PROCEEDINGS OF THE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA – SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 26, 2022
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 Special Session at Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria, 1600 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana, on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
An agenda for the meeting is attached.
Sincerely, s/Rebecca Johnson
Superintendent/Secretary
ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER, INVOCATION, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. and called for a moment of silent meditation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ITEM 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS:
PRESENT: Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
ABSENT: Holden, Burl, Johnson, Schum
There were 7 members present and 4 members absent.
Mr. Jones asked that we keep Mr. Burl’s family in prayer, as his father recently passed away; also Mrs. Mitchell-Williams asked that we keep in prayer, the families of all involved in the recent school bus crash in Baton Rouge.
ITEM 3. Ms. Cindy Janecke, All South – Request Board approval to award the contract for the replacement of HVAC at ECW
MOTION BY: Jones
SECOND BY: Triche
MOTION: To award the contract for the replacement of HVAC at ECW to Volute, Inc. at a total cost of $3,557,000.00.
Roll Call:
7 Yeas – Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
3 Absent - Holden, Burl, Johnson
1 Abstention - Schum
The motion carried.
Mrs. Schum arrived at 6:06 p.m. and was recorded as present.
ITEM 4. Public Comment. Mr. Clay Slagle, Volkert – Request approval to Advertise to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Architects (L&F Committee recommended approval 10-18-22)
MOTION BY: Sanders
SECOND BY: Jones
MOTION: To approve advertising to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Architects
Roll Call:
8 Yeas – Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
3 Absent – Holden, Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
ITEM 5. Public Comment. Mr. Clay Slagle, Volkert – Request approval to Advertise to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Mechanical Engineers (L&F Committee recommended approval 10-18-22)
MOTION BY: Jones
SECOND BY: Triche
MOTION: To approve advertising to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Mechanical Engineers.
Roll Call:
8 Yeas – Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
3 Absent – Holden, Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
ITEM 6. Public Comment. Mr. Clay Slagle, Volkert – Request approval to Advertise to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Electrical Engineers (L&F Committee recommended approval 10-18-22)
Mr. Sanders asked how this will work. Mr. Slagle stated that they will advertise for RFQs, once they are received, a committee will be put together to vet through the submissions and make a recommendation to the Board. Ultimately, the Board will vote on the “pool” for each category.
MOTION BY: Triche
SECOND BY: Wallace
MOTION: To approve advertising to Receive RFQ Packages for a pool of Electrical Engineers
Roll Call:
8 Yeas – Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
3 Absent – Holden, Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
At 6:13 p.m., there was a
MOTION BY: Keller
SECOND BY: Jones
MOTION: To recess
Roll Call:
8 Yeas – Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
3 Absent – Holden, Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
At 6:25 p.m., there was a
MOTION BY: Keller
SECOND BY: Jones
MOTION: To reconvene in Regular Session
Roll Call:
9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
2 Absent – Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
Mrs. Holden arrived at 6:25 p.m. and was recorded as present.
ITEM 7. Public Comment. Mr. Courtney Joiner – Board discussion and approval of Superintendent Search Advertisement
Mr. Joiner presented the Board with a draft of an advertisement for their consideration. He stated that this will be published twice in both the L’Observateur and the Advocate/Times Picayune. Following discussion, there was a
MOTION BY: Jones
SECOND BY: Sanders
MOTION: To approve the Superintendent Search Advertisement as presented.
Roll Call:
9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
2 Absent – Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
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ADVERTISEMENT FOR POSITION OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board is seeking an exceptional leader with a track record of success to serve as its next Superintendent of Schools. The successful candidate will be tasked with leading 10 schools, 3 program sites, and nearly 5,000 students. Applications for the position are currently being accepted, and it is the hope of the Board to fill the position by December 15, 2022.
Applicants must be certified (or eligible for immediate certification) by the Louisiana Department of Education to serve as a school superintendent in Louisiana. The Board will offer an extremely competitive salary and a comprehensive, multi-year contract to the successful applicant. The salary will be commensurate with the experience of the successful candidate and requirements of the position. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to earn additional compensation for successful performance.
The deadline to apply for the position is November 18, 2022. Interested persons may obtain the job application by visiting our website at www.stjohn.k12.la.us. Completed applications - with a cover letter - must be mailed to:
St. John Superintendent Search
P.O. Drawer 526
Reserve, Louisiana 70084
The cover letter should explain why the applicant is the ideal candidate for the position. Only applications received by mail at the post office drawer and postmarked by November 18, 2022, will be considered. Applications delivered in any other fashion will not be considered. Please note that applications for this position are considered public records in Louisiana and are subject to release upon request to the media or other interested parties.
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ITEM 8. Board Items of Interest
*WSJH Homecoming this Friday – the new scoreboard will be unveiled
*ESJH vs Destrehan this Friday
*Mr. Sanders asked that the Executive Committee begin to look at options in the event we are forced to close Fifth Ward Elementary and asked that the Board take the time to read the 56-page letter from the EPA regarding the Denka facility.
*Mrs. Mitchell-Williams stated that the Board had not received the letter as of today. Mr. Sanders stated that he had the letter and Mrs. Johnson stated that she just received it and has made copies for the Board.
*Mrs. Schum – Finance Committee at 5:00 on November 1, 2022
Mrs. Johnson made the following statement regarding Fifth Ward Elementary and the 56-page document from the EPA:
“The school system is aware of the 56-page letter that was sent to by the EPA to the Secretary of the Department of DEQ and Secretary of Department of Health. The letter was not addressed to the school system or school board members. Therefore, at this time, we have not had the opportunity to review this letter. The health and safety of all of our students and staff in our school system as well as our community are of the utmost importance. With that being said, we recently signed an agreement with Denka to install additional EPA air monitoring equipment at the school site. Once again, the safety of our students, staff and community is our number one priority and steps that can be taken will be taken to ensure their safety.”
ITEM 9. Adjournment
The agenda having been completed, and there being no further business, there was a
MOTION BY: Jones
SECOND BY: Keller
MOTION: Motion for adjournment.
Roll Call:
9 Yeas – Holden, Keller, Sanders, DeFrancesch, Jones, Schum, Wallace, Triche, Mitchell-Williams
2 Absent – Burl, Johnson
The motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 6:39 p.m.
________________________________ ________________________________
Rebecca Johnson, Secretary Nia Mitchell-Williams, President