LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, April 6, 1993 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, April 6, 1993 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 Dr. Phil Rice, Mr. David Wright, Mrs. Loyace Braggs, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard and Mr. Allen Tuten.
Absent: None
Dr. Phil Rice, president, called the meeting to order and the invocation was given by Dr. Marty Beasley.
Dr. Rice welcomed guests and members of the staff and media who were present.
Special recognition was given to the following students and teacher.
Mr. Charles Scriber presented the Lincoln Parish Students of the Year as follows: Todd Whitlock, a student at Ruston Elementary, representing the elementary division for the parish; Elizabeth McFadden, a student at Simsboro School, representing the junior high or middle school division; and Carol Alexander, a senior at Ruston High School, representing the high school division. These students were presented with plaques of appreciation on behalf of the Lincoln Parish School Board. Dr. Rice spoke to the students, expressing congratulations and asking them to continue the good work and performance that made possible their appearance at the board meeting to receive the honor bestowed on them.
Ms. Sharon Thomas, Supervisor of Special Education for Lincoln Parish Schools, came before the board to make a very special presentation. She indicated that each year the Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children sponsors the "Yes I Can" state awards program. This program recognizes achievements of students with disabilities. She told the board that over sixty nominations were received from throughout the state. At the recently held awards banquet, Julie Givens, a senior at Ruston High School, was the sole state academic award winner. Ms. Thomas told the board that Julie is highly motivated. She has a very positive attitude and a never give up disposition. Ms. Thomas also told of Julie's many achievements at Ruston High School. On behalf of the school board, Julie was presented with a plaque of recognition for this outstanding award. The entire board expressed their appreciation by giving Julie a standing ovation.
Mr. Danny Bell, Supervisor of Elementary Programs, presented Mary Null, a teacher at Cypress Springs Elementary School, with a plaque in appreciation of her being named Outstanding Clinician of the Year for the State of Louisiana. Mr. Bell told the board of some of Mary's accomplishments during her nine years as a classroom teacher. Members of the board expressed their congratulations and appreciation to Ms. Null for her contributions to the school system.
At this time, Johnathan Hicks, a sixth grade student at I. A. Lewis, led the board in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. Prior to the pledge, Mr. Foster Harris, Johnathan's principal, told the board that Johnathan is an honor roll student who enjoys playing basketball and soccer. On behalf of the board, Dr. Cobb presented Johnathan with a certificate of appreciation for being present to lead the pledge at the board meeting.
Upon a motion by Mr. Paul Woodard, seconded by Mrs. Loyace Braggs, the board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the regular session of the board held on March 2, 1993 as distributed.
Upon a motion by Mr. David Wright, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously to ratify the poll vote taken on March 19, 1993 requesting permission for members of the central office staff to accept the low bid that met specifications for the lease purchase of seven (7) new buses.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Wayne Barfield, voted unanimously to grant permission to advertise for the following items for the 1993-94 school year, as presented by Mr. Charles Owens:
a. Duplicating Fluid and Paper
b. Spirit and Thermal Masters
c. Toilet Tissue and Paper Towels
d. Dust Mops
e. Gasoline and Diesel
Upon a motion by Mrs. Loyace Braggs, seconded by Mr. George Mack, the board voted unanimously to approve the Ruston Daily Leader as the official journal for 1993-94, as presented by Richie Garrett, Supervisor of Finance for Lincoln Parish Schools.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to grant permission to amend the Child Nutrition budget, as presented by Richie Garrett, Supervisor of Finance. He expressed the need to amend the budget in the amount of up to $15,000 due to increased revenues.
Upon a motion by Mr. Allen Tuten, seconded by Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, the board voted unanimously to grant permission to submit an application for amendments for the Fiscal Year 1994 Chapter I Program Improvement Project, as presented by Willie Washington, Administrative Supervisor of Chapter I.
Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to grant permission to request approval of an interim revision of our Pupil Progression Plan which addresses two reading pilot programs--one at Hillcrest and one at Glen View, as presented by Danny Bell, Supervisor of Elementary Programs.
The Executive Committee of the Lincoln Parish School Board met on March 16, 1993 and again on April 6 just prior to the regular meeting of the board. The following report from the Executive Committee was given by Mr. David Wright, chairman:
The purpose of the meetings was to consider the renewal of the Superintendent's contract. A motion was made by Mr. David Wright, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, that Superintendent Cobb's contract be extended for an additional four (4) years and also that the terms of the contract would include a salary increase of approximately 10%, giving him a yearly salary of $63,303. A second to this motion was offered by Mrs. Loyace Braggs. An amendment to the motion was made by Mr. Andy Shealy to add that all other terms and conditions of the contract would remain the same. The board voted 11-1 by roll call vote to approve the above amended motion.
Voting for the motion: Mr. David Wright, Mrs. Loyace Braggs, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard, Mr. Allen Tuten, and Dr. Phil Rice.
Voting against the motion: Mr. Calvin Wilkerson
The board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following Personnel agenda items were addressed:
1. The Superintendent presented background information on the Ruston High School principalship recommendation. He told the board that there were four applicants. They were interviewed by a five member committee and the top three candidates were presented to the Superintendent.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, and upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the board voted unanimously to approve naming Randy Moore, the highest scoring applicant, as principal of Ruston High School.
Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. David Wright, the board voted to grant permission to advertise for the position of principal at Glen View Elementary School, according to the following timelines:
April 7, 1993: Begin Application Period
April 22, 1993: Close Application Period
April 23, 1993 Begin Interview Process
April 28, 1993: Close Interview Process
May 4, 1993: Present recommendation to the Board
2. Upon a motion by Dr. Marty Beasley, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to grant Sabbatical Leave for the 1993-94 school year as requested by Diane Sistrunk, counselor at Ruston High School, to be effective June 16, 1993, as presented by Ron Suggs.
3. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to accept Letters of Intent to Retire,. effective June 2, 1993, as presented by Ron Suggs as follows:
a. Gloria Garner as elementary teacher at Choudrant Elementary
b. Mary Helen Moss as Chapter I teacher at Glen View Elementary
c. Sally Leachman as elementary teacher at Hillcrest
4. Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to accept Letters of Intent to Resign, effective June 2, 1993, as presented by Ron Suggs as follows:
a. Beverly Bradford as half-time math teacher at Ruston High School
b. Margaret Colvin as special education teacher at Ruston High School
c. Mildred Brooks as half time language arts teacher at Choudrant High School
d. Tamara Vallery as elementary teacher at Simsboro
5. Upon a motion by Mr. Paul Woodard, seconded by Mr. David Wright, the board voted unanimously to accept the letter of resignation submitted by Vickie Modest, custodian at Ruston High School, to be effective February 26, 1993, as presented by Charles Owens.
6. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to accept the letter of resignation submitted by Connie Ingles, four hour technician at Ruston High School, to be effective March 12, 1993, as presented by Brenda Theodos.
An update on Sales Tax receipts for March, 1993 was given to the board by Richie Garrett, Supervisor of Finance for Lincoln Parish Schools. He indicated that receipts for March in the amount of $178,496 reflected a decrease of $8,968 or approximately 5% less than in March, 1992. As of this date, total collections to date show an increase of $41,749 over last year. Richie reminded board members that the 13th check or salary supplement will be distributed on July 15, 1993.
A financial report for February, 1993 was given by Richie Garrett. He pointed out that all funds are in good shape at this time.
Charles Owens, Director of Auxiliary Programs, gave an update on utilities for Lincoln Parish School System. He told the board that in June, 1992, an aggressive approach was taken toward reducing our overall budget. Our goal in the area of utilities was to reduce expenditures by 30% over a 12-month period. To achieve this goal, stringent energy usage guidelines were instituted and followed. As a result, our combined energy savings in 1992 as compared to 1991 expenditures in gas and electrical services were $53,539.16 or 18.9%.
An update on the student detention program was given to the board by Mr. Owens. He indicated that this program offers an alternative to suspension from school for minor rule infractions. As of March 15, 1993, 4,233 students had utilized detention for minor rule infractions. The program budget for the 1992-93 school year is $8,000. Approximately 50% of this amount has been expended thus far.
Board members who attended the recently held Louisiana School Boards Association Convention gave comments and observations from the convention. Overall, they indicated that it was a very informative meeting.
Upon a motion by Mr. Wayne Barfield, seconded by Mr. George Mack, the board voted unanimously to accept the bid submitted by P.C. Plywood in the amount of $15,995 for building materials for the construction of a portable building at Hico Elementary School.
Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously to adopt the following resolution designating May 2-8, 1993 as Teacher Appreciation Week, as presented by Danny Bell, Supervisor of Elementary Programs:
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, the Lincoln Parish Public School System has a long history of academic achievement by its students; and
WHEREAS, this academic achievement has been accomplished because of an outstanding faculty; and
WHEREAS, the teachers of Lincoln Parish work long and hard to meet the needs of students; and
WHEREAS, the core of any good instructional takes place in the classroom.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the Lincoln Parish School Board designates May 2-8, 1993 as Teacher Appreciation Week and expresses its appreciation to the faculties of the Lincoln Parish Public School System.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That this resolution be sent to each school in Lincoln Parish and also made a part of the official minutes of the Lincoln Parish School Board.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Upon a motion by Mr. Allen Tuten, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution establishing a Lincoln Parish Bus Driver Appreciation Day. This year (1993) the first Monday in May will be designated and each year thereafter, the first Monday in April will be designated as Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted to adopt the proposed school calendar as presented by Dr. Cobb. He indicated that members of the Superintendent's Advisory Council met for the purpose of reviewing different calendar options and were instructed to take this information back to their schools and give every employee an opportunity to vote for one of these options. This procedure was followed and option 2 was the choice of employees.
LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL CALENDAR
1993-94
August 20, 1993 School Begins - Parishwide Teacher Workshop
August 23, 1993 Students - 1/2 Day of Classes
August 24, 1993 Full Day Classes
September 6, 1993 Labor Day Holiday
November 22-26, 1993 Thanksgiving Holidays
November 29, 1993 Classes Resume
December 20-31, 1993 Christmas/New Year Holidays
January 3, 1994 Classes Resume
January 17, 1994 Mid-Term Break (No Classes)
February 28- Spring Break
March 4, 1994
March 7, 1994 Classes Resume
April 1 & 4, 1994 Easter Holidays
April 5, 1994 Classes Resume
June 1, 1994 Last Day of School
Dr. Cobb called the board's attention to the graduation schedule for 1992-93 as follows:
Thursday, May 13, 1993 at 8:00 p.m. - Simsboro High School
Friday, May 14, 1993 at 7:30 p.m. - Dubach High School
Monday, May 17, 1993 at 7:30 p.m. - Choudrant High School
Monday, May 17, 1993 at 8:00 p.m. - Grambling High School
Tuesday, May 18, 1993 at 8:00 p.m. - Ruston High School
Comments and observations from board members were heard at this time. Dr. Rice expressed appreciation to Dr. Cobb for the service he has rendered to our school system in serving these past five years as superintendent.
Mrs. Braggs spoke on behalf of Chapter I Parental Involvement Workshop and the excellent participation.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary Philip F. Rice, President