LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, July 1, 1997 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, July 1, 1997 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, Mr. Billy Abrahm, Mr. Otha Anders, Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. George Mack (arrived late), Mr. Joe Mitcham, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Mr. Allen Tuten (arrived late), and Mr. Calvin Wilkerson.
Absent was Dr. Marty Beasley.
President David Wright called the meeting to order and Mr. Anders gave the invocation. Mr. Wright led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.
Mr. Tuten arrived at this point in the meeting.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the agenda as printed.
Upon a motion by Mr. Dowling, seconded by Mr. Barfield, the Board unanimously voted to approve the minutes, as corrected, of the Regular Session held on June 10, 1997.
Mr. Howard Whitlock, Transportation Supervisor, reiterated that authorization was given at their May 6, 1997 meeting to advertise for one new and four used school buses. He recommended acceptance of the only bid submitted which was from Ross Bus Sales.
At 6:05, during Mr. Whitlock's presentation, Mr. Mack arrived.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Tuten, the Board unanimously voted to accept the bid from Ross Bus & Equipment Sales for a new '97, 78 passenger bus for $56,651 and 4 used '95, 65 passenger buses at $34,285 each.
Dr. Charles Scriber, Secondary Supervisor, reminded the Board that each year the system must submit a revised copy of their Pupil Progression Plan to the State Department of Education for their approval. Dr. Scriber recommended approval of the document, which addresses placement, promotion, and grading of students. The only revisions this year are in the form of wording and syntax.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Abrahm, the Board unanimously voted to approve the 97-98 Pupil Progression Plan.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following Personnel Committee agenda items were discussed:
Upon a motion by Mr. Tuten, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to grant/accept the following requests presented by Mr. Ronnie Suggs, Assistant Superintendent.
1. Request for sabbatical leave for 97-98, unless otherwise stated, effective August 20, 1997 for:
Donna Doss, math teacher at Dubach High.
Tammy Caldwell, teacher at I. A. Lewis.
Yolanda Dade, teacher at I. A. Lewis, for the first semester of 97-98 only.
Ben Green, teacher at I. A. Lewis.
According to Mr. Suggs, these requests meet current state and local guidelines for sabbatical.
2. Rescission of sabbatical for the 97-98 school year for Judy Pylant, teacher at Hico Elementary.
3. Resignation of the following:
Teresa Parmley, elementary teacher at Cypress Springs, effective June 12, 1997.
Effective June 1, 1997 of Arlene Banks, elementary teacher at Glen View.
Gayanne Coleman, language arts teacher at Ruston Junior High, effective June 6, 1997.
Effective July 31, 1997 (not July 1 as printed) of Eileen Manning, insurance clerk at the central office.
Since the final item on the personnel agenda was the matter tabled from the June 10, 1997 meeting, upon a motion by Mr. Mack, seconded by Mr. Wilkerson, the Board unanimously voted to go into executive session at 6:12 p.m.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to return to Regular Session at 6:59 p.m.
Upon a motion by Mr. Tuten, seconded by Mr. Kessler, the Board voted 10-1 by roll call to uphold the recommendation from the Superintendent to terminate school food service technician, Thelma Jones, from Ruston Elementary. Ms. Jones is eligible for employment at any other school.
Voting against the motion: Mr. Calvin Wilkerson.
Ms. Pam Roy, Business Manager, told the Board that $497.36 was recovered by audits during the month of June, 1997. This brings the total sales tax revenue recovered by audits to $279,502.00 for the year which is unusually high. This is money that would not normally be collected. The 1967 and 1979 sales tax receipts for the same month were $311,378.81 which is up $69,993.08 over the same month last year. For the year collections were down $113,558.24 which is a 3.4% decrease. Ms. Roy attributes this monthly 22.5% increase to the fact that last month's automobile taxes were included in this month's figures. Total 1993 sales tax collections for June were $186,826.91 which is up $41,995.76 over the same month last year. Again, collections for the year were down $67,763.52. The percentages are the same. Supplement checks went out today as planned with June payroll checks, Ms. Roy reported.
A financial update for the month ending May, 1997 was also presented by Ms. Roy. She called attention to the next to the last line of the report which gives fund balances. She reported nothing unusual for this time of year but did say that most of Ruston High School's fire expenses have now been paid out of the general fund.
Mr. Suggs said he had good news again with spring of '97 test scores. He called attention to the two pages which contained comparisons on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) and California Achievement Test (CAT). Comparing '97 LEAP test scores to '96 scores and to the state average, showed Lincoln Parish above the state average on all grade levels. Math scores, which were targeted last year due to three years of steady decreases, increased from the 78% to the 84%. "We did have more minuses this year in the LEAP program than pluses," he said, "but you have to keep in mind that when you're already at the top it's very difficult to go higher and also to maintain." He is pleased with the consistency of the scores. The 97-98 school year will be the last year for the LEAP test to be used as the validity of the criterion referenced test has been questioned. Parish scores on the CAT are above the 50 percentile in all 1-8 grade levels. State averages are not available at this time, but based on prior years, he predicts that the 4th and 6th grade scores will rank the parish in the top 10 parishes in the state. The final page of test information was a LEAP comparison with other parishes, Bossier, Caddo, Ouachita, Natchitoches, Lafayette, Jackson, and Bienville. He felt that this gave the Board some benchmark on where the system is with its curriculum and testing program. Mr. Suggs, Mr. Anders, and Mr. Wright expressed their pride and appreciation to the teachers, principals, parents, students, and staff members who handle their business well as indicated by these high test scores.
Director of Auxiliary Services, Mr. Charles Owens, presented bids received on bleachers at Dubach High School which were authorized by the Board on May 6, 1997. He recommended the acceptance of the lowest bid submitted by Insight, Inc. of Ruston.
Upon a motion by Mr. Barfield, seconded by Mr. Anders, the Board unanimously voted to accept the lowest bid of $35,243.00 from Insight, Inc. for bleachers at Dubach High School and to reject all deducts.
Dr. Cobb called attention to the poll vote taken on June 23, 1997 requesting permission to extend by a week the application period for the Simsboro principal position. He reminded members that this request was made in order to increase the pool as only 2 applications had been received at that point. Members had unanimously agreed to extend the period and Dr. Cobb said that 6 applications were returned with 4 being qualified. Interviews are scheduled for July 8.
Upon a motion by Mr. Abrahm, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to ratify the poll vote extending until 4:00 p.m. Friday, June 27, 1997 the application period for the Simsboro principal position.
The Legislative Auditor's office requires that all Louisiana governmental units complete and give to their auditor at the beginning of the financial and compliance audit a Systems Survey & Compliance Questionnaire. Ms. Roy requested the Board's approval of the Questionnaire which she had completed and provided.
Upon a motion by Mr. Tuten, seconded by Mr. Shadoin, the Board unanimously voted to approve the Systems Survey and Compliance questionnaire as presented.
Mr. Suggs said because the number and quality of substitute teachers have decreased over the past few years, it is felt that a change in current guidelines should be considered. His first of 2 recommendations was to lower the requirements from a 4 year degree to a 2 year degree with at least 60 hours of college credit. The second recommendation was to change the substitute, daily pay scale from $35 for uncertified and $40 for certified teachers to $40 for those with a 4 year degree, $45 for certified, and $35 for those with at least 60 hours and up to a 4 year degree. This change in pay will, he hopes, attract more certified teachers and is also due to an impending minimum wage increase.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Dowling, the Board unanimously voted to change the substitute teacher minimum guideline to at least 60 hours of college credit and to change the pay scale to $35 a day for those with 60 hours to a 4 year degree, $40 a day for those with a degree, and $45 a day for certified teachers.
In a Report of the Superintendent, he called attention to the list of Board meeting dates for 97-98.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m.
Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President