LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, September 7, 1993 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, September 7, 1993 at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Lincoln Parish School Board Offices, 410 South Farmerville Street, Ruston, Louisiana. Members present were Mr. David Wright, 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: Mrs. Loyace Braggs
Mr. David Wright, presiding as new board president, called the meeting to order and gave the invocation.
Mr. Wright welcomed guests and members of the staff and media who were present. Special recognition was extended to Mrs. Eula Wright and to Mrs. Virginia Cook and members of her Ruston High School Civics class.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Allen Tuten, the board voted unanimously to approve, as distributed, the minutes of the regular session of the board held on August 3,1993.
Upon a motion by Mr. George Mack, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously to adopt the addendum to the agenda to include additional personnel information to be acted on by the Board.
At this time, Mr. Mark Fogas, representing South Central Bell, came before the board to present a teacher mini-grant in the amount of $440 to Ms. Sonja Walker, teacher at Ruston Elementary School. This mini grant was one of 114 given this year by South Central Bell and the purpose of the grant is to assist in implementing innovative and creative teaching ideas and ideals in the classroom that would not normally be funded under the regular budgeting process. Ms. Walker spoke to the board and gave a brief synopsis of the program she has implemented in her fifth grade classroom, dealing with encouraging children to want to read, not only in school work but also for their own pleasure. She indicated that she involves parents in this program and encourages more parental involvement.
Upon a motion by Dr. Marty Beasley, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously, with regrets and much appreciation for the outstanding service rendered, to accept the letter resignation submitted by Dr. Phil Rice, board member representing Ward I, District B and also currently serving as board president. Dr. Rice will assume duties as Dean of the School of Business at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously, by virtue of accepting Dr. Rice's resignation, to confirm and endorse Mr. David Wright as president of the Lincoln Parish School Board to serve the remainder of the one year term as president, recently vacated by Dr. Rice's resignation.
Consideration of a board member to represent Ward I, District B, vacated by the resignation of Dr. Phil Rice, was the next agenda item to be addressed by the board. Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Allen Tuten, and after discussion by board members, the board voted to name Dr. Owen Jean Hall to serve in this capacity until such time as a special election can be held.
Voting in favor of naming Dr. Hall to serve: Mr. David Wright, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard and Mr. Allen Tuten.
Abstaining: Mr. Calvin Wilkerson
Upon a motion by Mr. Wayne Barfield, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to adopt the following Proclamation calling for a special election to fill the vacancy in the office of school board member from Ward I, District B, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana:
PROCLAMATION
I, David Wright, President of the School Board of the Parish of Lincoln, State of Louisiana, do hereby announce and proclaim that the Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, School Board does hereby and herewith order a special election to fill the vacancy in the office of School Board member from Ward I, District B, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.
Be it further proclaimed and announced that under the authority of Louisiana Revised Statute 18:402, as amended, and other constitutional and statutory authority supplemental thereto, a special primary election be, and the same is hereby called and ordered to be held in Ward 1, District B, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, School Board, on Saturday, March 26, 1994; and a special general election, if necessary, is hereby called and ordered to be held in Ward I, District B, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, School Board, on Saturday, April 30, 1994; all for the purpose of filling the vacancy in the office of School Board member, Ward I, District B, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.
It is further proclaimed and announced that in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statute 18:467, as amended, the qualifying period for candidates in the special election, hereinabove called and ordered, shall open on Wednesday, January 19, 1994, and shall close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 21, 1994.
Thus done and signed at Ruston, Louisiana on this 7th day of September, 1993.
ATTEST:
Gerald W Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President
The floor was opened for nominations for vice president of the board to replace Mr. David Wright, who assumed the presidency of the board.
Mr. Andy Shealy nominated Mr. Wayne Barfield to serve as vice president and Mr. Allen Tuten seconded the motion.
Mr. Calvin Wilkerson nominated Dr. Marty Beasley to serve as vice president and Mr. George Mack seconded the motion.
Upon a motion by Mr. George Mack, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously that nominations for this office should cease.
Voting for Dr. Marty Beasley: Mr. George Mack, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. David Wright, and Dr. Marty Beasley.
Voting against Dr. Marty Beasley: Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Paul Woodard and Mr. Allen Tuten.
The result of this vote for Dr. Beasley was 5 for and 5 against.
Voting for Mr. Wayne Barfield: Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Paul Woodard and Mr. Allen Tuten.
Voting against Mr. Wayne Barfield: Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, Ms. Ann M. Boyd and Mr. David Wright.
The result of this vote for Mr. Barfield was 5 for and 5 against.
Due to the deadlock vote, it was suggested that the board act on this again at the next meeting of the board when a full membership would be present. Therefore, upon a motion by Dr. Marty Beasley, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted 9-1 to table the matter until the next board meeting.
Voting for the motion: Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, Ms. Ann M. Boyd Mr. Paul Woodard, Mr. Allen Tuten, and Mr. David Wright.
Voting against the motion: Mr. Andy Shealy
Upon a motion by Mr. Jim Kessler, seconded by Mr. George Mack, the board voted unanimously to grant permission to apply for Impact Aid funding for 1993-94, as presented by Mrs. Barbara Kirkland.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following personnel items were acted on:
As indicated by Mr. Suggs, the first group of personnel was that from the cancelled meeting of August 16, 1993, as presented below:
1. Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Wayne Barfield, the board voted unanimously to accept the following faculty resignations:
a. Jodie Walker resigning as teacher at Cypress Springs effective August 2, 1993
b. Jan Mitchell resigning as teacher at Glen View Elementary effective August 10, 1993
c. Apryl Edwards resigning as English teacher at Simsboro effective August 10, 1993
d. Pandy Bleich resigning as itinerant speech therapist effective August 2, 1993
2. Mr. Suggs informed the board of the following points of reference involving faculty transfers:
a. Patricia Beard, elementary teacher, transferred from Lincoln Center to Hillcrest, replacing Alma McConnell, resigned.
b. Elizabeth Jackson, physical education teacher, transferred from Ruston High to Ruston Jr. High, replacing Mamie Hammock, transferred
c. Mamie Hammock, P.E./Coach, transferred from Ruston Jr. High to Ruston High School
d. Trudy Ireland, elementary teacher, transferred from Cypress Springs to I. A. Lewis, replacing Oscar Epps, transferred
3. Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to approve the following faculty recommendations as presented by Ron Suggs:
a. Katrina Blocker as elementary teacher at Glen View replacing Daphne Knighten, resigned
b. Lisa Chandler as elementary teacher at Glen View, replacing Jan Mitchell, resigned
c. Monica Rohner as elementary teacher at Glen View in a new position
d. Louise Adams as elementary teacher at Hillcrest replacing Debi Hauser, transferred
e. Chalonda Smith as physical education teacher at Hillcrest replacing Gaile Nelson,transferred
f. Kaye Emfinger as preschool at Lincoln Center replacing Patricia Beard, transferred
g. Aleece Shepherd as Chapter I preschool at Lincoln Center in a new position
h. Kim Kirkus as science teacher at Ruston High School replacing Dianne Sistrunk who is on sabbatical leave
i. Sheri Robken as band director at Ruston High School replacing Frank Ramsey, resigned
j. Pinkie Davis as half-time special ed. aide and half-time computer proctor at Dubach in a new position
4. Upon a motion by Mr. Wayne Barfield, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to accept the resignation submitted by Barney Mitchell as custodian at Cypress Springs, effective June 1, 1993 and presented by Charles Owens.
5. Mr. Owens gave the following points of reference regarding custodial transfers in order to keep the board informed:
a. Eddie Underwood, custodian, transferring from Simsboro to Glen View Elementary
b. Robert Mitchell, custodian, transferring from Glen View to Ruston High
c. Patricia Williams, custodian, transferring from Cypress Springs to Ruston Elementary
d. Fannie Jordan, custodian, transferring from I. A. Lewis to Ruston High School
e. Bernice Outley, custodian, transferring from Ruston High to I. A. Lewis
6. Upon a motion by Mr. George Mack, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously to accept the following custodial recommendations, as presented by Charles Owens and to be effective September 1, 1993.
a. Danny Buggs as custodian at Simsboro replacing Arthur McCully, resigned
b. Hattie Edmonds as custodian at Cypress Springs replacing Vickie Modest, resigned
c. Howard Perry as custodian at Ruston High School replacing John Brantley, resigned
d. Sue Huey as custodian at Dubach High replacing Pinkie Davis, transferred
e. Otha R. Pringle as maintenance at the Central Office in a new position
Mr. Suggs then presented the second group of personnel items for action:
1. Upon a motion by Mr. Paul Woodard, seconded by Mr. Wayne Barfield, the board voted unanimously to accept the following staff resignations:
a. Michel Ravary as psychologist for Lincoln Parish Schools
b. Virginia Frasier as secretary at Ruston High School
2. Upon a motion by Dr. Marty Beasley, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to grant the request for leave without pay for 1993-94 submitted by Marsha Davis, preschool teacher at Lincoln Center.
3. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to approve the following faculty/aide/secretary recommendations:
a. Donna Williams as teacher at Choudrant Elementary in a new position
b. Robby Lindsay as half-time English teacher at Simsboro to replace Apryl Edwards, resigned
c. Deborah Davis as itinerant speech therapist replacing Pandy Bleich, resigned
d. Ophelia Smith as preschool aide at Hico Elementary in a new position
e. Timothy Pruitt as preschool aide at Lincoln Center in a new position
f. Jackie Daniels as a half-time special education aide at Ruston Elementary replacing Pinkie Davis, transferred
g. Charlene Flucas as secretary at Ruston High School to replace Virginia Frasier, resigned
4. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to accept the following School Food Service resignations:
a. Carolyn Smith as clerk at Glen View
b. Terri Simmons as clerk at Ruston Elementary
5. As points of reference, Ms. Theodos gave the following information:
a. Barbara Hawthorne, clerk/technician at Glen View, transferred from Hillcrest to replace Carolyn Smith as clerk/technician
b. Denise Thomas, clerk/technician at Ruston Elementary, transferred to Ruston Elementary from Glen View to move from a technician to clerk/technician position to replace Terri Simmons
c. Martha Lewis, SFS technician at Glen View, transferred from Ruston Jr. High due to overstaffing to replace Ramona Turner as technician
d. Armer Jean Hatter, SFS technician at Glen View, transferred from Cypress Springs due to overstaffing to replace Denise Thomas as technician
e. Ramona Turner, SFS technician at Hillcrest, transferred to Hillcrest to replace Barbara Hawthorne as technician
6. Upon a motion by Mr. Paul Woodard, seconded by Mr. George Mack, the board voted unanimously to employ Glenda Samuel as SFS technician at Ruston High School to replace Connie Ingle, resigned
7. Upon a motion by Mr. Wayne Barfield, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to accept the letter of resignation submitted by Denise Jones, bus driver in the Simsboro District, as presented by Richard Hinton.
8. Upon a motion by Mr. Allen Tuten, seconded by Mr. Wayne Barfield, the board voted unanimously to accept the letter of resignation submitted by Shelton Dunn, bus driver in the Ruston District, effective August 31, 1993, as presented by Richard Hinton.
9. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, the board voted unanimously to employ the following bus drivers:
a. Ernest Causey as bus driver in the Ruston District to replace Mia Morrison, transferred
b. Tommy C. Thomas as bus driver in the Ruston District to replace Shelton Dunn, resigned
c. Mike Chandler as bus driver in Simsboro to replace Denise Jones, resigned
10. Upon a motion by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, seconded by Dr. Marty Beasley, the board voted unanimously to accept the letter of resignation submitted by Kenneth Richards, custodian at Ruston High, effective September 1, 1993 and presented by Charles Owens.
11. Upon a motion by Mr. Paul Woodard, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to employ Huey Hollifield as custodian at Cypress Springs to replace Barney Mitchell, resigned, effective September 1, 1993 and presented by Charles Owens.
A report on 1993 legislative acts affecting education was given to the board by Dr. Cobb. He summarized about fifteen of the laws which will have the most impact on the daily operation of local school systems.
The opening of the 1993-94 school year was reported on by Ron Suggs, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He indicated it had been a very good opening with positive comments from principals regarding the excellent student behavior and attitude. Also, he commented on the excellent condition of the facilities in the parish. Enrollment as of September 3 was slightly over 7,000, indicating a small decline from last year. He touched on some of the programs that are in place this year and emphasized placement of coordinating teachers, librarians and music teachers, all of which were made possible by the passage of the 1993 sales tax.
A computer services update was given by Mr. Suggs. He told the board that the Bossier Computer Center currently provides attendance reports, scheduling, grade reporting, transcripts and enrollment at a cost of approximately $20,000 per year. Super Link Computer System ties us to the mainframe computer in Baton Rouge and provides capabilities such as teacher certification, electronic mail system and mandated reporting to the State Department of Education. Mr. Suggs told the board that a committee will be formed consisting of various school personnel to review our computer needs and will be charged with providing an overall plan to meet parish needs and the mandates of submitted information to the State Department of Education. Funding for this will come from the $20,000 we are paying for computer services in Bossier Parish.
Sales tax receipts for August, 1993 reflected an increase of $8,156.11 or 4% as shown in the update given by Richie Garrett, Supervisor of Finance. Total collections for 1993 show an increase of $63,438.75 or about 2% over last year. Thus far this year, collections in the new '93 sales tax total $275,253.53.
Following the sales tax update, Mr. Garrett gave a brief overview of the financial status of the school system. It was an excellent report and the board expressed their pleasure with the good work done by the accounting department under Mr. Garrett's supervision.
Mr. Allen Tuten, representing the Lincoln Parish School Board, reported on his recent attendance at the meeting of the Sales Tax Advisory Committee. He told the board, as a point of information, that Mr. Wayne Barfield had been asked to serve as the second representative from the board, serving in Dr. Phil Rice's place. As a result of a mandate from legislative action, there must now be a single sales tax office for each parish. Lincoln Parish has been in compliance with this for a number of years. However, this does mean that the Town of Dubach and the Town of Grambling, who in the past have collected their own taxes, will now join the sales tax collection effort with the City of Ruston, the Lincoln Parish School Board and the Lincoln Parish Police jury making a total of five different bodies of this committee. Efforts are being made to establish a commission form of authority rather than a committee form of authority. Basically, what this means is that each of these five bodies would have representatives on the committee who would be authorized to act on behalf of the body which they represented, rather than going back to the full body for action. This is in the process of being developed and more will be given on that at a later date. The Sales Tax office has resolved to be more aggressive in collecting taxes that are due and two areas in which more emphasis is being placed by the sales tax office at this time are: 1) An outside auditing firm has been contracted with to provide outside audit of companies that primarily operate outside of the parish or have home offices outside of the parish, and 2) The committee felt that there was a need for an internal auditor or someone who would make an effort to periodically look at the sales of businesses within the parish as an effort to be sure that all due taxes are paid. This position was advertised and after interviewing the four applicants, the committee recommended that Mr. Jerry Wayne Moore be employed as internal auditor to work under the supervision of the sales tax collector and the committee.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously, upon the recommendation of the sales tax committee, to employ Mr. Jerry Wayne Moore as internal auditor in the sales tax office.
Dr. Janie Humphries, LINC Project Director, appeared before the board to give an update on the LINC program. She reported an excellent year this past year and gave highlights of the work being done in this program.
Ms. Cheryl Garner, representing the Louisiana Reading Association, came before the board to present awards to Dr. Vicki Brown, principal of Grambling Middle Magnet School, and Mrs. Jackie Whitlock, Chapter I Supervisor.
A need for an increase in substitute teacher pay was discussed by Dr. Cobb and upon a motion by Dr. Marty Beasley, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously to increase substitute teacher pay for certified teachers from $30 to $35 per day and to pay non-certified teachers $30 per day.
Board members were informed that the annual Academic Awards Banquet will be held on Monday, October 18, 1993 at 7:00 p.m. in the Ruston Civic Center. The guest speaker will be Dr. James Stafford, our Board of Elementary and Secondary Education representative.
Board policy directs that we begin reviewing each category of supplemental insurance, beginning this year with cancer insurance as reported to the board by Pam Roy. Requests for proposals were sent to approximately 35 companies and agencies who have contacted our office over the past two years. Nine responses were received and all were reviewed in detail by the insurance committee. It was the recommendation of that committee that we remain with American Public, the company currently providing our cancer coverage.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Ms. Ann M. Boyd, the board voted unanimously, upon the recommendation of the insurance committee, to remain with American Public, the company currently providing cancer coverage.
In the Superintendent's Report, Dr. Cobb called attention to the following correspondence included in the board information:
1. Responses from Louisiana Tech, Grambling State and Northeast regarding their offerings for receiving certification in Driver Education.
2. Letters from Senator J. Bennett Johnston and Senator John Breaux responding to resolutions adopted by the board and sent to them regarding the increase in gasoline tax as it relates to school bus drivers and their exemption from this increase.
Following brief comments from members of the board and including comments from the new board president, Mr. David Wright, stating his appreciation for the opportunity to serve in this capacity, the meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President