PROCEEDINGS OF THE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA - Meeting of February 7, 2013
ITEM 1: 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, Reserve, Louisiana, on Thursday, February 16, 2012, at 6:00 p.m.
An agenda for the meeting is attached.
Sincerely, s/Herbert Smith,
Superintendent/Secretary
The Chair called for a moment of silent meditation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ITEM 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS:
PRESENT: Messrs. Jack, Burl, Keller, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
ABSENT: DeFrancesch, Jones.
There were 9 members present, 2 absent.
ITEM 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Meetings of January 10, 2013 and January 17, 2013.
A motion was made by Mr. Wise seconded by Mr. Bacas to accept the minutes of the January 10, 2013 and January 17, 2013 meetings as printed and published. There were no objections.
The motion carried.
9 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
2 Absent – DeFrancesch, Jones.
Mr. Jones arrived at 6:05 p.m. and was recorded as present.
ITEM 4. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT. Herbert Smith, Superintendent.
Recognition of Mr. Gerald Jacob – Mr. Smith stated the following:
St. John the Baptist Parish School District has many great employees. I recently received a commendation letter concerning one of them. I would like to commend one of our bus drivers, Mr. Jerry Jacob, for being recognized by the public for his great work. His letter of commendation included the following:
· “He takes pride in his job and his bus…His bus is always neat and clean. The students have commented on how much he takes care of them and shows an interest in their well-being.”
· “Mr. Jerry is very cordial and sweet to the parents and children. He takes the time to call me if I am not waiting at the bus stop for my kids. We live on Peavine so he doesn’t want to just drop them off. He makes sure they get home safely.”
· “My youngest child started Kindergarten this year. She didn’t want me to bring her to school the first day. She wanted to ride the bus with Mr. Jerry.”
· “I’m so happy we have Mr. Jerry as a bus driver. We couldn’t ask for a better bus driver.”
Congratulations to Mr. Jerry Jacob.
Mr. Jacob addressed the board, thanking them for the recognition.
Mr. Smith then stated that he would like Mr. Orlando Watkins to address the board concerning transportation, namely overcrowded busses. Mr. Watkins stated that the main problem was the fact that the high school had recently returned to a full day of school and before that they were on a platoon system. That meant that only half the students were on the busses at any given time and students were getting on any bus that passed. He stated that the problem was solved by giving each driver a roster of who was actually supposed to be on their bus. Mr. Jones asked Mr. Watkins to tell the board about the GPS system on the busses. Mr. Watkins explained that 95% of the busses have a GPS system installed. This allows his office to track each bus and is used as a safety tool. Mr. Wise stated that he has gotten calls about busses speeding through neighborhoods. Mr. Watkins explained that the GPS system being utilized by his office can not only record speeds, but stop and start times. Mr. Jones asked if Mr. Watkins could prepare a Powerpoint on the system and present it to the board in the near future.
President Triche presented former President Patrick Sanders with his gavel and thanked him for his service as President of the board the past two years. Mr. Burl commended Mr. Sanders on a job well done and stated that he felt Mr. Sanders was a fair and just President.
ITEM 5. EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS BY THE BOARD OR STAFF.
ITEM 6. PERSONNEL MATTERS: Dr. Leigh Ann Beard, Director of Human Resources. None.
ITEM 7. BUSINESS AND FINANCE: Mr. Felix Boughton, Executive Director of Business and Finance
a. Mr. Felix Boughton, Mr. Phillip Rebowe – Accept audit report as a public document.
A motion was made by Dr. Kelleer, seconded by Mr. Bacas, to accept the audit report as a public document. There were no objections.
The motion carried.
10 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
ITEM 8. OLD BUSINESS. a. Dr. Leigh Ann Beard – Request approval of Overtime Compensation Policy.
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Sanders, to approve the Overtime Compensation Policy as presented.
Mr. Sanders asked if the policy was legal, and if the title could be changed to include the word Disaster.
A substitute motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Jones, to return the policy to administration for consideration by the Personnel Committee, so the entire overtime policy could be reviewed.
A second substitute motion was made by Rev. Nicholas, seconded by Mr. Burl to adopt the policy tonight with the change to the title to include the words “Emergency Disaster”.
Upon roll call on the second substitute motion to adopt the policy tonight with the change to the title to include the words “Emergency Disaster”, there were:
6 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Johnson, Nicholas, Sanders.
4 Nays – Jones, Wise, Bacas, Triche.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
8b. Mr. Albert Burl, III – Revert CSRS contract to the original contract.
A motion was made by Mr. Burl, seconded by Mr. Jack, to revert CSRS contract back to the original contract.
Dr. Keller asked what would happen if we approve this motion. Mr. Frank Lacourse, CSRS, stated that all design work would cease and all communications with FEMA would end. The amendment to the contract includes additional positions that are necessary and specific to the disaster work being done. Mr. Lacourse elaborated by saying that the CSRS team has negotiated over $60 million with FEMA between the two schools and those negotiations would end tonight with the passing of this motion. Also, all work would stop at both schools and all end-dates would be delayed because no work is being done, essentially putting all FEMA funding at risk.
Following discussion, Rev. Nicholas called for question, seconded by Mr. Wise. Upon roll call, there were:
7 Yeas – Keller, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche.
3 Nays – Jack, Burl, Sanders.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
Upon roll call on the original motion to revert CSRS contract back to the original contract, there were:
3 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Sanders.
4 Nays – Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Triche.
3 Abstentions – Keller, Jones, Nicholas.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion failed.
ITEM 9. NEW BUSINESS.
9a. Mr. Keith Jones – Executive Committee’s recommendation for Superintendent Search.
Mr. Jones stated that he asked Mr. Montz to do some research and find out how much we spent on a superintendent search in the past. He only found one, which was in 2008 and we spent $15,911.11and ended up hiring locally. Although 4 firms submitted RFQs, the Executive Committee decided to recommend to the board to not hire a firm to do the search and to conduct the search utilizing our Personnel Department.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Bacas, to not use a search firm to search for a superintendent at this time and instead, as a cost saving measure, use our Personnel Department to conduct the search.
Mr. Wise stated that as the 3rd member of the Executive Committee, he will vote against this motion simply because he feels we do not have the qualifications to conduct the search in-house and if it is done in-house, it becomes political and based on who knows who.
The chair declared a 5 minute recess at 7:03 p.m.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Bacas, to reconvene in regular session. There were no objections and the board reconvened in regular session at 7:09 p.m.
Following further discussion, Mr. Jones withdrew his motion and the board directed administration to move forward with the process of hiring a search firm. Mr. Wise asked if the 4 firms that submitted RFQs could make a presentation to the board at the February 21st meeting.
9b. Mr. Clarence Triche – Request board approval to re-order seating and roll call of board members by district in numerical order.
This item was tabled and no action taken.
9c. Rev. Rodney Nicholas – Suspend all reconstruction activity for East St. John High School and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary by CSRS relating to Hurricane Isaac, and expedite the hiring of a board approved project managing firm.
A motion was made by Rev. Nicholas, seconded by Mr. Sanders, to expedite the process of hiring a project management firm and award 1/2 the contract to CSRS, which would include the work for ESJHS and award the other 1/2 of the contract to HGI to do the work for LPE.
The president opened the floor for public participation.
Mr. Whitney Joseph, St. John Parish Assessor, stated that he applauded the board for considering hiring local people.
Mr. Jimmy Ray Madere stated that the board had requested that a committee be set up to recommend a project management firm. Each board member selected a person to represent them on this committee. He stated as chairman of said committee, that the committee has met and has another meeting scheduled for next week. He further stated that these committee members have volunteered their time and if the board takes action on this tonight, they essentially will be slapping this committee in the face.
Ms. Kelly Eldridge stated that the teachers at LPE have no idea what is going on and what the plan is for LPE. Mr. Triche stated that the board is totally dependent on FEMA to make those decisions and the board cannot plan anything until FEMA is forthcoming with answers on funding.
Several residents spoke stating that the lack of communicating information is a big problem.
Mr. Sanders stated that there is very little communication from FEMA, but the little information that we receive must be disseminated to parents. Mr. Sanders asked Mr. Lacourse to explain what information we have at this time.
Mr. Lacourse stated that the original grant was sent to FEMA in October. However, the grant to replace LPE, as opposed to the repair grant, was sent on January 10, 2013 and we are awaiting an answer from FEMA. Plans for temporary facilities for LPE are being talked about at this time, enabling all students to go to school in one location. The current plan would be to create a temporary campus at the front of East St. John Elementary School, enabling the two schools to share common areas such as the library and cafeteria, which would drive costs down considerably.
Mr. Herbert Smith stated that it was his intent to have a meeting with parents as soon as plans were solid. Things change every day and he stated that he understands the frustration of the parents and he does not want to give new information each day. He stated that he will meet with the faculty of LPE as soon as the Mardi Gras break is over and let them know the current information. He stated that he wants everyone to know that the information given can and will change day to day.
Following further discussion, Mr. Jones called for question. The motion was seconded by Mr. Jack. Upon roll call to end discussion, there were:
10 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
Upon roll call on the original motion made by Rev. Nicholas, seconded by Mr. Sanders, to expedite the process of hiring a project management firm and award 1/2 the contract to CSRS, which would include the work for ESJHS and award the other 1/2 of the contract to HGI to do the work for LPE, there were:
6 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Jones, Nicholas, Sanders.
3 Nays – Wise, Bacas, Triche.
1 Abstention – Johnson.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
9d. Rev. Rodney Nicholas – Adopt Title VI Compliance Plan.
A motion was made by Rev. Nicholas, seconded by Mr. Burl, to adopt the Title VI Compliance Plan.
Mr. Wise stated that he did not understand why it is necessary to adopt, and following discussion, Rev. Nicholas called for question. The motion was seconded by Mr. Burl. Upon roll call to end discussion, there were:
7 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
3 Nays – Jones, Johnson, Wise.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
Upon roll call on the original motion to adopt the Title VI Compliance Plan, there were:
9 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Jones, Johnson, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
1 Abstention – Wise.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
PROPOSED ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOLS TITLE VI COMPLIANCE PLAN:
1. To ensure all St. John Parish School District administration, management, staff, employees, subrecipients, contractors, and service beneficiaries are aware of the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the minimum requirements to be in compliance with its rules, laws, and regulations.
2. Title VI regulations require agencies to provide civil rights training for staff and assign sufficient personnel to ensure effective enforcement. Periodic training should be designed to develop awareness and sensitivity in carrying out federally funded programs.
3. Title VI Program Compliance Purpose: To verify that all federal fund recipient state entities comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. TCA §4-21-203 requires recipients of federal financial assistance to review Title VI monitoring and enforcement procedures, and Periodically audit, review, evaluate and report on Title VI compliance efforts and outcomes for each executive branch department and agency.
4. Discriminatory Practices Under Title VI:
· Denying an individual any program services, financial aid, or benefits;
· Providing a different service, aid, or benefit, or providing them in a manner different than they are provided to others; or
· Segregating or treating individuals separately in any matter related to receiving any
program service, aid, or benefit.
5. Disparate Treatment vs. Disparate Impact
· Disparate treatment means discrimination against an individual.
· Disparate impact means discrimination that occurs as a result of a neutral policy which appears harmless on the surface, but negatively affects a group of people.
6. Promote Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and other small, minority and
women-owned utilization
7. Provide the opportunity to participate on federally funded contracts by means of:
· Outreach to Certified DBEs and other small, minority and women-owned* businesses on both goal and non-goal projects ;
· Soliciting Certified DBEs and other small, minority and women-owned businesses through all reasonable and available means (e.g. pre-bid meetings, advertisement, DBE list, etc.);
· Arranging times for presentation of bids, quantities, specifications and delivery schedules in ways that facilitate DBEs participation;
8. Ensure your Contractors and Sub-Contractors follow the same guidelines
· Sub-recipients must ensure that all contractors and sub-contractors awarded federally funded contracts adhere to Title VI and all other applicable civil rights laws and regulations.
9. Minority and Women Representation on Planning Committees:
· The inclusion of minorities and women* on planning committees is critical in establishing an equal access planning system. Sub-recipients cannot “deny a person the opportunity to participate as a member of a planning, advisory, or similar body which is an integral part of the program.”
10. Have a Written Title VI Complaint Process and Complaint Log
11. Have a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plan:
· Identify any need for services to those with limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services.
9e. Rev. Rodney Nicholas – Student Code of Conduct Handbook, Fighting and Arrest Policy.
A motion was made by Rev. Nicholas to amend the fighting and arrest policy to include “in case of fighting of 1st time offenders, the principal use discretion and extreme caution before arresting students”. This motion did not receive a second.
Mr. Jones stated that he feels this should go to the Discipline Committee and have the Committee bring a recommendation back to the full board. Mr. Wise stated that he feels the principals should also have a say in how the policy reads.
Mr. Burl stated that he recently requested that the Discipline Committee convene to discuss this and that he tentatively will resign from this committee.
Mr. Smith stated that if the board wishes to have this acted upon now, the Discipline Committee would have to convene before the next scheduled meeting. Rev. Nicholas stated that he feels it is imminent and asked that the Committee meet as soon as possible on this.
9f. Mr. Elton Oubre – Early Re-admittance 1213-05-0207. Mr. Oubre stated that this case has been suspended for now.
9g. Mr. Elton Oubre – Expulsion Appeal 1213-06-0207. Mr. Oubre stated that the parents have requested a closed hearing.
The board went into a closed hearing at 7:52 p.m.
A motion was made by Dr. Keller, seconded by Rev. Nicholas, to reconvene in regular session. There were no objections and the board reconvened in regular session at 9:05 p.m.
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Burl, that in the matter of Appeal 1213-06-0207, the student is expelled until the 25th of February, 2013 and under the conditions set forth in a contract with the family, that they work with Mr. Oubre to find an appropriate counseling program for bullying and anger management and the student would complete a program. The student is not required to complete the program to return to school on February 25th, but he must complete the program as a part of the contract. There were no objections.
10 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders, Triche.
1 Absent – DeFrancesch.
The motion carried.
9h. Mr. Orenthal Jasmin, Board Attorney - Legal Update. None.
ITEM 10. ADMINSTRATIVE MATTERS: a. Committee Reports. None.
ITEM 11. BOARD-RELATED ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Mr. Triche stated that the board meeting on February 21, 2013 will be held at Emily C. Watkins at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for this meeting will be emailed on Monday, February 18, 2013.
Mr. Jack congratulated West St. John High School for receiving 9 athletic scholarships. Dr. Keller added that there were 6 athletic scholarships received at East St. John High School and congratulated them as well.
Mr. Jones commended the board for doing such a professional job in respecting each other and implored all of his colleagues to continue to do so.
ITEM 12. ADJOURNMENT: The agenda having been completed, and there being no further business, Mr. Johnson offered a motion for adjournment, seconded by Rev. Nicholas. There were no objections. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
________________________________ ________________________________
Herbert Smith, Secretary Clarence Triche, President