LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Ruston, Louisiana

REGULAR SESSION

Tuesday, June 2, 2015   6:00 p.m.

The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, 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 Ms. Debbie Abrahm, Mr. Otha Anders, Mr. Michael Barmore, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Mr. David Ferguson, Mr. Danny Hancock, Ms. Lynda Henderson, Mr. Trott Hunt, Mr. George Mack, Jr., Mr. Joe Mitcham, and Ms. Susan Wiley.

Ms. Lisa Best was absent.

Prior to the meeting, 2014-2015 retirees of the Lincoln Parish School System were honored with a reception in the lobby of the school board office.  Seven of the 25 retirees attended and were presented with certificates of appreciation for years of faithful and dedicated service to the parish.  Retirees were as follows:

President Otha Anders called the meeting to order, and Mr. Dowling gave the invocation.  Ms. Henderson led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag followed by Mr. Anders’ welcome to board members, staff, media, agenda participants, and other visitors.

Upon a motion by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Mr. Barmore, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the agenda as printed.

Upon a motion by Ms. Abrahm, seconded by Ms. Henderson, the Board unanimously voted to approve the minutes of the Regular Session held on May 12, 2015, as distributed.

Bid opening was held on May 20, 2015, for the purchase of the following items for the 15-16 school year: copy paper, toilet tissue, paper towels, dust mop rentals, gasoline, and diesel. David Crowe, Coordinator of Auxiliary Services, recommended that the Board accept the lowest bids meeting specifications.

Upon a motion by Mr. Barmore, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to accept the lowest bids meeting specifications for the purchase of materials and supplies for the 15-16 school year as shown below:

            Company Submitting Bid

Dixie Paper Co.                                     1408 Cases of Copy Paper

Price Per Unit:  $25.97

Total for 1408 Cases:  $36,565.76

            Dixie Paper Co.                                     500 Cases of Toilet Tissue

Price Per Case:  $25.83

Total for 500 Cases:  $12,915.00

            Jackson Paper Co.                                800 Cases of Paper Towels

Price Per Case:  $13.20

Total for 800 Cases:  $10,560.00

            Hill Oil Company                                    Gasoline & Diesel

                                                            Unleaded Regular             Cost + .1085 gallon

Unleaded Plus                  Cost + .1085 gallon

Unleaded Premium           Cost + .1085 gallon

Road-Use Diesel              Cost + .1125 gallon

                                                                                    Off-Road Diesel                Cost + .1325 gallon

            KAPS Textile Services               Dust Mop Rentals

                                                            18 inch            .42 each weekly

                                                            36 inch             .69 each weekly

                                                            48 inch             .79 each weekly

In order to canvass returns for the May 2, 2015, tax renewal election and comply with the Louisiana Election Code, George Murphy, Business Manager, presented a resolution stating the vote for each precinct, including absentee votes, so that it would become a part of the official record.  The renewal of the special tax in the Simsboro School District No. 3 was authorized by 81.94% of the voters.  The total votes were as follows:  59 FOR and 13 AGAINST.  He asked the Board to adopt the resolution canvassing the results of the election. 

Upon a motion by Ms. Henderson, seconded by Ms. Wiley, the Board unanimously voted 11 – 0 by roll call to approve a resolution canvassing the returns and declaring the results of the election held in the Simsboro School District No. 3 on Saturday, May 2, 2015. 

The lone bid on playground improvements, submitted by Traxler Construction Company, Inc., was opened on May 28, 2015.  Their bid of $734,000 was far above the budgeted amount of $480,000.  David Crowe said the administration plans to meet with the applicable principals, prioritize their requests, explore other potential funding sources, and meet with the architect to plan for another bid date.  He asked the Board to reject the bid.

Upon a motion by Mr. Hancock seconded by Mr. Hunt, the Board unanimously voted to reject the bid for the playground improvement project.

Because of the rapidly declining condition of portions of the parking/drive area at I. A. Lewis, Architect Mike Walpole, Engineer Neal DeForest, and the administration re-evaluated the entire paved area and determined the section that needs immediate attention.  David Crowe reported that the dumpster and the corridor accessing the dumpster area contained most of the base failure that represent conditions unfavorable to pedestrians and traffic alike.  He included a sketch reflecting the area needing immediate attention, and noted that the remainder of the pavement will eventually need to be over-laid.  In order to address the concern, they asked the contractor, Barron, for an exact price on the work.  The Project Manager said it would cost $68,484.46 to repave the specified parking/drive areas on the south side of the school; therefore, Mr. Crowe recommended that the Board approve change order #1 for the I. A. Lewis project in the amount of $68,484.46.

Upon a motion by Mr. Hunt, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to approve change order #1 for the I. A. Lewis project in the amount of $68,484.46.

Copies of two policies being recommended for revision were distributed by Mary Null, Assistant Superintendent.  She asked the Board to study the General Leaves of Absence (GBRIA) and Electronic Telecommunication Devices (JCDAE) policies until the next meeting.

In accordance with state law, a solicitation for a proposal was sent to the only newspaper in Lincoln Parish prior to naming an official journal for the upcoming year.  George Murphy communicated that the Ruston Daily Leader offered $5.75 per legal square which was $1.00 higher than last year, but .25 below the maximum charge of $6.00 per legal square.  He suggested that the Board name them as the official journal. 

Upon a motion by Mr. Mitcham, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to name the Ruston Daily Leader as the official journal for fiscal year 15-16.

The Lincoln Parish Sales and Use Tax Commission’s 2015-2016 proposed budget was the next agenda item according to George Murphy.  Mr. Mitcham explained that Denise Griggs, who replaced Jerry Moore as Administrator, had diligently worked to continue the efficient, effective collection of sales taxes by the commission.  In their proposed budget, the total expenses had decreased $37,590 from $227,793 in 2014-2015 to $190,203 for 2015-2016.  That 16.5% decrease would save the school system $14,334 or 13.7%.  Mr. Murphy requested approval of the budget.  Ms. Griggs was in attendance in the event there were questions. 

Hearing no questions, upon a motion by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Mr. Barmore, the Board unanimously voted to approve the 2015-2016 Sales and Use Tax Commission’s budget.  

In her Personnel Report, Mary Null shared the following:

1.     Retirement of the following:

Joe Ann Spencer, paraprofessional at Glen View Elementary, effective May 21, 2015; and,

Brenda Lofton, math teacher at Ruston High, effective August 14, 2015.

2.   Resignation of the following effective May 23, 2015:

      Courtney Martin, math teacher at Choudrant High;

      Mary Stuckey, ELA teacher at Dubach School;

      LaToya Gilmore, teacher at Ruston Elementary;

      Laura Beech, social studies teacher at Ruston Junior High; and,

      Katie Elliott, social studies teacher at Simsboro High.

3.   Transfer/Point of Reference of the following effective August 17, 2015, unless otherwise noted:

      Shane Lee from Simsboro High to assistant principal at Choudrant High effective July 20, 2015, replacing Tony Antley who promoted;

      Steve Wooley from Ruston Junior High to PE/coach at Choudrant High effective July 20, 2015, replacing Wade Robinson who resigned;

      Stanley Lewis from I. A. Lewis to administrative assistant at Dubach School effective August 3, 2015, replacing Pam Pruden who promoted;

      Pam Neal, from Glen View to teacher at Dubach School replacing Sherri Sandlin who was named to a reading recovery position;

      Kevin Nutt from Ruston High to social studies at I. A. Lewis replacing Jamie Bolton who transferred;

      Sheri Robken from Ruston Junior High to assistant principal at I. A. Lewis effective August 3, 2015, replacing Stanley Lewis who transferred;

      Brooke Bishop from Ruston Junior High to math teacher at Ruston High, replacing Brian Thomas who resigned;

      Erin McCown from Ruston Junior High to math at Ruston High replacing Elaine Johnson who retired;

      Kayla Walthall from Ruston Junior High to ELA teacher at Ruston High replacing Linda Brown who resigned;

      Jamie Bolton from I. A. Lewis to social studies teacher at Ruston High replacing Kevin Nutt who transferred; and,

      Emily Bryant from I. A. Lewis to math teacher at Ruston Junior High replacing Erin McCown who transferred.

4.   Employment of the following effective August 17, 2015, unless noted otherwise:

      Wendell Crowe as assistant principal at Ruston High effective July 20, 2015, replacing Stacy Findley who transferred;

      David Poe as math teacher at Ruston High replacing Cassie Maxwell who resigned;

      Sean Welsh as social studies teacher at Ruston Junior High replacing Laura Beech who resigned;

      Bethany Raybourn as ELA teacher at Ruston Junior High replacing Kayla Walthall who transferred; and,

      Josh Brown as social studies teacher/coach at Simsboro High effective July 20, 2015, replacing Katie Elliott who resigned.               

5.   Transfer/Point of Reference of Mance Allman from Choudrant High to a new custodial position at LPECC effective August 13, 2015.

President Anders took the opportunity of Ms. Null transitioning into a different position to personally thank her for her indulgence, tolerance, patience, impartiality, professionalism, availability, and the solutions she has brought to a multitude of issues over the years.

In his construction update, David Crowe narrated slides of the construction and renovation projects.  At I. A. Lewis site work had started and the demolition of the old building was complete.  As previous noted, there was a serious situation with pot holes and danger for pedestrians and traffic.  The portable buildings had been moved from the Ruston High School baseball complex, and demolition there was also complete.  The new foundation work was planned for this week, weather permitting.  At Glen View, Mann’s Construction was making progress.  The slab had been poured, the steel frame had been erected, and roof panels were nearing completion.  Since the architect believed that project was behind schedule, they met with the contractor and asked him to take necessary measures to complete the project on time without sacrificing the quality of the work.  Ruston Elementary’s shop drawing submittal process had begun.  Interior work began last week, and exterior work was slated to begin this week.  Fill dirt for the foundation at Hillcrest had been installed, and excavation for drainage was in progress.  Work on the concrete foundation as well as interior work on the library, gym, and corridors was scheduled to begin.  Triad Builders had started work on the security project and was pulling wires at the schools.  They had also begun work on the gate and fencing at Ruston High School.  Mr. Crowe met Paul Riley at the Choudrant High track project, and they were in the process of removing water that accumulated from the recent extreme rains.  Paul Riley was in attendance in case there were questions. 

                        A sales tax report for the month ending May 2015 was presented by George Murphy.  Accumulations were $1,488,675 which were up 20.69% compared to the same month last year and 28.14% year-to-date.  There were no recoveries through audits for the month; those were down a little over 23% year-to-date.  Collections in the 1967 and the 1979 sales tax fund were $676,671, and $812,003 went into the 1993 and 2000 fund.  Once again, oil and gas extractions was the primary reason for the increase.

                        George Murphy also delivered an April 2015 financial update and called attention to the bottom right corner of the spreadsheet.  He communicated that the unassigned fund balance had increased due to what was discussed last month regarding reclassifying some of the 1979 sales tax fund; the balance increased to $11,081,745 which should help next year when the last set of Ruston School District bonds are sold.  For the remainder of the report, he said the school system is in good shape financially and enjoying a great year as far as sales taxes.  The rest of the funds were holding up as well.

                        In his health plan update for April 2015, George Murphy said the health care fund was down $113,599.  Year-to-date the fund was down $735,723.  He plans to continue to monitor the plan, and if necessary, to recommend changes to the health care plan by the end of the year.  In the meantime, transfers may have to be made from the sales tax funds.

                        In a Report of the Superintendent, Mr. Bell noted that:

                        1)   A survey regarding attendance at upcoming meetings was placed in packets in an attempt to schedule a picture of the Board.  He asked members to complete the same and give it to Becky Gemelli before leaving the meeting.

                        2)   Glenn Bullard, a member of the Bossier Parish School Board and an interim member of the Louisiana School Board’s Association’s Board of Directors, was in attendance.  He allowed Mr. Bullard to introduce himself.

                        Glenn Bullard introduced himself and urged board members to continue participating in the LSBA especially as they work with the legislature, to attend conferences as they can, and to contact him at any time to ask questions or share concerns. 

                        Mr. Hunt requested a monthly report on the activities and progress of the seven newly hired reading recovery interventionists.    

                        Ms. Wiley asked Ms. Null or Dr. Lewis to share information about the recent Job Fair. 

                        Dr. Doris Lewis, Human Resources Director, said her first Job Fair was very well attended.  Approximately 60 elementary and 25 secondary applicants conversed with the principals and left resumes with them.  It was a very good experience.  She’s gotten extremely busy with hiring of personnel, and noted that she posts openings on Louisiana Tech’s job site, Lincoln Parish School Board’s web site, and on Teach Louisiana.  GSU doesn’t have a web site at this time.  Dr. Lewis is branching out and reaching out to procure some diversity in the certified and highly qualified applicant pool.

                        There being no further business, upon a motion by Mr. Mitcham, the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

__________________________________                      ___________________________________

Danny L. Bell, Secretary                                                            Otha L. Anders, President