LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, July 1, 2003 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, July 1, 2003 at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Lincoln Parish School Board Office, 410 South Farmerville Street, Ruston, Louisiana. Members present were Mr. Rob Shadoin, Mr. Billy Abrahm, Mr. Otha Anders, Mr. Don Beasley, Ms. Lisa Best, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Ms. Mattie Harrison, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Joe Mitcham (arrived after the meeting began), Ms. Jo Tatum, and Mr. David Wright (arrived after the meeting began).
No board member was absent.
President Rob Shadoin called the meeting to order and welcomed guests. Ms. Best delivered the invocation and Mr. Shadoin led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.
Upon a motion by Ms. Tatum, seconded by Ms. Harrison, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the agenda as printed.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Ms. Best, the Board unanimously voted to approve the minutes of the Regular Session held on June 3, 2003 as distributed.
Superintendent Charles Scriber recognized Chris Campbell, coach of the class B, boys track state champions from Simsboro High School. He presented a plaque to him on behalf of the Board and himself in recognition of this accomplishment. Coach Campbell introduced members of the track team who were in attendance at the meeting.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following Personnel Committee agenda items were considered after Danny Bell, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, presented items #1- #9. and James Payton, Transportation Supervisor, presented #10-#11.:
1. The first personnel item to be considered was the naming of a transportation supervisor because of James Payton’s upcoming retirement. Mr. Bell presented background information on the selection process. He reported that he chaired a selection committee consisting of David Ferguson, Foster Harris, Charles Hogan, Charles Owens, and James Payton who interviewed five qualified applicants on June 18, 2003. The committee unanimously recommended Ronny Volentine to Dr. Scriber as their choice to fill the vacancy. Dr. Scriber concurred and recommended to the Board that he be named transportation supervisor.
Upon a motion by Mr. Abrahm, seconded by Mr. Kessler, the Board voted 11-0 to accept the administration’s recommendation of Ronny Volentine as supervisor of transportation effective July 1, 2003. Mattie Harrison abstained from the vote.
2. In lieu of filling recently retired Howard Whitlock’s secondary supervisor position, the administration had decided to advertise for a supervisor of testing, evaluation, and curriculum. Mr. Bell indicated that he had also recently chaired that selection committee consisting of David Ferguson, Patrice Hay, Barbara Kirkland, Charles Owens, and James Pilgreen. On June 19, 2003, that group interviewed six qualified applicants and unanimously recommended Eric Carter, principal of Ruston Elementary, to Superintendent Scriber for the position. Dr. Scriber recommended Mr. Carter to the Board as his selection for the first supervisor of testing, evaluation, and curriculum.
Upon a motion by Mr. Dowling, seconded by Ms. Tatum, the Board unanimously voted to accept the administration’s recommendation to name Eric Carter as supervisor of testing, evaluation, and curriculum effective July 1, 2003.
3. The I. A. Lewis Principal’s slot became vacant when the Board chose Mary Null to replace Danny Bell as elementary supervisor. On June 23, 2003, a committee consisting of Patrice Hay, Charles Hogan, Mary Null, Charles Owens, and Willie Washington and chaired by Danny Bell interviewed seven qualified applicants. The Interview Committee unanimously agreed that they could not make a recommendation of any candidate for the I. A. Lewis principal position; therefore, Dr. Scriber had no choice but to reject all of the applicants and plans to re-advertise for the position. This was shared for informational purposes only and did not require board action.
4. Retirement, effective May 24, 20003, of Casandra Lyles, home economics teacher at Ruston High School.
5. Resignation of the following teachers:
Johnetta Forbes, elementary at Cypress Springs, effective May 29, 2003.
Lisa Coy, elementary at Cypress Springs, effective June 2, 2003.
Roye Augustine, special education at Dubach High, effective May 23, 2003.
Laurie Ann Scott, elementary at Glen View, effective June 19, 2003.
Jennifer Canterbury, librarian at Hico and Dubach, effective June 10, 2003.
Jessica Sims, itinerant art teacher, effective June 9, 2003.
Ronald Cox, science/coach at Ruston High, effective July 1, 2003.
Leigh Ann Moore, elementary at Simsboro, effective July 1, 2003.
6. Sabbatical leave request for the following teachers:
Carolyn Peace, business at Ruston High, for the fall semester of 03-04 and effective August 11, 2003.
Kala Sims, kindergarten at Simsboro, for the spring semester of 03-04 and effective January 5, 2004.
Mr. David Wright arrived at the meeting.
7. Points of Reference/Transfers of the following teachers effective August 11, 2003 unless otherwise noted:
Jeremy Dutton from Secondary Alternative School to vocational agriculture at Dubach High effective July 1, 2003 replacing James Sandifer who transferred.
Laundi Williams from Cypress Springs to special education at Glen View replacing Selena Hill who resigned.
Kelli Colvin from Ruston Elementary to elementary at Hillcrest replacing Dani Thompson who resigned.
Shirley Boyd from Ruston Junior High to special education at I. A. Lewis replacing Bobbi Conner who was granted a sabbatical leave.
Libby Perry from Ruston Elementary to elementary at I. A. Lewis replacing Shirley Hopkins who retired.
Marilyn Rushing from Glen View to non categorical preschool at Lincoln Center replacing Tommie Bradshaw who retired.
Kevin Herren from Simsboro to special education at Ruston Elementary replacing Donna Walters who transferred.
James Sandifer from Dubach High to vocational agriculture at Ruston High effective July 1, 2003 replacing Track Kavanaugh who retired.
Angela Dison from Dubach High to special education at Ruston Junior High replacing Jane Ludley who retired.
Tara Turner from Dubach High to new special education position at Ruston Junior High.
8. Employment of the following teachers effective August 11, 2003 unless stated otherwise:
Sharon Hisaw, in a new special education position at Choudrant Elementary.
Penny Warner, business at Choudrant High, replacing Carolyn Allen who retired.
April Simonelli, elementary at Cypress Springs, replacing Lisa Coy who resigned.
Rose Johnson, special education at Cypress Springs, replacing Laundi Williams who transferred.
Lillie Williams, math at Dubach High, replacing Angela Dison who transferred.
Lala Cooper, language arts at Dubach High, replacing Nancy Durrett who resigned.
Amy Day, special education at Dubach High, replacing Tara Turner who resigned.
Mary Turner, in a new EEF language arts position at Dubach High.
Emily Smith, special education at Glen View, replacing Marilyn Rushing who transferred.
Sarah Temple, elementary at Glen View, replacing Laurie Ann Scott who resigned.
Shundra Lloyd, special education at Hico, replacing Kelly Caldwell who transferred.
Lisa Harris, elementary at Hillcrest, replacing Ann Thigpen who retired.
Kerry Deason, itinerant art, replacing Jessica Sims who resigned.
Pam Mathis, elementary at Ruston Elementary, replacing Libby Perry who transferred.
J. P. Dunbar, health/coach at Ruston High, effective August 1, 2003 replacing Jerry Hornsby who resigned.
Nancy Giesse, special education at Ruston High, replacing Ernie Jones who resigned.
Kayla McGuire, home economics at Ruston High, replacing Casandra Lyles who retired.
Sara Moore, special education at Ruston High, replacing Vicki Malone who resigned.
Doug Garrett, social studies/coach at Ruston High, effective August 1, 2003 replacing Brad Smith who resigned.
Rick Huckabay, science/coach at Ruston High, effective August 1, 2003 replacing Ron Cox who resigned.
Beverly Johnson, special education at Ruston Junior High, replacing Shirley Boyd who transferred.
Chad Towns, vocational agriculture at Secondary Alternative School, effective July 1, 2003 replacing Jeremy Dutton who transferred.
Gwen Torbor, special education at Simsboro, replacing Kevin Herren who transferred.
Stephanie Griffin, elementary at Simsboro, replacing Leigh Ann Moore who resigned.
LaTisha Robinson, elementary at Simsboro, replacing Paula Weaver who resigned.
Angela Hoffman, administrative assistant at Simsboro, effective July 28, 2003. She was employed as interim administrative assistant last year.
9. Employment of the following teachers:
Tony Antley, administrative assistant at Choudrant High, effective July 28, 2003 replacing Doug Postel who was promoted to principal.
Randy Martin, social studies/coach at Choudrant High, effective August 11, 2003 replacing Tony Antley who was promoted to administrative assistant.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Ms. Best, the Board unanimously voted to approve the #4 - #9 personnel recommendations.
10. Employment of the following bus drivers effective August 12, 2003:
Jonathon Miller, Ruston route, replacing Alan Hartwell who retired.
Russell Jenkins, Ruston route, replacing Danny Willis who retired.
Mikel Tucker in a new special education driver position.
Upon a motion by Mr. Mack, seconded by Ms. Harrison, the Board unanimously voted to approve the tenth personnel recommendation.
Mr. Joe Mitcham joined the meeting.
11. Employment of Martha Montgomery in a new position, itinerant bus aide in the Ruston area, effective August 12, 2003.
Upon a motion by Ms. Tatum, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to approve the final personnel recommendation.
Juanita Duke, Business Manager, presented the final sales tax collection report for the 02-03 fiscal year and indicated that sales tax collections for the month ending June 30, 2003 decreased 8.07% over the same month last year. Total year-to-date collections were down 7.07%. She did note that June ’02 collections were down compared to June ’01. In her opinion, collection cycles are returning to the norm without any unusual activity. Total sales tax collections for the 02-03 fiscal year in the 1967 and 1979 fund were $4,109,836 and $2,465,680 was collected in both the 1993 and the new 2000 sales tax funds. Yearly audit recoveries were up 191.778% compared to last year’s figures because of a huge April collection.
The employees’ insurance benefits program was the next report listed on the agenda and Ms. Duke noted that total health plan costs for the first four months of the year are $1.9 million which is down 3.16% compared to last years. Costs may be leveling off or utilization by members could be down. The dental plan is much like the health plan at this time. Costs have also decreased in that program, 21% for the month, and total costs so far are $129,135. She will monitor both programs for the remainder of the year and decide upon changes for the fall.
Danny Bell reminded board members that they were presented with the previous administration’s intentions to spend the funds from the state’s Education Excellence Fund (EEF) as a result of the one-time sale of state tobacco settlement bonds in 2001. Since that time there has been a delay in the state’s distribution of the EEF allocation to the districts due to various legal opinions sought during the review process. As a result another application for use of the funds must be submitted. It was the original desire to dedicate these funds to support technology in the parish. However, in his opinion, overall the schools are in excellent shape with up-to-date technology. Also due to the application process requiring stated measurable objectives and having to provide supporting data that demonstrates how technology clearly impacts student achievement, a decision was made to utilize these funds in a different focus. The administration plans to focus the 03-04 grant application on student remediation in grades 3, 4, 9. And 10. This would allow for the expansion of the after school programs for students in grades 3 and 4 in preparation for the IOWA and LEAP 21 assessments and would also permit the parish to add six additional staff positions at five of the high schools to provide for full-year instruction in English language arts and mathematics for students in the basic level classes. The grant will specifically target students who have been determined to be at-risk of failing the high school assessments. He closed by saying that the use of the EEF funds in the manner described will hopefully have a significant impact on the students as they prepare themselves for critical assessments. He did note that this grant proposal will be a two-year project after which time the effectiveness will be determined and decisions will be made about funding for future years.
While in contract negotiations with Trillion Digital Communications for lease of a wireless wide area network, Internet services, and district wide email, new information was discovered that makes it necessary to provide the Board with an update, according to Technology Coordinator Debbie Sandidge. She recently learned that the parish is in the second year of a five-year contract with BellSouth for frame relay services. According to tariff rules, early termination of this contract has a penalty of 90% of the remaining cost of the contract period. Trillion executives have submitted an offer to extend the original 5-year contract to 6 years in exchange for their assuming the cost of termination of the BellSouth frame relay contract. She proposed entering into a one-year contract for the 03-04 fiscal year at a cost of $47,250. The original 5-year contract start date would be deferred to July 2004 at a cost of $197,250 per year, an increase of $8,250 per year over the original proposal. Services to be provided by Trillion include lease of a wireless wide area network, Internet services, and district wide email.
Following several questions, upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to:
1. Defer its original five year award for services to Trillion for one year to begin July 2004.
2. Authorize the administration to enter into two contracts with Trillion as following, pending review by the Board attorney:
a) a one-year contract from July 2003 through June 2004.
b) a five-year contract from July 2004 through July 2009.
Ms. Duke requested approval of two revised policies which were distributed at the previous meeting: Purchasing (DJE) and Sick Leave (GBRIB).
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Wright, the Board unanimously voted to approve the revisions to the Purchasing (DJE) and Sick Leave (GBRIB) policies.
Superintendent Scriber proposed to open the application process for principal of I. A. Lewis and Ruston Elementary simultaneously on Wednesday, July 2, 2003. The application period would close at noon on Friday, July 11, 2003, and qualified applicants would be interviewed on Monday or Tuesday, July 14-15, 2003. A recommendation to fill the positions would be presented to the Board at a Special Called Meeting at noon on Thursday, July 17, 2003.
Upon a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Anders, the Board unanimously voted to approve the advertisement and interview time-line for the principal of I. A. Lewis and Ruston Elementary positions as explained above.
Each year it is necessary to make revisions to the budget that are a result of changes that have occurred in revenue and expenditures throughout the year and in order to align the budget to the actual figures, Ms. Duke advised. She reminded the Board that the 02-03 beginning budget contained very conservative estimates of income and of expenditures expected to occur during the year. She shared beginning figures, revised figures, and the amount and % of change in the general fund, 1967 sales tax, 1979 sales tax, 1993 sales tax, 1993 ad valorem tax, 2000 sales tax, 2000 ad valorem, five-mill parish-wide maintenance, and child nutrition accounts. The general fund ended the year with a balance of $4,551,440. Estimated revenue figures changed from $45,217,934 to an actual figure of $48,047,251; expenditures from $44,866,157 to $46,798,213; which shifted the ending funding balance from $9,798,740 to $12,448,379 and created an excess of $1,249,038. Ms. Duke requested adoption of the 02-03 revised budget.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted by roll call to adopt the revised budget for fiscal year 02-03 as presented.
Vice Chairman of the Ruston Parks and Recreation (RPAR) Board, David Lewis, had requested and was placed on the agenda in order to ask the Board to forgive the balance of $260 per month for twenty years toward the City of Ruston’s purchase of the Greenwood School and property. When the original agreement was made, the group envisioned the renovation of the facilities with a number of educational, social, and recreational activities which they felt would strongly enhance the lives of all areas residents. RPAR has since ordered the demolition of the building because of negative environmental elements found which were too cost prohibitively to remove. He indicated that the demolition is set to begin later this month and will cost approximately $25,000. The gym may be salvageable. The group would like to see the balance of the agreed payment going toward the costs of building the new structure.
Several other guests were in attendance and spoke brief words of support regarding the donation and the tremendous need of the community.
After several minutes of questions, comments, and discussion, President Shadoin proposed that Director of Auxiliary Services Charles Owens meet with the Board’s Building and Grounds Committee and him, that they solicit the District Attorney’s advice on the proposal, and report back to the full Board. By acclamation, the Board decided to accept the President’s proposal.
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has revised its test security policy to enhance its own test data security and in turn, is requiring local school districts to do the same, Dr. Scriber noted. He called attention to a revised Test Security policy with important changes including:
1) School level passwords will be provided to the principal by the District Test Coordinator as requested.
2) Principals will distribute passwords as needed to school personnel and provide security for the school level passwords.
3) All users will be required to sign a statement guaranteeing confidentiality of the passwords. These statements will be filed in the district office.
He asked the Board to consider the revised policy with final action to be taken at the August 5, 2003 meeting.
Mr. Shadoin called attention to Thank You cards from Jerry Johnson and the family of the late, longtime Board member, Dr. Marty Beasley, and to a Reapportionment Letter from Richard Durrett which had been inserted into portfolios.
A brief update on the chiller project at Ruston High School was given by Charles Owens.
Joe Mitcham suggested that a long range planning committee be formed to look at the flat roofs in the schools. Mr. Owens commented that pitched roofs have been considered and he has come up with some very definitive figures. It was suggested that the work should begin starting with those with the most serious problems.
In a Report of the Superintendent, Dr. Scriber:
1) Wanted to emphasize that teachers and administrators are working on an initiative to help the students better prepare themselves for the LEAP and Graduate Exit exams. He said the Board would be hearing more about this and teacher planning and system-wide assessment process/strategies will be involved.
2) Said that a list of board meeting dates for 03-04 was included in Board members’ packets for informational purposes.
After brief comments and questions, the meeting adjourned at 7:36 p.m.
__________________________ ______________________________
Charles R. Scriber, Secretary Robert E. Shadoin, President