LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Ruston, Louisiana

REGULAR SESSION

Tuesday, February 4, 2025  12:00 p.m.

The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. at Hillcrest Elementary School, 301 E. Kentucky Avenue, Ruston, Louisiana.  Members present were Ms. Debbie Abrahm, Mr. Otha Anders, Mr. Clark Canterbury, Ms. Donna Doss, Mr. David Ferguson, Mr. Danny Hancock, Ms. Lynda Henderson, Mr. Joe Mitcham, Mr. Gregg Phillips, and Dr. Danielle Williams.

Mr. George Mack, Jr., and Mr. Hunter Smith were absent.

President Phillips called the meeting to order and Ms. Doss gave the invocation.  Two Hillcrest Elementary students led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.

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

Upon a motion by Ms. Doss, seconded by Ms. Henderson, the Board voted 9-1 to approve the minutes of the Regular Session held on January 7, 2025, as presented.  Mr. Ferguson voted no.

Mr. Phillips welcomed everyone and thanked Hillcrest Elementary Principal Rebecca Sutherland for hosting the meeting.  Ms. Sutherland expressed how happy the Hillcrest faculty, staff, and students were to have board members and other guests visiting their campus.  She shared some of the accomplishments made at Hillcrest this year, and one thing in particular, that they had seen a 10% increase in students scoring proficient or above on DIBELS assessments since the beginning of this school year.  A group of Hillcrest students then recited the school motto that they say each morning, “Good, Better, Best”.

Chief Financial Officer Juanita Duke announced that the audit of our fiscal year 2023-2024 was complete.  She introduced Auditor in Charge Amy Tynes of Allen, Green & Williamson.  Ms. Tynes stated that overall this was a good report, with auditors issuing an unmodified opinion in their report, which is the best opinion we can receive.

Ms. Tynes presented the audit report of the school board’s financial statement for the year ending June 30, 2024.  She called attention to two reports, the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and the Single Audit Report, and briefly went over the results of these audits.

In the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the auditor issued an unmodified audit opinion.  This is the best opinion possible, which means that the board’s financial condition, position, and operations were fairly presented in the financial statements without any modifications.  Ms. Tynes reviewed the government-wide results, which includes all funds of the School Board, including all capital assets, debt, and other liabilities.  She pointed out that the net position of the agency is a deficit of $68 million.  This deficit reflects the School Board’s long-term liabilities of more than $180 million for other post-employment benefits (for current and future retiree insurance benefits) and its share of the pension liabilities of state retirement systems (for current and future retirees).

She then referred to the major funds in the front of the financial report, highlighting the General Fund having an ending fund balance as of June 30, 2024, of $36.9 million, with the unassigned fund balance of $24.3 million, which equates to 37.6% of the total expenses of the General Fund.  The 2000 Ad Valorem Fund balance is $8.5 million.  Ms. Tynes noted a new column is in the front of this year’s report pertaining to the 2023 Simsboro Bonds indicating the fund has a $10.3 million balance as of June 30, 2024, and the Nonmajor Fund balance $37.7 million.

She pointed out in the profit and loss statement of these same funds that the General Fund revenue was $68.1 million, a $5.8 million increase from last year. This increase is largely due to State funding for stipends paid to employees, an MFP increase, and interest income.

She reported the net assets for Internal Service Funds for self-insured Group Health Insurance and Workers’ Compensation decreased $2.1 million, mainly due to the increase in claims for the year; however, the ending net position is $1.6 million.

Next, Ms. Tynes recapped the Single Audit Report on federal program funds.  For the June 30, 2024 fiscal year end, the total federal dollars LPSB received was $22.8 million.  The financial statement audit includes any testing of financial transactions, testing of internal controls, and testing of state compliance of major federal programs.  Single Audit testing requirements for federal awards required auditors to test the Child Nutrition Program, ESSER Funds, and the COPS Grant.  An unmodified opinion was also issued with no findings for the June 30, 2024 year.  All findings from the previous year’s audit were reported as resolved.

Ms. Tynes concluded her report and reiterated to board members that if they have any additional questions, to please reach out and she would be happy to discuss further.  In addition, she thanked the School Board staff for their cooperation and help with the audit.

Choudrant Elementary School Principal Jennifer Martin expressed that CES would like to implement school uniforms for the 2025-26 school year.  The benefits to school uniforms touch on many different issues and concerns facing our children and parents.  She said that school uniforms are an effective way to provide immediate support and positivity to the school community such as decreasing bullying, increasing safety, cutting down on distractions, and encouraging cohesion.

Upon a motion by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Ms. Doss, the Board unanimously voted to give the administration at Choudrant Elementary School the authority to institute a school uniform policy for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maintenance Supervisor Ricky Edmiston said that CenterPoint Energy Resources is upgrading utility service in the area and has requested a Right of Way and Servitude on Lincoln Parish School Board property near the Ruston Junior High School campus.  CenterPoint Energy will pay a sum of $10 for this Right of Way and Servitude.

Upon a motion by Mr. Canterbury, seconded by Ms. Abrahm, the Board unanimously voted to grant CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp.  Right of Way and Servitude.

Next, Mr. Edmiston told the Board that existing HVAC units at Simsboro School and Ruston Elementary School need to be upgraded to improve the air quality in classrooms and the energy efficiency of the units.  The current units are old and it is difficult to find parts to repair them.  We are seeking permission to advertise for replacement of 28 units at Simsboro School and 18 units at Ruston Elementary.

Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Hancock, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission to advertise for bids for the replacement of 28 units at Simsboro and 18 units at Ruston Elementary and also grant permission to district administration to accept the lowest qualified bid meeting specifications.

Superintendent Ricky Durrett reminded the Board that board members are required to complete six continuing education hours annually because of Act 705 of the 2010 legislative session.  An additional responsibility has been imposed by revised statute 43:1170, requiring elected officials to receive a minimum of one hour of education and training on the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act during each term of office.  Finally, a press release providing the training status of each member must be published in the official journal each year.  Mr. Durrett asked for permission to publish the board members' 2024 training hours; all twelve board members met or exceeded the minimum requisite.

Upon a motion by Ms. Henderson, seconded by Ms. Abrahm, the Board voted unanimously to grant permission to enter board members' 2024 training certificates into the official minutes of the Board.

Debbie Pender, Technology/Data/Security Coordinator, told the Board that the Lincoln Parish School District needs to post or share an FCC Form 470 used in the E-Rate program to initiate a competitive bidding process for Category 1 Services.  These services would be for the new Ruston High School Softball Complex.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) governs the E-Rate Program, and the FCC will pay 90% of the cost with Lincoln Parish School Board paying its’ portion of 10% for Category 1 Services contingent upon approval of the Form 470 application.

Upon a motion by Ms. Doss, seconded by Mr. Hancock, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission to post or share an FCC Form 470 soliciting bids from service providers for the Ruston High School Softball Complex in accordance with state law and local policies, and grant the Superintendent permission to accept a qualified bid that meets specifications outlined in the Form 470.

Assistant Superintendent John Young presented the proposed school calendar for the 2025-26 school year.  He said this calendar exceeds the minimum instructional minutes for students and may be adjusted based on emergency closures or other mandates for the LDOE.

Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Canterbury, the Board unanimously voted to approve the proposed calendar for the 2025-26 school year.

Phaedra Blake, Special Education Coordinator, provided an update on the ongoing efforts to support students with disabilities in Lincoln Parish, focusing on several key areas such as professional development, academic strategies, and partnerships.  The district is working to improve outcomes for students through initiatives like the SpEd Fellows Academy, a yearlong professional development program sponsored by the LDOE, where Mrs. Blake has gained valuable experience to enhance her knowledge and skills to better support students with disabilities.  Additionally, Lincoln Parish is part of the SpEd Best Practices Cohort, which follows a proven framework developed by Nate Levenson emphasizing core instruction, extra time for learning, and content-strong teachers, benefiting both students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers.  These initiatives aim to create an inclusive educational environment where all students have access to high-quality instruction and remain integrated in general education classrooms as much as possible.

The district is also piloting the case-manager model at I.A. Lewis, which focuses on streamlining the IEP process and allows special education teachers to focus on specific content areas.  Partnerships with organizations like Blue Engine are strengthening collaboration between general and special education teachers to provide more individualized and inclusive support in the classroom.  Additionally, the district is committed to monitoring both quantitative and qualitative data on student progress, conducting regular check-ins with teachers, school leaders, and IEP facilitators to address concerns and ensure that students' academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs are being met.  These efforts demonstrate the district's commitment to providing the best support for all students, fostering inclusion, and improving educational outcomes.

Student Support Services Director Justin Barron then discussed the ongoing efforts supported by the Disability Innovation Fund (DIFF) grant, which provides $2.5 million over five years to improve inclusive education.  The grant has funded multiple training initiatives aimed at district personnel, school leadership, and teachers to ensure all aspects of education—academic, financial, and operational—are aligned to support students with disabilities.  The district has also been working on inclusive classroom training and specialized strategies to enhance educational experiences for students in self-contained classrooms.

Additionally, Mr. Barron highlighted the district's progress in data-driven decision-making through the development of a district profile that reviews qualitative and quantitative data related to special education.  This profile will help assess staffing strategies, funding allocations, and family engagement initiatives.  The ultimate goal is to improve academic and career opportunities for all students, particularly those with disabilities.  Recently, the grant has supported investments in STEM and career and technical education (CTE) in order to expose students to various career pathways, allowing them to explore their interests early on.

The district has also made structural and policy changes, including the installation of additional security cameras in self-contained classrooms to ensure student safety.  Monitoring efforts by the State Department have shown improvements, with the district scoring higher on evaluations of special education services.  Mr. Barron also emphasized the positive impact of inclusion efforts, particularly through the Bearcat Buddies program, which fosters peer mentorship between students with and without disabilities.

Ruston High School senior Marijah Heard shared her perspective on the Bearcat Buddies program, emphasizing its impact on both students with disabilities and their peers.  She explained how the program has helped participants see all students as equals, fostering a sense of inclusion and understanding.  Ms. Heard noted that Bearcat Buddies teaches students to accept and appreciate differences. She described the program as a humbling experience.  Additionally, she mentioned that the demand for Bearcat Buddies has grown significantly, with more students wanting to be mentors than there are students needing buddies.

In a Diversity Committee update, Ms. Blake reported the committee had met this school year, and one important conclusion reached was the committee needs to be more diverse.  In addition, they sought guidance on what the committee should look like, and tried to determine what the committee should prioritize.  The committee will meet again this month.

In her Personnel Report, Human Resources Director Dr. Doris Lewis verbalized the following:

According to Chief Financial Officer Juanita Duke, for the month of January 2025, sales tax collections were about the same as January of last year.  Overall, for the year, total collections are up 4.36%.

Moving on to the December 2024 financial report, Ms. Duke shared that for the first six months of the fiscal year revenues in General Funds were 42.5% of budget and total expenditures were 42.76% of budget.  In special revenue funds, revenues were 41.89% and expenditures were 51.2% of budgeted expenditures for all special revenue funds combined. Overall, combined fund balances for the General Fund represent approximately 42.8% of the total general fund expenditure budget.

Ms. Duke presented the Health Fund Report and noted it was the final report for the 2024 plan year that ended December 31, 2024.  Total contributions to the health fund were $15.18 million, indicating an increase in contributions of $535,000 over last year mostly due to additional employer contributions made near the end of the plan year.  The total plan expenses for 2024 were $17.1 million, compared to $15.9 million in 2023, an increase of $1.2 million.  Total net assets for the plan year decreased $1.9 million in 2024, compared to a decrease of $1.2 million in 2023, attributed to rising costs of claims.

In a Report of the Superintendent, Mr. Durrett said:

Following several comments, the meeting adjourned at 1:19 p.m. on a motion by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Mr. Canterbury.