, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the minutes of the Regular Meeting of November 7, 2007, with corrections.
ABSENT: Mr. Hebert
A motion was made by Mr. Potier and seconded by Mr. Flegeance to approve disbursement of the December Sales Tax Salary Supplement in the amount of $500 to professional employees and $357 to paraprofessional employees.
An amendment to the motion was made by Mr. Knott and seconded by Ms. Babin to disburse $1000 to the professional employees and $714 to paraprofessional employees. The amendment was then voted on and carried as follows:
FOR: Mr. Knott, Mr. Flegeance, Mrs. Latiolais, Mr. Potier, and Ms. Babin
OPPOSED: Mr. Fuselier, Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Ledoux, and Mr. Stelly
ABSENT: Mr. Hebert
Twelve Ed Leadership Academy Graduates were recognized and honored. The meeting was recessed for fifteen minutes for refreshments.
The Board Member’s request relative to the advertisement for a Librarian/Teacher at Stephensville Elementary School was tabled.
ABSENT: None
On the motion of Mr. Stelly, seconded by Mr. Ledoux, and unanimously carried, the Board went into Executive Session.
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Potier, and unanimously carried, the Board came out of Executive Session.
On the motion of Mr. Ledoux, seconded by Mr. Fuselier, and unanimously carried, the Board authorized Attorney Mark Boyer to negotiate an arbitration proceeding entitled E.L. Habetz versus St. Martin Parish School Board, AAA Case No. 69 110 Y 00467.
A motion was made by Mr. Fuselier and seconded by Mr. Flegeance to approve the recommendation of Attorney Mark Boyer regarding the pending litigation entitled , Raymond Lee vs. St. Martin Parish School Board, Docket No. 70930, 16th Judicial District Court.
An amendment to the motion was made by Mr. Knott and seconded by Mr. Ledoux indicating that when the position is created with those terms and conditions there is no back pay. The amendment was then voted on and failed as follows:
FOR: Mr. Knott, Mr. Ledoux, and Mr. Stelly
OPPOSED: Mr. Fuselier, Mr. Flegeance, Mrs. Latiolais, Mr. Potier, and Ms. Babin
ABSTAINED: Mr. Hebert
The original motion was then voted on and carried.
OPPOSED: Mr. Ledoux and Mr. Stelly
ABSTAINED: Mr. Hebert and Mr. Knott
On the motion of Mr. Potier, seconded by Mr. Fuselier, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to negotiate a settlement in the case of Lawrence Mitchell o/b/o his minor daughters Ashley and Lauren Mitchell vs. Ann Bertrand, St. Martin Parish School Board, and Ace American Insurance Company, Docket no. 70966-B in the amount of $5,000.00 for Ashley Mitchell and $1,000.00 for Lauren Mitchell plus all court costs.
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to allow the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office to formally investigate recovering money from a former employee.
On the motion of Mr. Fuselier, seconded by Ms. Babin, and carried, the Board approved the request for waiver of sales tax penalties, as recommended by administration, for Gulf Production Company.
OPPOSED: Mr. Flegeance
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Hebert, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to contribute $69,000 ($14,000.00 through the General Fund and $55,000.00 in Title I funds) to be used in payment for the services of the TASC and Early Intervention Programs Pre-Kindergarten through the eighth grade for a 10-month period commencing August 1, 2007 and ending May 31, 2008.
On the motion of Mr. Flegeance, seconded by Mrs. Latiolais, and unanimously carried, the Board approved entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office to provide the G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training) Program as follows:
13 week G.R.E.A.T. Middle School curriculum
6 G.R.E.A.T. lesson families component; and
G.R.E.A.T. summer component
On the motion of Mr. Hebert, seconded by Mrs. Latiolais, and unanimously carried, the Board approved an increase in stipends for employees who serve as presenters of Professional Development Sessions.
On the motion of Mr. Fuselier, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the revised St. Martin Parish Parental Involvement Policy.
On the motion of Mr. Flegeance, seconded by Mrs. Latiolais, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the Laptop Acceptable Use Policy.
On the motion of Mr. Ledoux, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to allow the administration to make the decision for using part of allocated funds to purchase security cameras.
On the motion of Mr. Hebert, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the Drivers’ Education Program for 2007/2008.
On the motion of Mr. Ledoux, seconded by Mrs. Latiolais, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the following resolutions:
a) Board Appreciation Month, December
WHEREAS, the St. Martin Parish School Board Superintendent, Directors, Supervisors, Administrators, Professional and Paraprofessional Personnel have selected the month of December 2007 for the observance of Board Appreciation Month (B.A.M.) to acknowledge the contributions made to the St. Martin Parish School District by the dedicated service of its School Board Members and has made elaborate plans for the execution thereof, and
WHEREAS, B.A.M. gives the general public the opportunity to acknowledge the fact that your public service as a School Board Member is vital to the educational process, essential to shaping the young minds of St. Martin Parish students, thus impacting their destiny.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Superintendent, Directors, Supervisors, Administrators, Professional and Paraprofessional Personnel of the St. Martin Parish School District, in official session do hereby publicly announce to you, our School Board Members, that we are aware of and do appreciate your sacrifice of time, sincere devotion, and the indefatigable patience with which you have dedicated yourselves to the educational development of the children of this parish, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will do our utmost in assisting and supporting you in all your noble endeavors.
b) Textbook Adoptions and Allocations
WHEREAS, school boards throughout the state are experiencing difficulty in providing new textbooks because of the increasing costs; and,
WHEREAS, the monies allocated per child for textbooks does not cover the actual cost of these textbooks; and,
WHEREAS, the textbook adoption cycle established by the State of Louisiana does not coincide with the states for whom textbook companies make major editorial revisions; and,
WHEREAS, parishes may use allocated monies to update needed textbooks in areas where insufficient monies were allocated; now,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the St. Martin Parish School Board petition the Louisiana School Boards Association to sponsor legislation which will change the textbook adoption cycle to coincide with major states, and allocate sufficient funds to cover actual cost of books; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Louisiana School Boards Association, to the Governor of Louisiana, to the State Superintendent of Public Education, to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and to all Superintendents throughout the state.
c) Teacher Tuition Exemption Program
WHEREAS, the Teacher Tuition Exemption Program has been funded by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education through the 8(g) Quality Education Assurance Fund at a static level of $3.1 million for the last three years; and,
WHEREAS, the Tuition Exemption Program has paid the tuition costs of hundreds of
St. Martin teachers who have returned to Louisiana colleges and universities to expand the base of knowledge in their subject area or to gain certification; and,
WHEREAS, due to increasing tuition and fee costs at colleges and universities fewer teachers can participate in this program each year if it is funded at the same level; and,
WHEREAS, additional 8(g) funds will become available during the next fiscal year; and,
WHEREAS, the St. Martin Parish School Board endorses the Teacher Tuition Exemption Program as a valuable resource for teachers to avail themselves in acquiring new skills or needed certification in critical shortage areas as determined by the parish; and,
WHEREAS, site based administrators supervise the teachers of all programs in their schools and may have had little experience with certain areas, to allow administrators to use the Tuition Exemption Program to pay the cost of upgrading their skills in the critical shortage areas as determined by the parish; now,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the St. Martin Parish School Board endorse a funding level increase for Teacher Tuition Exemption and that the selection of critical shortage areas be restored to the local parishes; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Louisiana School Boards Association, to the Governor of Louisiana, to the State Superintendent of Public Education, to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and to all Superintendents throughout the State.
d) Early Childhood Education for all Students
WHEREAS, early childhood education can provide a positive beginning to enhance the academic achievement of students, as evidenced by student test scores; and
WHEREAS, early identification of high-risk students has been shown to reduce student dropout; and
WHEREAS, early childhood education should ease the transition of preschool children into the academic climate; and
WHEREAS, the parent involvement component of the early childhood program has helped increase parent knowledge and home/school coordination; and,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the St. Martin Parish School Board petition the Louisiana School boards Association to sponsor legislation which will provide early childhood education funding in areas of staffing, equipment and evaluation for state mandated programs; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Louisiana School Boards Association, to the Governor of Louisiana, members of the local Legislative Delegation, to the State Superintendent of Public Education, to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and to all Superintendents throughout the state.
On the motion of Mr. Hebert, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to reconsider the distribution of the $1,000,000 Capital Projects Fund (2/3 vote needed to reconsider an agenda item).
In an effort to give re-consideration to the recent action taken by the Board regarding the use of $1,000,000 by our several schools for capital projects, allocated to schools in proportion to their student count, which the Board previously authorized as a transfer from the General Fund to the Capital Projects General Fund, Mr. Hebert offered the motion, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, that none of the following projects be included in the $1,000,000: new lights for the football fields at the three (3) high schools, two (2) new dugouts and a clubhouse concession stand at the Cecilia High School baseball field, covered walkways and seats for St. Martinville Junior High, stage curtains at Teche Elementary School, and electrical work on the lights at the baseball park in St. Martinville and, that said projects listed would be covered by the Capital Projects General Fund, but not carved out of a school allocation, and that at the option of the principal, and with the concurrence of the Superintendent any amount allocated to a school could be used for curriculum materials and supplies or classroom supplies, and that if that option were exercised, the related amount of funds would be transferred back to the General Fund to cover such expenditure types from said General Fund.
ABSTAINED: Mr. Knott
Mr. Knott gave a short presentation relative to the acquisition of St. Martinville Junior High School property.
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Hebert, and carried, the board approved to reconsider board action on working with SMEDA to acquire acreage along proposed frontage road between Henderson and Breaux Bridge (2/3 vote needed to reconsider an agenda item).
FOR: Mr. Knott, Mr. Fuselier, Mr. Flegeance, Mrs. Latiolais, Mr. Hebert, Mr. Potier, and Ms. Babin
OPPOSED: Mr. Ledoux and Mr. Stelly
On the motion of Mr. Fuselier, seconded by Mr. Potier, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the following Professional Personnel Changes:
APPOINTMENT:
Coleman, Noelie, School Psychologist, Special Services; effective January 12, 2008.
MEDICAL LEAVES:
Franciol, Mary Jo, Kindergarten, Cecilia Primary; effective November 14, 2007 through December 21, 2007.
Robertson, Deidre, Homebound, Breaux Bridge Elementary; effective October 17, 2007 through November 22, 2007.
Vidrine, Margaret, Kindergarten, Cecilia Primary; effective November 26, 2007 through December 21, 2007.
MATERNITY LEAVES:
Cormier, Shala, 4th Grade, Teche Elementary; effective December 17, 2007 through February 7, 2008.
DROP RETIREMENT PROGRAM:
Jolivette,Genelle, Physical Education, Breaux Bridge Junior High; effective May 26, 2008.
Kidder, Jewell, Guidance Counselor, Cecilia Junior High; effective November 9, 2007.
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Flegeance, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the following Paraprofessional Personnel Changes:
APPOINTMENT:
Faulk, Anthony, Custodian (10 month) St. Martinville Junior High; effective
December 6, 2007.
TRANSFER:
Meche, Todd, from PC Technician to Network Manager at the Instructional Center; effective November 8, 2007.
FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE:
Pelafigue, Connie, Bus Driver, St. Martinville area; effective November 28, 2007.
MEDICAL LEAVES:
Charles, Mary Ray, Custodian, Parks Primary; effective September 9, 2007.
Dupuis, Lisa, Secretary, Breaux Bridge Senior High; effective November 26, 2007 through December 21, 2007.
DROP/RETIREMENT PROGRAM:
Roberts, Alphonse, Shop Foreman, Bus Shop; effective March 5, 2007.
EXPIRATION:
Boudreaux, Gerald, Network Manager, Instructional Center; effective November 5, 2007.
On the motion of Mr. Potier, seconded by Mrs. Latiolais, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the request for payment for assistance with Cecilia Senior High School Football.
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Hebert, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the request for payment for assistance with Cecilia Senior High Volleyball.
ABSENT: Mr. Flegeance
On the motion of Mr. Potier, seconded by Mr. Hebert, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the request for payment for assistance with Breaux Bridge Senior High Volleyball.
ABSENT: Mr. Flegeance
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Fuselier, and unanimously carried, the Board approved the request for extra employment pay for Regina Guidry, Angela Toncrey, Catherine Guidry, Kimberly Charles, and Theresa Blankenship for the Parks Primary After-Care Program for the month of October.
ABSENT: Mr. Flegeance
On the motion of Mrs. Latiolais, seconded by Mr. Hebert, and unanimously carried, the Board approved to retroactively approve the advertisement for two PC Technicians from the November 7, 2007 meeting.
ABSENT: Mr. Flegeance
On the motion of Mr. Hebert, seconded by Mr. Potier, and unanimously carried, the Board adjourned.
____________________________ ____________________________
SECRETARY PRESIDENT