LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Wednesday, February 7, 1995 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, February 7, 1995, 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 Mr. David Wright, President, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mrs. Loyace Braggs, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Joe Mitcham, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Allen Tuten, and Mr. Calvin Wilkerson.
Absent: None
Mr. David Wright, President, called the meeting to order and the invocation was given by Mr. Wayne Barfield.
Mr. Wright welcomed members of the staff, media, and special guests.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mrs. Loyace Braggs, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as printed.
Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. George Mack, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the Regular Session held on January 18, 1995, as distributed.
Mrs. Ruby Fields, Vice-president of the Lincoln Parish Association of the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), presented an award to The Ruston Daily Leader, recently recognized by the LAE for outstanding reporting of Lincoln Parish School News. Dr. Gerald Cobb, Superintendent, thanked The Leader for giving education the coverage they do.
Upon a motion by Mrs. Loyace Braggs, seconded by Mr. Allen Tuten, the Board voted unanimously to grant permission for various pieces of outdated vocational education equipment at Simsboro High School to be declared as surplus. This was presented by Mrs. Barbara Kirkland, Lincoln Parish Director of Federal Programs.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following personnel agenda items were addressed:
1. Upon a motion by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Rob Shadoin, the Board voted unanimously to grant the following requests for sabbatical leave, effective August, 1995, presented by Mr. Ronnie Suggs, Director of Curriculum and Instruction:
a. Mrs. Shannon Porter, teacher at Cypress Springs, for the 1995-96 school year.
b. Mrs. Kristie Frasier, teacher at Glen View, for the 1st semester of 1995-96.
c. Mrs. Kaye Rabb, teacher at Glen View, for the 1st semester of 1995-96.
d. Mrs. Alisa Antley, teacher at Simsboro, for the 1st semester of 1995-96.
An update on sales tax receipts for the month of January, 1995, reflected an increase for the 20th consecutive month in the 1967 and 1979 collections of $55,642.47 Business Manager, Mrs. Pam Roy, told the Board. Collections in the 1993 fund also showed an increase of $33,385.10. These figures reflect a 17.3% growth over the same month last year and a 10.3% increase for the entire year. She said that $4,761.00 was recovered by the parish auditor and $2,762.27 was recovered by an outside recovery group on a one-time basis.
A financial update for the month ending December 31, 1994, was also presented by Mrs. Roy. She told the Board that fund balances looks pretty much as they should in this last month of the fiscal year.
Mr. Rob Shadoin, Chairman of the Discipline Policy Review Committee, said that his committee met on December 13, 1994, and January 10, 1995. After thorough evaluation and discussion, the committee concluded that the disciplinary policies of the Lincoln Parish School Board substantially comply with current federal and state law. Therefore, there are no recommendations for revisions to such policies at this time. They concluded that the update service which the Board employs for revising and updating its policy manual has kept the parish current and is a very valuable resource and worthwhile investment.
Mrs. Barbara Kirkland told the Board that reading, writing and arithmetic which were previously basic skills are just a starting point now. To be prepared for the job for tomorrow, students will need more math, science, communications, problem-solving, and team-working skills. In addition, students need to explore career options and compare their interests and aptitudes to those needed to be successful in different careers. Agriscience has been a successful program in the parish for a number of years, offering students an opportunity to explore career options while learning animal, plant, soil, and forestry science, as well as "hands-on" skills in agri-shop through woodworking, small engines, electricity and metalworking. Agriscience provides a 1-hour vocational elective alternative with a variety of experiences available to both male and female students. Plans are being made to offer 3 sections of the course at Ruston High School for the 1995-96 school year, with an anticipated enrollment of 60-65 students. Counselors will aid in informing parents and recruiting students who would most benefit from this program as part of the pre-registration process scheduled to begin this month. Funding sources, over a 4-year period, will include local textbook, local vocational supply, Tech Prep Consortium instructional supply, Carl Perkins Vocational, Chapter 2, 8(g) Superior Textbook, etc.
A report on Chapter 1 monitoring was presented to the Board by Mr. Willie Washington, Administrative Supervisor, ESEA Title I. He said that Quality Educational Analysis (QEA) assesses the effectiveness of the present Chapter 1 programs, activities, and strategies in meeting the national goals, the state agenda, and the purposes of the law, and verify school improvement efforts. The QEA team comprised of State Department personnel and directors and supervisors from other parishes met for 3 days in the parish (January 9-11, 1995) with on-site visits to all 11 of the participating Chapter 1 schools. The staff received commendation on their staff involvement, good rapport with principals, good coordination between the Chapter 1 teachers and the general education teachers, and excellent school climates. There is evidence of a strong parental involvement program, high expectations for staff and students, and maximum use of learning time. The areas in which there were deficiencies are presently being addressed, however, an official evaluation from the QEA has not been received as of this date.
Conducting an Administrative On site Validation Review in the parish's special education program on December 6-8, 1994, was the Louisiana Department of Education, Office of Special Educational Services. Mrs. Sharon Thomas, Special Education Supervisor, explained that prior to the visit, written procedures, documents, applications, and other material submitted to the Department were reviewed. The Validation review included an examination of all compliance standards. Lincoln Parish received no citations on School Building Level Issues or on Administrative Issues. Three areas regarding IEPs (Individual Education Plans) will require corrective action. The State Monitoring Team, which consisted of 4 State Department personnel, indicated on their report that they were impressed by the student focus of responses of principals and teachers who were interviewed and that their genuine concern for students with disabilities was obvious.
Mr. Tim Green, CPA with Allen, Green & Robinette, shared the results of an independent audit with the Board. The audit is for the period ending June, 1994, and another audit will be done in June, 1995. He told the Board that Lincoln parish is doing well and much better than other systems out there. The general fund and school food service fund have good fund balances and the Board should be pleased. Overall he found good internal control and separation of duties. Management is or will address areas of concern mentioned in his written report. Mr. Green said the Board should have no concerns regarding the relatively new Business Manager, Mrs. Pam Roy, because she is doing a very good job.
Mr. Andy Shealy left the meeting at 6:56 p.m.
Dr. Charles Scriber, Secondary Supervisor, again updated the Board on Goals 2000. He said that the Consortium that Lincoln Parish is a part of has received the $140,000 planning grant applied for in December. Our part is approximately $11,500. This money will be used for writing a plan for school improvement. In order to write this plan a needs assessment will be conducted. The public will be surveyed to determine needs using a survey instrument designed specifically for this purpose which will be disseminated through our grass roots panel (strategic planning panel). Our system will also be surveyed to determine needs by an out of parish team of educators using an assessment instrument specifically designed for this purpose. Data will be gathered from these two sources to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses. Triad Consulting & Research Group has been contracted to analyze and organize the data and give the results back to each system in a written report. From this report a narrative strategic plan will be written for school improvement. The Consortium will use this plan to write the implementation grant for the 95-96 school year.
After a lengthy discussion regarding the recent Louisiana School Board Associational (LSBA) convention held in Monroe, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
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Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President