PROCEEDINGS OF THE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

LAPLACE, LA – MEETING OF DECEMBER 14, 2017

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 Emily C. Watkins Elementary School,  938 La. Hwy. 628, LaPlace, Louisiana, on Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

An agenda for the meeting is attached.

Sincerely, s/Kevin R. George

Superintendent/Secretary

ITEM 1.  CALL TO ORDER, INVOCATION, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.

The Chair called for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Star Spangled Banner, sung by the LaPlace Elementary School Choir.

ITEM 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS:

PRESENT:       Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

ABSENT:          Johnson, Wise

There were 9 members present and 2 members absent.

ITEM 3a.APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Meeting of November 16, 2017.

MOTION BY:    Jones

SECOND BY:   Mitchell

MOTION:  To approve the minutes from the meeting of November 16, 2017.

No objections.

The motion carried.

ITEM 4. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT. Mr. Kevin R. George, Superintendent.

ITEM 4a.  Recognition of West St. John High School Football as the Louisiana Class 1A State Champions

Supt. Kevin George and the Board recognized WSJH Football Team, Coaches and Administration for the Class 1A Louisiana State Championship.  Each team member was introduced and several coaches addressed the Board.

ITEM 4b.  Recognition of LACUE Presenters

The following employees were recognized for their participation in LACUE as presenters representing St. John Parish:

Bob Bourgeois

Bonnie Dinvaut

Tanya Faucheux

Nelann Taylor

Dr. Shelly Chauvin

Michelle Seymour

Hope Carter

Elizabeth Alexander

Angela McDonald

ITEM 4c. Recognition of Tanya Faucheux – LACUE Central Office Administrator Leader of the Year

Ms. Faucheux was presented a plaque for her accomplishment.

ITEM 4d. Recognition of Nelann Taylor – LACUE Secondary Teacher of the Year

Ms. Taylor was presented a plaque for her accomplishment.

ITEM 4e. Recognition of Teachers of the Year and Principal of the Year

The following teachers were recognized as Teachers of the Year for their school:

CDC:  Alecia Johnson (Elementary)

ECW:  Elizabeth Landry (Elementary); Howard Gauley (Middle)

ESJH:  Melissa Robinson (High)

ESJPA:  Jennifer Knight (Middle)

FWE:  Monica Keller (Elementary)

GMMS: Sarah Beber (Elementary); Trayvonia Duhe (Middle)

LES:  Rachel Hotard (Elementary); Kerwin Jackson (Middle)

LPE:  Elizabeth Alexander (Elementary); Michele Delatte (Middle)

JLO:  Joel Baer (Elementary); Nadine Stewart (Middle)

WSJE:  Vita Robinson (Elementary); Angela Farnell (Middle

WSJH:  Nelann Taylor (High)

DISTRICT TEACHERS OF THE YEAR:

Elementary:  Elizabeth Alexander (LPE)

Middle:  Michele Delatte (LPE)

High:  Nelann Taylor (High)

DISTRICT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR:

Jason Beber (LPE)

ITEM 5.  EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS BY THE BOARD OR STAFF

ITEM 5a.  Mr. Kevin George – Recognition of Christmas Card Winners

The following students were recognized for winning the Christmas Card Contest in their category and each was presented with a plaque showcasing their artwork:

1^st -4^th Grade Category:

Ariel Davis - John L. Ory Magnet School - 4^th Grade

5^th-6^th Grade Category:

Kenyin Keller - LaPlace Elementary School -5^th Grade

7^th – 8^th Grade Category:

Lexi St. Pierre - John L. Ory Magnet School - 8^th Grade

9^th-12^th Grade Category:

Cristian Martinez - East St. John High School - 12^th Grade

ITEM 5b.  Mrs. Patricia Triche - Recognition of Early Childhood Honor Roll Sites for 2016-2017

The following sites were recognized for their performance in early childhood program quality, as measured by the State Board of Eementary and Secondary Education performance standards and named Honor Roll Sites for 2016-17:   Terrence Day Care, Inc.; Riverlands Christian Center Church; East St. John Elementary School.  Each was presented a plaque.

ITEM 5c.  Mrs. Patricia Triche – Head Start Director’s Reports

Board members were provided copies of reports.

ITEM 6.  PERSONNEL MATTERS

ITEM 7.  BUSINESS AND FINANCE

ITEM 7a.  Mr. Felix Boughton – Request approval of protest procedure policy

MOTION BY:    Triche

SECOND BY:   Sanders

MOTION:  To approve the protest procedure policy as presented.

Upon roll call, there were:

8 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

2 Absent:  Johnson, Wise

1 Not Seated: Jones

The motion carried.

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Protest Procedures for Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

       I.          General: Failure of a prospective offeror or prospective contractor (hereinafter “protesting party”) to comply with these underlying protest procedures will render a protest inadequate and untimely and will result in the rejection of the protest. In no event shall a protest be considered if all submittals are cancelled, rejected, or after a contract has been executed.

     II.          Who May File a Protest: Only the protesting party who is aggrieved in connection with the RFP or RFQ or award of the contract may file a protest.

    III.          Time for Filing: A protesting party who is considering filing a protest must file the official written protest within five (5) work days after administration notifies the protesting party of the recommendation. If the protesting party fails to file a protest or files an untimely protest, the party has waived its right to protest the solicitation or award of the contract in any forum.

   IV.          Notice of Protest: The protest shall be in writing and addressed to the superintendent. The protest shall state all grounds that the protesting party asserts the RFP or RFQ contractor selection recommendation is improper.

     V.          Content of Protest: The protest must be complete at the time of submittal; the RFQ/RFP protest may not be supplemented after submittal. The protest must identify the notice inviting requests for proposals/qualifications being protested by name and number. The protest must identify the grounds for the protest and must state all factual and legal grounds for the protest. The protest must identify any available exhibits, evidence, or documents supporting the protest. An individual or entity may not submit more than one RFP/RFQ protest for a notice inviting request for proposals/qualifications.

   VI.          Committee to Review Protest: The superintendent shall select a committee of three (3) members to review the protest. The committee shall contain at least one nonemployee/non contractor member. These three (3) committee members shall be completely independent from the RFP and RFQ process.

  VII.          Protest Hearing: The committee will schedule a protest hearing within five (5) working days of receipt of the protest. The protesting party will be allowed an opportunity to state all grounds that form the basis of the protest.

VIII.          Committee Recommendation: The committee will recommend to the superintendent whether or not the recommendation for contractor selection is proper or if the protest has merit. The committee will issue its recommendation within five (5) working days of the hearing. The time period may be extended by consent of the committee and the protesting party.

   IX.          Actions by Superintendent: If the committee recommendation is that the contractor selection recommendation is proper, then the recommendation to award goes to the board. If the committee recommendation is that the protest has merit, then the recommendation will be made to the board to either award the contract to the next responsible proposer/qualifier using the RFQ/RFP scoring system, or in the event that there is a defect in the RFP or RFQ, re-advertise. 

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ITEM 7b.  Mr. Kevin R. George – Request approval of agreement with Hammonds & Sills Law Firm.

MOTION BY:    Keller

SECOND BY:   Mitchell

MOTION:  To approve the agreement with Hammonds & Sills Law Firm.

Upon roll call, there were:

8 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

2 Absent:  Johnson, Wise

1 Not Seated: Jones

The motion carried.

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St. John the Baptist Parish School Board

RESOLUTION TO EMPLOY SPECIAL COUNSEL

WHEREAS, a real necessity exists regarding the handling of charter school matters, collective bargaining, personnel

matters, tort litigation and worker's compensation lawsuits and claims filed against the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board; and,

WHEREAS, through their past experience handling for the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board since 2000 school law issues including special education, school personnel matters, public bid law and general school board policy matters involving compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, including due process hearings, tenure hearings, misconduct investigations and the handling of administrative hearings and litigation in state and federal courts, the attorneys of Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have such experience, training and expertise to also represent the St. John Parish School Board in the defense of charter school matters, collective bargaining, personnel matters, tort litigation and worker's compensation matters, as assigned, in addition to the continued handling of the school law issues, as described; and,

WHEREAS, the said Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP shall be paid for services at hourly rates not to exceed that set by the Louisiana Attorney General of the State of Louisiana for Special Counsel with like years of experience and to be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses for document duplication, expert witness fees, court reporter fees, printing costs, travel expenses, and other expenses incurred as a result of the legal services provided to and for the Board; and

WHEREAS, this resolution shall take effect immediately.

THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED, by the St. john the Baptist Parish School Board pursuant to La. R.S.

42:262, does hereby continue to retain and employ Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP as special counsel as

described herein; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that said Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP firm shall keep itemized records for

presentation to the Superintendent of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board with respect to the services rendered at said hourly rates with the fees and charges, and the Superintendent is hereby authorized and directed to pay the same upon submission and receipt thereof; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be submitted to the Attorney General for the State of Louisiana for approval.

The resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote was as follows:

YEAS: ___

NAYS: ___

ABSENT: ___

NOT VOTING: ___

Whereupon, the resolution was declared adopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish School on the _____ day of December 2017.

I, the undersigned Secretary-Treasurer of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true copy of a resolution adopted by said Board at its Board Meeting held December ___, 2017, at which time a quorum was present, and the same has not been revoked, rescinded or altered in any manner, and is in full force and effect.

Witness my hand this ___ day of December 2017.

___________________________________________

Kevin R. George, Secretary-Treasurer

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

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ITEM 7c.  Mr. Peter Montz – Recommendation on Bid for WSJH HVAC Replacement & Repairs.

Low Bidder:  Gottfried Contracting, LLC in the amount of $253,500 (Funded by bond proceeds)

MOTION BY:    Holden

SECOND BY:   Sanders

MOTION:  To approve the recommendation on bids for WSJH HVAC Replacement & Repairs.

Upon roll call, there were:

9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

2 Absent:  Johnson, Wise

The motion carried.

ITEM 7d.  Mr. Peter Montz – Request approval to solicit bids for FWE and GMMS Roof Replacement

MOTION BY:    Sanders

SECOND BY:   Jones

MOTION:  To allow administration to solicit bids for FWE and GMMS Roof Replacement.

Upon roll call, there were:

9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

2 Absent:  Johnson, Wise

The motion carried.

ITEM 8.  OLD BUSINESS                                                      

ITEM 8a.  Mr. Albert Burl, III – Request Approval of 2018 School Board Meeting Calendar

Change requested:  February 22, 2018 meeting be moved to Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School.

MOTION BY:    Wallace

SECOND BY:   Mitchell

MOTION:  To approve the 2018 School Board Meeting Calendar as presented, with changes.

Upon roll call, there were:

9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Mitchell, Triche, Burl

2 Absent:  Johnson, Wise

The motion carried.

St. John the Baptist Parish

School Board Meeting Dates

January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018

Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria:  1600 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana

West St. John Elementary School:  2555 LA Hwy. 18, Edgard, Louisiana

Emily C. Watkins Elementary School:  944 La. Hwy. 628, LaPlace, Louisiana

Lake  Pontchartrain Elementary School:  3328 Hwy. 51, LaPlace, Louisiana

ITEM 9.  NEW BUSINESS

ITEM 10.  ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS                             

ITEM 11.  BOARD ITEMS OF INTEREST

Mr. Jones thanked Ms. Robinet for the use of her school for the Board meeting.

ITEM 12.  ADJOURNMENT - The agenda having been completed, and there being no further business, there was a

MOTION BY:    Jones

SECOND BY:   Holden

MOTION:         Motion for adjournment.

There were no objections.

The meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m.

________________________________                                  ________________________________

Kevin R. George, Secretary                                                      Albert A. Burl, III, President