PROCEEDINGS OF THE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA - Meeting of March 18, 2010
The Chair called the meeting to order and read the following call:
HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD
Parish of St. John the Baptist
Dear Board Member:
Upon call of the President, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will meet
in regular session at Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria, 1600 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana, on Thursday, March 18, 2010, at 6:00 p.m.
An agenda for the meeting is attached.
Sincerely, s/Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D.
Superintendent/Secretary
The Chair called for a moment of silent meditation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS:
PRESENT: Messrs. Sanders, Madere, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Ory, Triche, Keller.
ABSENT: Messrs. Jack, Burl, Jones.
There were 8 members present and 3 absent.
The President stated that, with the approval of the Superintendent, a special meeting will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. for the purpose of approving the Head Start Grant.
The President Gerald Keller yielded the floor to Vice-President Patrick Sanders at this time.
ITEM 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Meetings of March 2, 2010. A motion was made by Mr. Madere, seconded by Mr. Bacas, to accept the minutes of March 2, 2010 as printed and published. There were no objections and the motion to approve the minutes carried. Messrs. Jack, Burl, and Jones were absent.
ITEM 4. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT. Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D., Superintendent. Dr. Millet stated the following: ”We will begin our state high stakes testing very soon. There will be two phases of state testing this year: Phase 1 will be the written portion of the LEAP and GEE tests which will be administered on Tuesday, March 23rd. Phase 2 will consist of multiple choice items of the LEAP, iLEAP, and GEE tests which will be administered during the week of April 12th. After school tutoring/test preparation is now being offered at most of our schools. Again, our students will be participating in state testing March 23rd and April 12th through 15th. We are asking parents to make sure that their child is well-rested, on time and present at school every day. Parents can assist their child in preparing for his/her LEAP, iLEAP, or GEE test using the resources at the following websites: www.louisianapass.org and www.louisianaeagle.org. Please tune to RTC Channel 70 and our district website for more details. If you have any questions, please contact Danny Hymel, our district test coordinator.”
ITEM 5. EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS BY THE BOARD OR STAFF. a. Dr. Millet read the following: ”On Saturday, January 23rd, sixth through ninth grade students from St. John’s schools participated in the Jr. Beta Club District Day held at R.K. Smith Middle School in Luling. Students competed in many competitions including Spelling Bee, Public Speaking, Poster, Math, Poetry, Impromptu Speech, Banner and T-shirt competitions. First through fourth grade winners from these competitions will compete at the state level. Fifth and sixth place in these categories will register as first alternate and second alternate for state competition respectively. Other competitions at District Day included Quiz Bowl, group talent, and special talent.
The Jr. Beta State Convention will be May 6th and 7th at the Lafayette Cajun Dome. St. John students will also be participating in essay, scrapbook, and handicraft competitions which are held only at the state convention.
The following students from St. John won the competition at District Day and will represent our district at the state convention:
SCHOOL STUDENT GRADE AWARD & CATEGORY
John L. Ory Kameryn Poullard 8th 1st Place Impromptu Speech
John L. Ory Jarron Williams 8th 2nd Place Public Speaking
John L. Ory Briana Bartholomew 8th 2nd Place Science
John L. Ory Crysten Price 7th 4th Place Poetry
Lake Pontchartrain Luis Camacho 7th 4th Place Social Studies
LaPlace Elementary Lauren Bailey 7th 5th Place Spelling
LaPlace Elementary Kennedy Williams, 7th 1st Place Poster Contest
Judy Chen, 8th (Group)
Karlie Englade, and 7th
Keydra Jones 8th
On Tuesday, February 9th, East St. John High School students participated in the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) District Competition held at Southeastern University in Hammond.
The following students received an Excellent rating in their competitions:
Shondreika Johnson-Accounting I
Shondreika Johnson and Tercel Gassaway-Business and Financial Systems
Amanda Martin and Lauren Laurent-Business Math
Aaron Rushing-Computer Application
A’Nyjah Johnson and Tyleisha Bowser-Desktop Publishing
Tiron Braud-Computer Problem Solving
Amanda Martin-Economics
Jyi Zeno-Networking Concepts
Kwan Rhea-Technology Concepts
The following students received a Superior rating and are eligible to compete at the state competition which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge Sunday, March 28th through Tuesday, March 30th:
Sean Thomas-Business Communication
Keri Parquet-Computer Application
Harmony Hamilton and Macy Batiste-Entrepreneurship
Sean Thomas-Business Calculations
Harmony Hamilton-Marketing
Aaron Rushing-Word Processing II
Keri Parquet not only received a Superior rating in Word Processing II; she was the overall winner and received a 1st Place plaque.
Congratulations to all of St. John’s winners! Good luck to our Jr. Beta Club and FBLA students as they compete at their state conventions!
Mr. Burl arrived at 6:07 p.m. and was recorded as present.
ITEM 6. PERSONNEL MATTERS: Dr. Leigh Ann Beard, Director of Human Resources.
Personnel Changes (Requires action by the Board). Dr. Beard presented the following Personnel Changes for approval:
I. PROFESSIONAL
A. New Hires
Douglass Lawson, Pupil Appraisal, January 4-15, 2010
Libby Ducre’, Teacher, LaPlace Elementary, January 25, 27-29, February 2, 2010
Kim Reulet, Teacher, Fifth Ward Elementary, February 8-9, 2010
Bonnie Grows, Teacher, Child Development Center, February 8-March 10, 2010
Alexis Perez, Teacher, East St. John Elementary, February 18-April 15, 2010
Carla Hellmers, Teacher, LaPlace Elementary, February 22, 23 & March 2, 2010
Kristie Nevling, Teacher, Emily C. Watkins, February 25-April 9, 2010
B. Resignations
Ingrid Fong, Academic Support Teacher, Emily C. Watkins, March 15, 2010
II. CLASSIFIED
A. Extended Sick Leave
Eloise Dixon, Lunch Technician, East St. John High, February 22-March 31, 2010
Reina Kennedy, Secretary, Lake Pontchartrain, February 22-March 25, 2010
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Bacas, to accept the Personnel Changes as amended and presented. There were no objections and the motion carried. Messrs. Jack and Jones were absent.
b. Consideration of Resolution Scheduling Tenure Hearing. Dr. Beard stated that the item required 2 actions by the Board. The first being a vote, without discussion, to schedule a tenure hearing, based on the information given to the Board.
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Madere to approve a resolution to schedule a tenure hearing, based on information given to the Board. There were no objections and the motion to approve a resolution to schedule a tenure hearing, based on information given to the Board, carried. Messrs. Jack and Jones were absent.
Dr. Beard stated that the second action required by the Board, is a vote to conduct said tenure hearing on April 15, 2010 at the regular Board meeting, in a closed session.
A motion was made by Mr. Madere, seconded by Mr. Wise, to conduct said tenure hearing on April 15, 2010 at the regular Board meeting, in closed session. There were no objections and the motion to conduct said tenure hearing on April 15, 2010 at the regular Board meeting, in closed session, carried. Messrs. Jack and Jones were absent.
ITEM 7. BUSINESS AND FINANCE: Mr. Felix Boughton, Executive Director of Business and Finance.
a. Peter Montz, Purchasing Agent – Request Board approval on Proposal 10.30, Grounds Maintenance. Mr. Montz stated that there were 15 contractors at the pre-proposal meeting and 8 proposals were submitted. The proposal award recommendation is to Cypress Land Contractors at a cost of $215,553 per year. This is a three-year contract.
Mr. Jones arrived at 6:13 p.m. and was recorded as present.
A motion was made by Mr. Madere, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to approve the recommendation to award Proposal 10.30, Grounds Maintenance, to Cypress Land Contractors at a cost of $215,553 per year for three years. There were no objections and the motion to approve the recommendation to award Proposal 10.30, Grounds Maintenance, to Cypress Land Contractors at a cost of $215,553 per year for three years, carried. Mr. Jack was absent.
b. CSRS, Inc. - Request Board approval to award contract to apparent responsible low bidder for the Track Replacement Project at East St. John High School and West St. John High School contingent upon low bidder meeting all LA Public Bid Law and Contract Document Requirements. Mr. Floyd Luster, CSRS stated that the bids were received on March 4, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. A total of 5 bids were received. The lowest responsible bidder that is being recommended is Texas Sports Builders at a base bid of $1,533,000, with an alternate price of $39,000. The alternate price is an upgrade from 12mm to 14mm thick surface track. Mr. Luster explained that the thicker track is healthier and better for the athlete’s ankles.
A motion was made by Mr. Madere, seconded by Mr. Bacas to approve the recommendation to award the contract for the Track Replacement Project at East St. John High School and West St. John High School to Texas Sports Builders at a base bid of $1,533,000, with an alternate price of $39,000. There were no objections and the motion to approve the recommendation to award the contract for the Track Replacement Project at East St. John High School and West St. John High School to Texas Sports Builders at a base bid of $1,533,000, with an alternate price of $39,000, carried. Mr. Jack was absent. Mr. Jones was not seated.
Mr. Bacas asked Mr. Luster to explain what type of track is being put down. Mr. Luster stated that a Mondo Track would be laid over 2-3 inches of asphalt. Mr. Luster introduced Mr. Kurk Sandefer, representative of Mondo Tracks, to explain further. Mr. Sandefer explained that a Mondo Track is a top of the line track surface, that is a virgin-rubber, pre-fabricated, vulcanized track. He stated that the durability is excellent and the expected lifespan in this environment is 15+ years with no maintenance other than re-striping at about 8 years. Mr. Jones asked what the warranty was on this particular track surface. Mr. Sandefer stated that there is a standard 5 years on materials and 5 years on workmanship.
c. CSRS, Inc. - Request permission from the Board to present an information item, Monthly Progress Update on the Master Plan and Program Management Services provided by CSRS, Inc. Mr. Luster stated that the playgrounds are currently about 85% complete. The contractor had fallen behind schedule due to weather, but has worked to make up lost time and the project should be complete on time. Mr. Luster stated that the Field House at East St. John High School currently has electrical and plumbing ongoing. Stadium upgrades at both high schools are on schedule and ongoing. Mr. Luster stated that all projects are on schedule at this time.
Mr. Jones thanked Mr. Luster for keeping the Board so well informed of all projects and asked him to please keep up the good work.
The chair informed Superintendent Millet that a student, Jaaron Williams, had arrived late. Dr. Millet informed the Board that Jaaron Williams, student at John L. Ory, won the Public Speaking competition at the Jr. Beta District Day, and he would share his speech with the Board and audience, thus allowing him good practice for the upcoming state competition. Mr. Williams approached the podium and shared his speech. Dr. Millet thanked Jaaron Williams and wished him luck at the state competition.
Dr. Keller left the meeting at 6:28 p.m. and was recorded as absent.
ITEM 8. OLD BUSINESS. a. 2010-2011 School Calendar.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Triche to approve the 2010-2011 School Calendar as presented. There were no objections and the motion to approve the 2010-2011 School Calendar as presented, carried. Messrs. Keller and Jack were absent.
b. Mr. Lloyd LeBlanc, Board Attorney - report on due process hearing on the qualifications of AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. as being a responsible bidder. Mr. LeBlanc stated that at the last Board meeting, a motion was made to vacate the bid to award AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. and to hold a due process hearing. That due process hearing was held on March 10, 2010. Present at the meeting was Mr. LeBlanc, Mr. Felix Boughton, Mr. Herbert Smith, Mr. Westin, who is a representative of AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc., and their attorney, Mr. David Voss. There were also representatives from CSRS present at the hearing. It is recommended that the bid submitted by AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. on the Garyville/Mt. Airy School project, not be accepted. Pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statute 38.22.12, AME was afforded a due process hearing and found not to be a responsible bidder. The reason for this finding is that when the bid was submitted, Mr. Burnell Moliere, a convicted felon, was the qualifying member of AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. At the hearing, AME’s defense was Mr. Moliere was not an officer or director, but did admit that Mr. Moliere was a salesman and employee. The fact that Mr. Moliere was qualifying member of record when the bid was submitted demonstrates that he played an active role in the company’s business activity. Mr. LeBlanc again stated that it is his office’s recommendation that the bid submitted by AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. not be accepted due to the fact that during the due process hearing, AME was found not to be a responsible bidder. Mr. Wise asked whether District Attorney Daley had reviewed the recommendation. Mr. LeBlanc stated that District Attorney Daley concurs with his recommendation.
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Triche, that in concurrence with the attorney’s recommendation as a result of the due process hearing, to vacate the contract, declaring said contract null and void, the company non-responsible and award the contract to the 2nd lowest responsible bidder.
Mr. Sanders asked the attorney whether this was open to public participation. Mr. LeBlanc stated that in his opinion, no it is not, but that he would yield that decision to the chair.
Mr. Sanders opened this item for public participation. Mr. David Voss, attorney for AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. approached the podium and introduced himself. Mr. Voss respectfully disagreed with the decision made by the District Attorney. He stated that it is his opinion that the law is very clear that once a contract is awarded, the Board has but one responsibility and that is to execute the contract. Mr. Voss respectfully urged that the Board reconsider AME Disaster Recovery Service, Inc. as a responsible bidder.
After further discussion, Mr. LeBlanc reiterated that it is public record that Mr. Moliere is a convicted felon, involving laundering money with a School Board member of Orleans Parish School Board. Mr. LeBlanc again stated that it is his recommendation that the St. John School Board not do business with AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. The Board must make the decision of whether or not to do business with AME Disaster Recovery Services, Inc. at this time.
Mr. Burl called for question.
Upon roll call to vacate the contract, declaring said contract null and void, the company non-responsible and award the contract to the 2nd lowest responsible bidder, there were 6 Yeas (Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Ory, Triche), 3 Nays (Burl, Sanders, Madere), and 2 Absent (Keller, Jack), and the motion carried.
ITEM 9. NEW BUSINESS. a. Mr. Perry DiCarlo, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance - Truancy Report. Mr. DiCarlo presented a PowerPoint showing the latest numbers for discipline, truancy and attendance. Mr. DiCarlo reported that the numbers for discipline appear to be slightly higher than last year and he feels that is due to the high school now reporting minor infractions such as dress code violations, as well as LaPlace Elementary School reporting minor infractions in the system. Mr. DiCarlo reported that In-school and Out-of-school suspension are significantly lower than the same time last year. He further stated that due to a policy that has been put into place, there have been no students expelled from the system for the last two years. Average daily attendance is slightly lower than last year as well as being slightly lower than the state’s average. Mr. DiCarlo acknowledged that there is room for improvement and at the direction of Superintendent Millet, measures are in place to make these improvements. Superintendent Millet thanked Mr. DiCarlo and his office for their efforts and asked parents to please make sure their children come to school regularly.
b. Mr. Lloyd LeBlanc, Board Attorney -Legal Update. None.
Dr. Millet stated that Sean Thomas, a student at East St. John High School, had just arrived at the meeting and congratulated him on his Superior rating in Business Communications as well as Superior rating in Business Calculations at the LSBA State competition.
ADDENDUM ITEM 9c. Grievance #09-6 (Open or Closed Session) The chair stated that this item has been moved to April 15, 2010.
ITEM 10. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS: a. Committee Reports. None.
ITEM 11. BOARD-RELATED ITEMS OF INTEREST. Mr. Madere suggested that the meeting on next Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. be moved either forward or backward to accommodate an A/E Selection Committee meeting being held at 10:00 a.m. Dr. Millet and the Board agreed to move the Special School Board Meeting to 9:30 a.m. on March 25, 2010.
Mr. Ory stated that at the last Board meeting, the media, namely Fox 8 was present and there were comments made about the disclosure of fees by insurance agents. Mr. Ory stated that he was one that made a comment. Mr. Ory read the following comments that he made: ”My curiosity doesn’t just lie with Mr. Lee, but any agent that wouldn’t disclose that to us and that in the past, that has never been provided to St. John Parish School Board. No agent or broker has ever disclosed those fees to us, said Ory. The question that was posed to me was in reference to Mr. Lee.” Mr. Ory further stated: Statements that I made was not about Mr. Lee or anyone else at that time. But for some reason, our current agents that are in charge of our current health care plan, felt the need to send a letter to all Board members and the media. I’m going to read a portion of the letter and I believe it is very important that the public hear part of this letter and also the statements I will make after. This is a quote made by Mr. Wayne Francingues, who I never mentioned before in a comment, but I’m saying it now. Mr. Wayne Francingues sent this letter to all board members, Mr. Lloyd LeBlanc and others that I’m not sure how they received it. It states, ’Board Members say insurance agents, including a St. John Parish council member, have refused to say how much they’re making in commissions from board business. My curiosity doesn’t just lie with Mr. Lee, but any agent that wouldn’t disclose that to us, and in the past that has never been provided to St. John Parish School Board. No agent or broker has ever disclosed those fees to us, said Ory. As I previously mentioned. While it has never been a requirement in the past that commissions/fees be revealed as a condition of working with the SJPSB, we have voluntarily provided that information over the years. We have never refused to divulge our commissions, in fact, we have never been asked to do so. To make this statement at any time, but especially on camera, is simply NOT factual and is intended to question our professionalism and business reputation. We have represented the SJPSB professionally over the years and will continue to do so, notwithstanding these unfounded allegations. Attached is a copy of the actual proposals that we sent over 1 year ago where signatures were needed for the renewal of the plan in 2009.’ Several pieces of information were attached to the letter and obviously I don’t have time to read those in public. On multiple occasions, I personally have requested information on any money that was given to insurance agents. Those question came up normally at Insurance Committee Meetings, which are not videoed, nor are minutes taken in detail. So, obviously, I cannot prove the questions that I asked. I won’t even go over the answers that were given then. But what I do have, is a correspondence that does prove, on the record, that a request was made on October 2, 2008, by then-Director of Human Resources, Anne LaBorde. Her request was sent to Mr. Wayne Francingues for him to provide a Form 5500 (financial disclosure). The correspondence was also sent to Blue Cross. Blue Cross denied to respond. For the past 3 years, Blue Cross has failed to provide that information. Tonight my goal is to get this information. Whether it’s information that is good, bad or otherwise, makes no difference at this point. But it’s important to me that all fees are on the table and everyone knows about them. You know what you are paying for. We are spending your money – it’s only fair that you know where it’s going and it’s not kept from us, especially if it is requested by us. So, I formally request, tonight that Blue Cross that form be given to us within the next 4 business days. My goal is to know who every agent is and what each agent is receiving in the initial signage of the contract and also at the end. There is a potential for additional monies being added from what is agreed to at the beginning. As that part of the contract indicates, the amount that is known is 1%, but what is actually agreed to is that the producer may receive additional compensation and/or incentive based on other factors such as growth, premium volume of loss ratio, we agree to 1%, but we also agree that additional compensation may be from 0-4% with an average of 2%. So at the end of the contract terms, when everything is said and done, we have no idea what we have paid. It is very important that we get this information. Rather than an insurance agent…we should be able to get full disclosure of all money.”
Mr. Boughton addressed Mr. Ory’s comments. He stated that at the last Board meeting, a policy was presented that basically required disclosure of all fees and fee-splitting agreements. It was sent to the Executive Committee to enhance the language to make it a stronger policy. It has been expanded to include any sub contractors or any employees that they may use to be included in disclosure. This policy is being reviewed at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and will be brought back to the Board for approval. It should cover everything that Mr. Ory is asking for. Mr. Ory stated that he would like any campaign contributions disclosed as well.
ITEM 12. ADJOURNMENT: The agenda having been completed, and there being no further business, Mr. Burl offered a motion for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Jones. There were no objections. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 p.m.
/s/Gerald Keller
Gerald J. Keller, Ph.D.
President
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board
/s/Courtney P. Millet
Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D.
Secretary/Treasurer
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board