Submitted by Tracy Barnes

AGENDA

SPEICAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

July 21, 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. Consideration of bids for the New Intermediate & New Middle School- Building Package and the recommendations of staff regarding the award of the base bid and either Alternate No. 1 or Alternate No. 1 and Alternate No. 2.
6. Consideration of accepting and awarding the contract for the New Intermediate & New Middle School Building Package.
7. Adjourn  

Submitted by Central Private School

Rhett Seguin, a ninth grade student at CPS, recently returned from Washington DC, where he attended a People to People World Leadership Forum.  Rhett, along with fellow delegates from around the world, studied leadership and explored some of the most prominent monuments and institutions of the United States.  Various hands-on activities, professional speakers, workshops, and visits to the White House, Smithsonian Institution, Gettysburg National Military Park, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and Capitol Hill gave Rhett a new perspective on the importance and essential need for informed world leaders.  The People to People World Leadership Forum offers students a unique blend of specialized educational, leadership, and cultural exposure through a variety of programs, as well as an itinerary filled with the highlights of the hosting community.  Rhett is the son of Larry and Kim Seguin of Greenwell Springs.  He is the grandson of Margaret Rome of Greenwell Springs, the late Roger Rome and Lawrence and Betty Seguin of Centreville, MS.

Submitted by Cathy Hernandez

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

6th Grade
Tuesday, August 17th
A – K – 9:00 A.M.
L – Z – 11:00 A.M.

7th & 8th Grade
Wednesday, August 18th
A – Z – 9:00 A.M.

Algebra I Entrance Exam
(For students transferring from other schools)
Wednesday, August 18th – 10:30 A.M.

Special Education
Wednesday, August 18th – 11:00 A.M.

Submitted by Charles Lieux

Alicen Violet Lieux is a graduate from Victory Christian Academy.  Alicen was the Valedictorian with honors and a 4.0 grade point average.  She was also chosen as Ms. VCA along with Caleb Harris, who was named Mr. VCA.  Alicen will be a freshman at Central High School this coming school year, where she will be a member of the freshman cheerleading squad.  Caleb Harris will also be attending Central High, where he will be a freshman football player.  Alicen is the daughter of Charles and Tammy Lieux and sister to Kelsey and Sarah Grace.  Caleb is the son of William and Melonie Harris and brother to sister Morgan and brother Colin.  Alicen and Caleb are both pictured below.

Submitted by Taylor Media

Central, La. – The Central School Board will hold a ground breaking ceremony at 5 p.m. Monday on its Sullivan Road property to commemorate the start of construction for the new middle school and intermediate school.

            Both schools will be constructed on an 83-acre tract located at 12656 Sullivan Road.  The property is located northeast of the intersection of Gurney Road and Sullivan Road. 

School officials, local dignitaries and community leaders, as well as project architects and engineers will be in attendance.  The public is invited to attend.

            Ross Bogan, construction coordinator for Central Schools, said construction will begin simultaneously on both schools.  The intermediate school is projected to be complete by August 2011, and the middle school will be built by January 2012.  The projected cost for building the two schools is estimated at $35 million, he said.

He said the school district is planning to construct three driveway entrances off Sullivan Road and one off Devall Road to manage traffic flow.

            “We are working with a very aggressive timeline,” Bogan said.  “The sooner we can get our students in these buildings, the sooner they have access to a better, safer learning environment.”

            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.

            Voters also passed 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 the repairs began this summer, and the second phase is scheduled to take place during the summer of 2011.

            Superintendent Michael Faulk said the new middle school, which will house grades 6-8, will encompass about 135,000 square feet and contain 30 general classrooms and six science laboratory classrooms.  It will replace the existing Central Middle School that is outdated and in need of major repairs.  Cost estimates showed that the district could construct the new school for less than the cost of renovating the old one.

            The new intermediate school, which will house grades 3-5, will be a 100,000-square-foot complex with 27 general classrooms and nine math/science classrooms.  The district is currently leasing the former Starkey Academy and several temporary buildings to house these grades.  The new school will allow the district to save approximately $400,000 in yearly rental costs.

            “The classrooms in these new schools will be equipped with state-of-the-art educational technology that will enhance learning opportunities.  We will have multiple data drops, overhead projectors and interactive whiteboards for multi-media lesson opportunities,” Faulk said.

            “The campuses are also designed for ‘small learning communities’ to optimize instruction.  Classrooms will be arranged in grade houses to maximize collaboration among teachers, students and counselors specific to a particular grade,” he said.

During the July 12th School Board meeting a reference was made to an audit being done by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.  When asked about the audit, System Superintendent Faulk provided the following press release:

Following last night’s School Board meeting, I received inquiries concerning a reference made to an audit. The School Board’s financial records are required to be audited at the end of each fiscal year. The records for the fiscal year which ended June 30, 2010 will be audited over the next few months by the accounting firm of Hannis T. Bourgeois, as the financial records for the previous fiscal years have been.

Additionally, the Legislative Auditor’s Office , which according to its website oversees more than 3,500 audits of state and local governments and their related quasi-public enterprises, has over the past several weeks been reviewing School Board records. The School Board’s staff and I have and will continue to facilitate the Legislative Auditor’s review of the School Board’s records.

The financial audit is expected to be completed by early December. Once completed the financial audit will be presented at the School Board meeting, copies of the financial audit will be available for public inspection and the financial audit will be posted on the School Board’s website. Additionally, in the event the Legislative Auditor issues a report, that report will be made available for public inspection and posted on the School Board’s website.

Audits and reviews often result in recommendations to strengthen control systems and/or improve efficiency. The School Board and its staff are committed to implementation of controls to ensure the efficient management the public’s resources.

By Dave Freneaux

About a hundred citizens and teachers attended the July 12th meeting of the Central Community School Board, many in anticipation of the discussion of the recent Special Education Audit.  School Board Member Guilbeau requested the discussion but School Board President Sharon Browning elected to address the meeting first.  She read a prepared statement of some four or five pages describing from her perspective all that had transpired dating back to approximately a year ago involving allegations of intimidation of teachers.  Ms. Browning also addressed the process by which the School System identified problems within the Special Education department and detailed the steps that have been taken to correct the issues and move forward.
 
Mr. Guilbeau then addressed the meeting and stated that he was pleased with the end result of the corrections to the problems in the Special Education department and he expressed a great deal of confidence that under the leadership of the newly hired Amy McLin the department would continue to improve.  However, Mr. Guilbeau was not satisfied that the issue of alleged intimidation and threatening of teachers has been properly and completely dealt with.  He pointed out, and Ms. Browning agreed, that there has been no document or report written evidencing how the alleged issues were dealt with.
 
The meeting then heard from the individual who was hired to perform the Special Education Audit.  She spent a great deal of time extolling the virtues of Central's teachers and the great and positive things she sees possible as the School System moves forward.
 
When the public was invited to speak, Pastor Ron Erickson summed up the feeling of he and another citizen by pointing out that when an issue is not dealt with completely, and understood and learned from, the unresolved issue almost always becomes a problem in the future.  He urged the School Board not to simply walk away from unresolved allegations.
 
So now Central has two approaches to a single issue.  The majority of the School Board and the auditor are urging everyone to accept that the issue was dealt with internally a year ago, and to leave it alone and move on.  School Board members Guilbeau Starns, who voted unsuccessfully at the last School Board meeting to authorize an investigation of the allegations, feel it is wrong not to fully discover what, if anything, happened.  Mr. Guilbeau has stated that refusing to fully understand this issue sends a message of non-support to all teachers.  Regardless of who is right or wrong in their assessment of these allegations and how to handle them, it is possible that the division and dysfunction in the School Board itself is the larger problem with greater consequences for the Central Community School System.

Submitted by Central Private School

School might be out for the summer, but the Central Private Parents’ Club has been busy.  At the end of May new officers were elected, and the momentum of this vital club has never missed a beat. 

The Central Private Parents’ Club’s (CPPC) purpose is to raise funds to offset the cost of educational, technological and other improvements to Central Private that fall outside of the school’s tuition-based operating budget. 

In addition to raising funds, CPPC performs many service projects.  Their latest event was a prime example of both a fundraiser and service project.  Last Saturday, CPPC hosted a Used Uniform Sale providing slightly used uniform items at a bargain price.  Families donated usable uniforms and CPPC organized the sale.  The profits will be returned to the school by funding various projects. 

The club had an on-line School Supplies Fundraiser which ended at the end of June.  Parents of students in K-4 thru 8^th grade were given the opportunity to order their student(s) school supplies on-line.  The school supplies that were ordered on-line will be shipped directly to the parents’ homes in time for the beginning of school.  This was the second year that this service has been offered, and it was a great success as it takes the frustration out of shopping for all the hard-to-find items on the school supply lists.

CPPC welcomes all parents/guardians of Central Private students to its meetings, which are held at 6:30 P.M. on the second Tuesday of every month in the Upper Elementary Library.

Since our last qualifier announcement, there have been additional qualifiers for the School Board race.  Friday afternoon, two more candidates qualified to run in District 1 against incumbent Russell Starns.  Henry Goudeau and James Lloyd are now in the race for the Central School Board's District 1 seat. 

Now that qualifying is over, it can be announced that G. David Walker (District 3), Willard Easley (District 4), Jim Gardner (DIstrict 5), and Sharon Browning (District 7) are all officially running unopposed.

Submitted by Tracy Barnes

AGENDA

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

July 12, 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. Recognition and Awards (Mr. Faulk)
6. To consider approval of the minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting held on June 28, 2010 and the Special School Board Meeting held on July 6, 2010.
7. To consider the Superintendent’s recommendation for administrative, instructional and support staff positions. (Mr. Faulk)
8. To receive information to consider action relative to the Employee Benefits Package. (Wright & Percy Representatives)
9. To consider and take action with respect to adopting a resolution authorizing the advertising for sealed bids for the purchase of $9,000,000 of Sales Tax Bonds, Series 2010 A, of the Central Community School System and providing for other matters in connection therewith. (Mr. Grant Schlueter)

   10.    To discuss the Special Education Audit. (Mr. Guilbeau)

   11.    To consider approval of the Employee Handbook for the 2010-2011 School Year. (Mr. Faulk)        

   12.    To grant the staff permission to advertise for bids for instructional materials. (Mr. Faulk)

   13.    To consider approval of a contract for Network and Design and Support Services. (Mr. Faulk)

   14.    To adopt a resolution to establish the millage rates for the 2010 Tax Rolls. (Mr. Faulk)

   15.    To receive for review recommend changes to the Student Handbook for the 2010-2011 School Year. (Mr. Faulk)

   16.    Construction Coordinator’s Report

   17.    Superintendent’s Report

   18.    Legal Adviser’s Report

   19.    Announcements 

   20.    Adjourn