By Dave Freneaux

An otherwise routine meeting of the Central Community School Board ended in executive session to discuss the lawsuit brought by The Lemoine Company.  The lawsuit attempts to disallow the low bid of MAPP Construction over a technicality on the bid form, which would then cause The Lemoine Company to be the low bidder.  The case was heard the following day on July 28th and Judge Kay Bates is expexted to decide the matter on August 3rd.
 
Other more routine items included changes to the Employee Benefits Package, the Student Handbook and the Employee Handbook.  Food Service Department bids were discussed and Mr. Williams, standing in for Mr. Faulk who was out of town, made recommendations for staff changes.  The Board also received a report on the progress of the Special Education Audit Action Plan from Amy McLin, who reported that excellent progress is being made toward meeting the objectives of the plan.
 
In the school construction arena, a change order was approved in the amount of $55,851.87 for the earth work package which was necessitated by the moving of drainage retention ponds due to last minute wetlands determinations.  Mr. Bogan reported that all school renovations were on or ahead of schedule.

Submitted by Bernice Nelson

A teachers' luncheon for Tanglewood Elementary School teachers has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 24th at 11:30 a.m.  Tanglewood's iLEAP test scores are #1 in the state from this past school year.  This luncheon is to thank the teachers and staff who worked hard to prepare the students for the test and to set them up for success.  If you or your business would like to contribute in any way to this luncheon, please send an email to bmnlsu@gmail.com.

Thank you to the following Central businesses who have already signed up to help:

Oak Point Fresh Market
Judy's Heavenly Hair & Skin
Sammy's Grill
Subway – Hooper Road Location
Cooper Catering & Cafe
Central Florist

Last week, the Central Community School Board awarded the construction contract for the new intermediate and middle schools to MAPP Construction.  At the end of that meeting, a representative from Lemoine Company, another bidder on the project, stated that Lemoine Company would sue over the matter due to what they consider to be an issue with the paperwork from MAPP.  Papers have now been filed by Lemoine Company to sue the Central Community School Board over the awarding of the construction contract.  You can read the full papers HERE.

Submitted by Tracy Barnes

The Central Community School Board will have a Public Hearing to discuss the proposed 2010-2011 Pupil Progression Plan on August 2, 2010 at the Central Intermediate School Library located at 10510 Joor Road, Baton Rouge, LA  70818, beginning at 6:00 PM.

 Submitted by Tracy Barnes

AGENDA

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

July 26, 2010

6:00 PM

Kristenwood Catering and Reception

14025 Greenwell Springs Road
Central, LA   
 

1. Call to Order
2. Prayer
3. Pledge
4. Roll Call
5. To consider approval of the minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting held on July 12, 2010 and the Special School Board Meeting held on July 21, 2010.
6. To consider the Superintendent’s recommendation for administrative, instructional, and support staff positions. (Mr. Williams)
7. To receive the staff’s recommendation regarding the Employee Benefits Package. (Mr. Kidwell)  
8. To consider approval of recommended changes to the Student Handbook for the 2010-2011 School Year. (Mr. Williams)
9. To receive End of Year Reports from the Student Services Department. (Mr. Williams)

   10.   To consider the staff’s recommendations to award bids for products to be
           utilized by the Food Service Department for the 2010-2011 School Year.
           (Mr. Williams) 

   11.   To receive an update on the Special Ed Audit Action Plan. (Ms. McLin)

   12.   To consider approval of recommended changes to the Employee
           Handbook for the 2010-2011 School Year. (Mr. Faulk)

   13.   To consider approval of a change order to the Earthwork Package.
           (Mr. Bogan)

   14.  Construction Coordinator’s Report

   15.   Legal Advisor’s Report

   16.  Announcements

NOTE: The following item may be discussed in Executive Session
             pursuant to La. R.S. 44:6.1(A)(2).

   17.   Discussion of The Lemoine Co. v. Central Community School District
           Board, et al, Suit No. 592795 in the 19^th Judicial District Court
           concerning the bid accepted for the construction of Central Middle
           School and Central Intermediate School. 

   18.  Adjourn

Submitted by Delia Taylor of Taylor Media

Central School Board Awards Construction Bid

for New Middle and Intermediate Schools

Board to Pursue Aggressive Construction Schedule

            CENTRAL, La.  – The Central School Board last night (July 21) awarded the contract to construct the Central Community School District’s new middle and intermediate schools to MAPP Construction, LLC, of Baton Rouge.

            Superintendent Michael Faulk said MAPP Construction’s low bid of $33,448,000 was unanimously approved by the board.  The bid includes construction costs for the two schools on the district’s 83 acres located on Sullivan Road, northeast of the Gurney Road intersection.

            Faulk said the new intermediate school, which will house grades 3-5, is scheduled to open August 2011, while the new middle school, which will house grades 6-8, is set to be completed for January 2012.

            “We are very pleased to be starting the construction phase.  The need for these new schools is much overdue.  Our student population has outgrown our current facilities, plus what we have now is outdated and costly to maintain,“ Faulk said.

            “We have asked our contractor to stay on a very aggressive schedule to get these new schools open as soon as possible.  It will be important that we take advantage of every day for us to keep our schedule,” Faulk said.

            The school board held a groundbreaking ceremony for the two new schools at the Sullivan Road property on Monday in anticipation of awarding the contract bid at Wednesday night’s special meeting. 

            Faulk said the new intermediate school will encompass about 113,000 square feet and contain 39 general classrooms and nine math/science classrooms.  The new middle school will be a 146,000-square-foot complex with 42 general classrooms and six science laboratory classrooms. 

            He said the board selected the contractors base bid, plus an alternate bid to construct 12 additional classrooms on each campus, thereby increasing each school’s capacity to 1,200 students.

            “The base plan would have only allowed for 900 students on each campus, but both of our schools are already at that number.  We had to make sure our plans allowed for some growth,” Faulk said, noting that the July 15 enrollment count for the intermediate school was 827, while the middle school count was at 894.  He anticipates more students enrolling at both schools once classes begin in August.

            Faulk said the construction bid came in within the board’s anticipated price range.  He said the plans call for two independent campuses that share a common cafeteria, but with separate entrances.  The two schools will also share access to a multi-purpose facility.

            “This plan allows for the two campuses to function separately, but with the savings of having only one cafeteria, which is the most costly building on campus,” Faulk said.

            Faulk said the district is currently leasing the former Starkey Academy and several temporary buildings to house its students in grades 3-5. The new school will allow the district to save approximately $400,000 in yearly rental costs.

            At the same time, he anticipates saved maintenance costs on managing the new middle school.  The existing Central Middle School is outdated and in need of major repairs.  Cost estimates show that the district could construct the new school for less than the cost of renovating the old one.

                Faulk said the classrooms in the new schools will be equipped with state-of-the-art educational technology that will enhance learning opportunities for students.  The campuses also will be designed for “small learning communities” to optimize cross-teaching, he said.

                Funding for the two new schools was approved by local voters in May 2009.  Voters passed a ½-cent sales tax to pay for the construction of the new middle school and a 14.4-mill property tax to pay for the construction of the new intermediate school.  Funding also was allocated in both approved tax propositions to acquire property for the new schools.

                Additionally, voters approved a third tax proposition last year — a 9.25-mill property tax — to pay for renovations at the district’s other schools.  The first phase of repairs began this summer, and the second phase is scheduled to take place during the summer of 2011.

Central High School is undergoing summer renovations.  Some of the work that is being done has caused a temporary power outage.  Due to the loss of power, the Central High School office will be closed this week and on Monday.  Normal summer business hours will resume on Tuesday, July 27th.

By Dave Freneaux

On Thursday, July 15th, the bids were opened for the construction of the new Central Middle and Intermediate Schools on Sullivan Road.  The base bids for the two schools raged from $31,440,000 to $35,437,000.  Two "Alternates" were also in the bid package.  Alternate 1 is for twelve additional classrooms, six in each school.   Alternate 2 is for another 12 classrooms, again, 6 in each school.  Bids ranged from $978,000 to $1,140,000 for each Alternate.
 
The School Board met in a special called meeting on Wednesday, July 21st, to determine whether the construction budget is sufficient to add one or both alternates to the project.  The base bid package is sufficient to house the existing population of these schools with no room for growth in enrollment.  The schools are designed to be added on to as enrollment demands, but adding the Alternates now would be the least expensive option for additional space and would provide the School System with more room, sooner.

Images submitted by Delia Taylor of Taylor Media, Article by Beth Fussell

The groundgreaking ceremony for the twwo newest Central schools took place last Monday afternoon.  The ceremony marked a major step for Central schools- one that has been years in the making.  Parents, teachers, students, and community volunteers have worked hard over the years painting and repairing various aspects of our existing schools.  Many of these volunteers have been eagerly awaiting the day that Central students get to attend new schools, and that day is just around the corner.  The intermediate school is scheduled to be completed by September of 2011, and the new middle school should follow by January 2012.

Thank you to all of the community members who have supported Central schools and who have helped provide Central students with the best school environment possible.

Above are artist's renderings of the new middle school (top picture) and the new intermediate school.

By Dave Freneaux

The crowd which gathered Monday to witness the official "Groundbreaking" of the new Central Schools included School Board members, principals, teachers, legislators, City of Central officials and many more.  Held at the newly acquired property on Sullivan Road, the event marked the beginning of the construction process targeted to complete the Intermediate School by  September of 2011 and the Middle School by January of 2012.

The top photo includes School Board members G. David Walker, Ruby Foil, Jim Gardner, Sharon Browning, Russell Starns, and Will Easley.  School Superintendent Mike Faulk and City Attorney Sheri Morris were also present.

The bottom photograph includes some people who played an important role many years ago in promoting the concept of a school system for Central: Jon Simmons, Wyndi Bonvillain, Lee Rome, and Russell Starns.