Proceedings of the Livingston Parish School
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE LIVINGSTON PARISH SCHOOL BOARD TAKEN AT A REGULAR SESSION HELD AT THE LIVINGSTON PARISH SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE, SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM, 13909 FLORIDA BLVD., LIVINGSTON, LOUISIANA ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016. The Livingston Parish School Board met in a regular session in the School Board Office Conference Room, 13909 Florida Blvd., Livingston, Louisiana on Thursday, January 7, 2016, at seven o’clock PM pursuant to the following notice: January 4, 2016 There will be a Regular Meeting of the Livingston Parish School Board at the School Board Office, 13909 Florida Blvd., Livingston, Louisiana on THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016, at SEVEN O’CLOCK P.M. for the following purpose and to take whatever action is necessary: 1. Election of Board Officers for 2016, President and Vice-President 2. Approval of the minutes of the School Board Meeting held on December 10, 2015 3. Authority to advertise for bids for additions and renovations, Walker High School – Ziler & Associates, “Professional of Record” – Board Member Jimmy Watson 4. Discussion and action on resolution opposing the approval of New Schools for Baton Rouge as a Local Charter Authorizer – Superintendent John Watson 5. Approval of Volunteer Coach for the 2015-2016 school year - Assistant Superintendent Rick Wentzel 6. Discussion and action on the Superintendent's recommendation for the following position: Principal - South Walker Elementary School 7. Approval of Personnel Changes– Human Resource Director Bruce Chaffin (See attached list) 8. Discussion and action on approval of Principal Designee, South Walker Elementary for 2015-2016 School Year - Human Resource Director Bruce Chaffin 9. Approval of payment of invoices ADDENDUM 10. Discussion and action on Intergovernmental Agreement for Use of Baseball Facilities and Football and Basketball Facilities – Board Member Kellee Dickerson (The Livingston Parish School Board reserves the right to enter into an Executive Session, if needed, in accordance with LSA-R.S. 42:17 et seq. to review matters of litigation strategy and settlement negotiations.) In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact Debra Sawyer of the LPPS Special Education office at (225) 686-4248. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the LPPS to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT, Sincerely, John Watson, Superintendent and Ex-Officio Secretary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The meeting was called to order by President Malcolm Sibley, and upon roll call the following members were present: PRESENT: Ms. Kellee Dickerson, Ms. Jan Benton, Ms. Karen Schmitt, Mr. Buddy Mincey, Jr., Mr. James Watson, Mr. James Richardson, Mr. Sid Kinchen, Mr. Malcolm Sibley ABSENT: Mr. Jeff Cox ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. A motion was offered by Mr. Mincey, seconded by Mr. Richardson to nominate Mr. Malcolm Sibley to serve as President of the Livingston Parish School Board for the year 2016. The vote on the motion was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox Mr. Sibley was declared President of the Board for the year 2016. A motion was offered by Mr. Kinchen, seconded by Ms. Benton to nominate Mr. Buddy Mincey, Jr. to serve as Vice-President of the Livingston Parish School Board for the year 2016. The vote on the motion was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox Mr. Mincey was declared Vice-President of the Board for the year 2016. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. A motion was offered by Mr. Kinchen, seconded by Mr. Watson to approve the minutes as corrected of the Livingston Parish School Board meeting held on December 10, 2015. The vote on the motion was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox The President declared that the motion carried and was duly adopted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. A motion was offered by Mr. Watson, seconded by Mr. Richardson to grant the Superintendent authority to advertise for bids additions and renovations, Walker High School – Ziler & Associates, “Professional of Record”. The vote on the motion was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox The President declared that the motion carried and was duly adopted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. A motion was offered by Mr. Mincey, seconded by Mr. Richardson to adopt the following resolution: RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE APPROVAL OF NEW SCHOOLS for BATON ROUGE AS A LOCAL CHARTER AUTHORIZER WHEREAS, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is considering New Schools for Baton Rouge as the first Local Charter Authorizer in the State of Louisiana; WHEREAS, the concept of a local charter authorizer is vesting a private corporation run by an unelected Board of Directors with the authority to award charters for other private entities to operate “public” charter schools; WHEREAS, the award of such a charter by the private local charter authorizer, results in the effective diversion of local tax dollars, collected by a local school district, run by a duly elected local school board, to the hands of the private charter entity; WHEREAS, the charter for such schools is never reviewed by or ruled upon by any person elected by the very taxpayers that are to be called upon to provide the public taxpayer funding; WHEREAS, the charter recipient can then contract the full and complete authority to collect the taxpayer dollars and operate the charter school to a private FOR-PROFIT corporation, “operators”, with no accountability; WHEREAS, historically such for-profit charter operators have taken the position that the employees at the so- called “public charter schools” were NOT SUBJECT TO THE CODE OF GOVERNMENTAL ETHICS, and have only recently, and reluctantly, after engaging legal counsel to fight the issue, acknowledged that they are subject to the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics; WHEREAS, the charter schools will only be subject to the supervision and administration of the unelected board of directors of the private charter recipient and the unelected board of directors of the private local charter authorizer, leaving no redress to the taxpayer for holding anyone accountable for the expenditure of public tax dollars; WHEREAS, any charter school granted a charter by New Schools for Baton Rouge, in its role as a local charter authorizer, will divert funds from, potentially, all of the school districts in the Baton Rouge Regional Labor Market that includes the following Local Education Agencies (school districts): East Baton Rouge Parish School System, the Zachary Community School System, the Baker School System the Central Community School System, the Ascension Parish School System, the East Feliciana School System, the Iberville Parish School System, the Livingston Parish School System, the Pointe Coupee School System, the St. Helena Parish School System, the Tangipahoa Parish School System, the Washington Parish School System, the West Baton Parish School System and the West Feliciana Parish School System; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Livingston Parish School Board and the Superintendent respectfully urges BESE to decline to designate New Schools for Baton Rouge as a local charter authorizer. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be submitted to BESE, the State Superintendent of Education, and to each and every member of the Livingston Parish legislative delegation, and, to Governor-elect John Bel Edwards. Upon being submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox The President declared that the motion carried and was duly adopted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. A motion was offered by Ms. Dickerson seconded by Mr. Schmitt to approve the following Volunteer Coach for the 2015/2016 School Year as presented by Assistant Superintendent Rick Wentzel: Live Oak High School - Benjamin McGrew Upon being submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows: YEAS: Ms. Dickerson, Ms. Benton, Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Mincey, Mr. Watson, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Kinchen, Mr. Sibley NAYS: None ABSENT: Mr. Cox The President declared that the motion carried and was duly adopted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. A. The Superintendent recommended the appointment of Belinda