LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston, Louisiana
REGULAR SESSION
Tuesday, February 3, 1998 6:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Regular Session on Tuesday, February 3, 1998 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, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. Curtis Dowling, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Joe Mitcham, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Mr. Allen Tuten (left the meeting early), and Mr. Calvin Wilkerson.
No one was absent.
President David Wright called the meeting to order and the invocation was given by Mr. Mitcham. Mr. Wright led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and welcomed guests, members of the media, and the official staff.
Upon a motion by Mr. Tuten, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the agenda as distributed.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Mr. Mitcham, the Board unanimously voted to approve the minutes of the Regular Sessions held on January 6 and January 21, 1998 as printed.
The Board served as a Committee of the Whole and the following Personnel Committee agenda items were discussed:
Mr. Ronnie Suggs, Assistant Superintendent, presented the first item and Transportation Supervisor, Mr. Howard Whitlock, presented items 2.-3.:
1. Employment of Alison Tyler-Carodine, effective January 22, 1998 as an elementary teacher at Simsboro in a new Title I position.
2. Resignation of Jerome Johnson as a bus driver in the Ruston area effective January 30, 1998.
3. Employment of the following bus drivers in the Ruston area effective January 30, 1998:
Danny Howard to replace Jerome Johnson who resigned.
Tommy Simmons to replace Richard McFadden who retired.
Upon a motion by Mr. Abrahm, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to approve the personnel recommendations.
Secondary Alternative School Principal, Mr. Clifton Lewis, said he is grateful for the Board's confidence expressed by naming him principal of the new school. The physical plant is at the 85% stage of completion. He shared information regarding his staff, visits made to other alternative schools, and in-services. Mr. Lewis anticipates starting with a small number of 9th and 10th graders, probably 20, and ending the year with 30-35. As parents realize the advantages of the school, he expects enrollment to reach the maximum, 90, and to need a waiting list. Some discussion followed Mr. Lewis's report.
A report on the Friday, January 16, 1998 staff inservice day by Vocational Supervisor, Mrs. Barbara Kirkland, was the next item on the agenda. She said general session and group sessions for grades K-6 and 7-12 teachers, maintenance personnel, and school secretaries were held at Ruston High School. School food service staff met at Cypress Springs, transportation staff at Ruston junior High, Title I computer managers/proctors at Glen View Elementary, and Pre-K teachers met at the Title I Family Resource Center. The day's events were planned by Mr. Suggs and all supervisors. Group interest sessions and a wide variety of workshops were presented by 26 guest speakers and 20 parish teachers, with 21 additional teachers serving as workshop facilitators. Workshop attendance and participation were excellent. All in all, Ms. Kirkland felt it was a very successful day.
Superintendent Cobb expressed his appreciation to all who worked on plans for the day.
Mr. Wright called on Mr. Tim Green, C.P.A., for his Independent Auditor's Report. Mr. Green called attention to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which deals primarily with financial numbers involved in the school board operations. He summarized a few pages of special interest which included certificates received by the Lincoln Parish School Board for excellence in financial reporting for the previous reporting year; a basically clean opinion issued by his office; a change in reporting of June sales tax in the financial statements; individual fund break downs; bond information; special revenue funds including Title I and school food service; debt service funds; individual schools' activity funds; and various statistical data for the past 10 years. He ended his Independent Auditor's Report with the statement that the School Board is doing well financially.
Mr. James Webb, auditor from Mr. Green's office, presented the Single Audit Report which deals more with federal programs. He mentioned recent changes in federal program audit guidelines and the three findings cited last year. This year's report revealed no significant findings but did contain two items which were also included in last year's report, budget overruns and fixed assets. Over all, he said, findings from last year were reduced and he expressed satisfaction with the plan management put in place in order to eliminate them completely by next year.
Sales tax collections were up again this month as shared by Ms. Juanita Duke, Business Manager. The monthly collections are up 2.5% over the same month last year and 3% for the year. Recovered by audit for the month of January, 1998 was $9,086.39. This is still down about 70% from last year because of an unusually large collection last August.
Ms. Duke presented the December financial report and called attention to the shaded area for fund balances. The general fund is doing as expected. Ad valorem tax funds and district maintenance operation accounts are low as tax collection begins in January. All bond surplus monies have been expended.
Ms. Duke reminded members of the adoption of a resolution giving preliminary approval for the refinancing of Choudrant bonds at the previous meeting. Approval of the application has been given by the bond commission. Bids were submitted by Community Trust and Hibernia with Community Trust's being lower. The savings would equal approximately $43,000 and an estimated 1/2 mill reduction would occur. She recommended adoption of a resolution giving final approval for the refinancing of the remaining maturities of the Series 1987 Choudrant bonds.
Bond attorney, Mr. David Wolf, said interest rates being offered by Community Trust are 4.68% on $417,000 with a pay off date of February, 2007. The Choudrant bonds currently have a 33% millage rate which is down from 62% mills about four years ago.
Mr. Tuten left the meeting during this presentation.
Upon a motion by Mr. Kessler, seconded by Mr. Shadoin, the Board unanimously voted by poll vote to adopt the Resolution providing for the issuance and sale of Four Hundred Seventeen Thousand Dollars ($417,000) of General Obligation School Refunding Bonds, Series 1998 of Choudrant School District No. 6 of the Parish of Lincoln, State of Louisiana; prescribing the form, fixing the details and providing for the rights of the owners thereof; providing for the payment of the bonds and the application of the proceeds thereof to the refunding of certain bonds of said District; awarding the bonds to the purchaser thereof, and providing for other matters in connection therewith.
Ms. Duke reported that an out-dated phone system at the central office will gradually create a lack of communication with the office. The present approximately 18 year old phone system is obsolete and is operating at maximum capacity. No ports are available for adding new lines. Maintenance on the system is no longer cost effective and replacement parts are no longer available. Based on inquiries to telecommunication companies, she estimates the cost of a new system to be in the range of $26,000-$30,000. She requested permission to advertise for bids with an option for lease purchasing the equipment. As a point of interest, she mentioned that the system at Ruston High School is also out dated and she is gathering information in order to make a decision regarding replacing it. Since fewer phone lines are required, the cost should not warrant advertising for bids.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Dr. Beasley, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission to advertise for bids to purchase a new phone system for the central office.
In conjunction with a nationwide celebration of reading called Read Across America, Lincoln Parish Association of Educators Representative, Ms. Ruby Fields, presented a resolution to the Board. She requested the Board's commitment to partner with them in calling for every child in every school to be in the company of a book on March 2.
Upon a motion by Dr. Beasley, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to adopt the resolution presented by Ms. Fields endorsing Read Across America and the celebration of reading being planned for March 2, 1998.
Director of Auxiliary Services, Mr. Charles Owens, requested permission to advertise for bids for duplicating paper for 98-99.
Upon a motion by Mr. Barfield, seconded by Mr. Anders, the Board unanimously voted to grant permission to advertise for duplicating paper for 98-99.
When plans were drawn for the Alternative School, provisions for an experiment station and lab table were not taken into consideration, Mr. Owens said. In order to accommodate these, a water supply line and drain will need to be installed in the science classroom. Mr. Owens submitted a change order and adjusted the net contract cost in order to do so.
Upon a motion by Mr. Mitcham, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to approve the change order and add $358.60 to the net contract cost in order to install a water supply line and drain in a classroom at the Secondary Alternative School.
Mr. Owens also said that the original completion date for the Alternative School was January 26, 1998. Due to exceptionally wet weather and a delay obtaining a building permit, work was only done on approximately two thirds of the ninety days allocated for the project. He requested that the Board grant an additional thirty-three work days.
Upon a motion by Mr. Abrahm, seconded by Mr. Mack, the Board unanimously voted to approve a change order adding thirty-three work days to the Alternative School completion date.
Superintendent Cobb said that Act 478 of the 1997 Regular Session of the Legislature specifies actions which must be taken by schools and school boards in preparation for the new Louisiana accountability program. Among these responsibilities are:
1. Each school must develop an educational improvement plan for improving academic achievement or modify any existing educational improvement plan by April 1, 1998 and submit the plan to the local school board for review and approval by May 1, 1998.
2. Using 1996-97 as an initial baseline, specific goals or growth targets must be set by each school for improving all or some of these factors by the end of the 1998-99 school year.
3. School boards must select at least twenty percent of the schools in each district which shall consist of the lowest achieving schools and provide those schools additional assistance with their strategies designed to improve academic achievement to meet their identified growth targets.
In order to comply with the third item listed, Dr. Cobb included a report listing the average test scores for all of the parish public schools on all state mandated tests for the past three year period. He also included a list of the top and bottom 20% scoring schools on each category of each test. He requested the Board's approval of compliance with Act 478's school identification requirements.
Upon a motion by Mr. Anders, seconded by Dr. Beasley, the Board unanimously voted to approve the Superintendent's compliance with Act 478: School Identification.
In lieu of a report from the Superintendent, Dr. Cobb called attention to resolutions which have been submitted for consideration at the upcoming Louisiana School Board Association's Convention to be held in Lake Charles in March. Dr. Beasley asked fellow members to pay special attention to the resolutions numbered 11, 12, 15, and 19.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m.
Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President