LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 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 President Otha Anders, Mr. Michael Barmore, Ms. Lisa Best, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Ms. Mattie Harrison, Ms. Lynda Henderson, Mr. Trott Hunt, Mr. Eddie Jones, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Ted McKinney, and Mr. Joe Mitcham.
No board member was absent.
Mr. Anders called the meeting to order and delivered the invocation. After Ms. Henderson led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, Mr. Anders extended a special welcome to board members, staff, media, and special guests.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. McKinney, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the agenda as printed.
Upon a motion by Mr. Barmore, seconded by Ms. Henderson, the Board unanimously voted to approve the minutes of the Regular Session held on December 4, 2007, as distributed.
The Election of Officers for 2008 was the next item on the agenda, and Mr. Anders turned the floor over to the secretary, Superintendent Danny Bell. Mr. Bell declared the floor open for nominations for president. Mr. Mack nominated Otha Anders to remain as president. Hearing no further nominations for president, Mr. Bell declared Mr. Anders president for 2008.
Danny Bell asked for nominations for vice president for 2008. Mr. Jones nominated Joe Mitcham for vice president. Mr. Bell asked for further nominations. Hearing none, he congratulated Joe Mitcham on his selection as vice president.
The recent purchase of new buses has made three buses of no further use to the school system according to Charles Owens, Director of Auxiliary Services. He requested permission to declare the ’91, ’94, and ’95 buses as surplus in order to dispose of them through the bid process.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to declare the buses surplus and grant permission to dispose of them through the bid process.
Plans are being finalized for the final phase of the Ruston School District capital improvement project, the Central Office. Mr. Owens wanted to secure the Board’s permission to advertise for bids on the project.
Architect Mike Walpole summarized the scope of the work planned for the central office facility which he said was project F, the 6th and last portion of the 2000 bond issue.
After brief questions, upon a motion by Mr. Barmore, seconded by Mr. McKinney, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission for the advertisement of bids for renovation and construction at the Lincoln Parish School Board.
Meetings have been held with representatives from Argent Property Services who provide mineral management services for landowners. Business Manager, George Murphy, believes utilization of their experience in managing land and minerals in the area would be in the best interest of the school system. His fee would be based on anything new he brings in.
Joe Rainer and Jeremy Pendergrass, representatives with Argent Property Services, were present at the meeting. Mr. Rainer spoke briefly about the process which would include handling any lease agreement which would come before the State Mineral Board, the active pursuit of leases on any land that the Board doesn’t own, and monthly and quarterly reports.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Hunt, the Board unanimously voted to give permission for the superintendent to enter into an agreement with Argent Property Services to provide mineral management services for the Lincoln Parish School Board.
Verbal approval had been given by the administration for a change order dealing with the Ruston School District renovation and construction at Ruston High School according to Charles Owens. Plans from 1965 showed a sewer line which was not there necessitating the installation of one. He requested that the Board formally approve the change order and asked Mike Walpole to provide further comments.
Mr. Walpole indicated that approval of the change order would add $10,048 to the project and was preferable to the alternative of tying into an existing line under the 1938 building. The new line would tie in to the new space under the girls’ gym. He does not like to tie new work to old lines if there is an alternative.
Upon a motion by Mr. Mitcham, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to approve the change order adding $10,048 to the Ruston High School project.
Approximately .487 of land located adjacent to Lincoln Center School could benefit the Board in years to come according to Charles Owens. The Board has maintenance and storage sheds on their property which runs parallel to the property on the south side facing Lincoln Center. In order to make future improvements and one day properly enclose maintenance equipment in the parish, he felt that it would be beneficial to explore an option to purchase the small parcel of property. An appraisal has been completed and Mr. Owens wants to negotiate and present a purchase offer to the owner; however, prior to that a survey and a review of the property would be conducted to assess that there are no concerns, liabilities, or issues which would prohibit the purchase. He requested permission for the superintendent or his designee to attempt to negotiate a purchase price to bring back to the Board in a formal request to purchase the land.
Upon a motion by Mr. Mack, seconded by Ms. Best, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission to the superintendent and/or his designee to attempt to negotiate a conditional purchase offer for the subject property located on Mayberry Street and adjacent to the current Lincoln Parish School Board property and then bring a formal request for purchase to the Board at a later meeting.
Danny Bell presented what should be the final policy revisions based on action taken by the 2007 Louisiana Legislature. He provided brief summaries of the proposed revisions of two policies: Employee Conduct (GBRA) and Child Abuse (JGCE). He asked the Board members to study the proposed policy changes prior to the next meeting of the Board.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole, and the following Personnel Committee agenda items were considered after Mary Null, Director of Instruction, Personnel, and Special Programs, presented them:
1. Resignation of Kristi Townsend, special education teacher at Glen View, effective December 11, 2007;
2. Professional sabbatical request from January 14, 2008, through June 2, 2008, from Amber O’Neal, Spanish teacher at Choudrant High;
3. Employment of Megan Durrett as elementary teacher at Choudrant Elementary, effective January 2, 2008, replacing Susan Barron who retired; and
4. Point of Reference/Transfer of Laundi Williams from Ruston Junior High to special education teacher at Glen View, effective January 2, 2008, replacing Kristi Townsend who resigned.
Upon a motion by Mr. Mitcham, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to accept the personnel recommendations as presented.
Independent Auditor Margie Williamson presented an audit report for the year ending June 30, 2007. She called attention to two reports, a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and a Single Audit Report. She briefly went over the results of the audit and mentioned some specific pages for later study. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which is submitted to the GFOA and ASBO for technical review, has earned a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Lincoln Parish School Board for the past eleven years. She expects it to receive that status again this year. Included in the report is the Independent Auditor’s Report which did show a clean, unqualified opinion which means that the financial statements are fairly stated. She believes the Business Department keeps a very clean set of books, and there were no problems associated with the audit. Due to sound financial management, the General Fund has a very healthy fund balance. Total fund balances stood at $23.8 million, with $17.7 million unreserved at year end. Because a lot of information is included in the report, Ms. Williamson encouraged Board members to take some time and look through it and communicated that George Murphy would be happy to answer questions.
In the Single Audit Report, the auditors actually go through and test the Board’s compliance with federal and state laws. This year the federal programs tested were Rural Education Achievement, Special Education, and Child Nutrition. No findings were noted in any of those programs but a Management Letter was issued.
Cathi Cox, Project ACHIEVE Coordinator, asked each principal to prepare a list of three academic target areas for growth in three years. This would cause them to narrow their focus and allow them to work toward specific, achievable goals. Progress will be checked in the near future, possibly in six months, rather than waiting for the end of the three year period. To give Board members a clearer understanding of what’s going on in the schools, Ms. Cox distributed a copy of the lists. They will also be given to central office personnel so they can do a better job of support.
The December 2007 sales tax collections were $1,118,432 which was 6.96% higher than the same month last year. For the year the fund was up 16.31%, reported Mr. Murphy. Recoveries through audits for the month were $44,563 which brought the yearly total to $143,022. Recoveries had decreased 67.625% from the previous year. Collected in the ’67 and ’79 fund was $508,378; $610,053 was generated in the ’93 and ’00 fund.
Moving on to the October 2007 financial, George Murphy said the general fund and sales tax funds were all doing well. The 5 mill maintenance and other ad valorem funds showed negative balances because those taxes begin arriving in January. The excess of revenues over expenditures in the child nutrition fund was $94,881. It had been in the red last year and for the first few months of 2007, but was now doing better.
Mr. Murphy reported that the health care fund, for the month of November 2007, had a positive balance of $201,716. Year-to-date the plan was up $848,993.
In a Report of the Superintendent, Mr. Bell said:
1. That he commended George Murphy and the Business Department for the fine work that they do.
2. A Ruston High School employee and others have successfully written a $100,000 grant for credit recovery that is going to be approved by BESE in an upcoming meeting. The grant targets credit recovery in all schools and not RHS alone. He appreciates the hard work and initiative that the group took in submitting and being awarded this competitive grant.
3. The millage renewal campaign is getting underway with dates for speaking with civic groups and faculties being scheduled. Most of those will take place in February.
4. Martin Luther King holiday will be celebrated on January 21. January 22 is a Staff Development Day with very good sessions planned for the faculty and staff. More information can be requested from Mrs. Null. The first semester of the year ends on Friday, January 11. He invited board members to take part in those meetings and in athletic events taking place in the schools.
5. LSBA Convention information was placed in packets with a registration deadline of February 15. Preference forms should be completed and submitted to Becky Gemelli. One or two who desire to attend the NSBA convention in Orlando, Florida should contact him.
6. The Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Gala is coming up on the 18th. Good things are happening between the school system and the business community. In fact the Distinguished Partner in Education will be part of the program along with an Outstanding Young Educator recognition that evening. He encouraged Board members to show their support by attendance at the Gala.
Following brief comments from board members, the meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. on a motion by Mr. Hunt.
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Danny Bell, Secretary Otha Anders, President