EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015
5:00 P.M.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole met at the School Board Office at 1050 South Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 5:00 p.m. on the seventh day of May 2015, in regular-session convened. The Vice President called the meeting to order with the following members present: Mrs. Barbara Freiberg, Vice President; Mr. David Tatman, President; Mr. Mark Bellue; Mrs. Connie Bernard; Ms. Jill C. Dyason; Ms. Vereta T. Lee; Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith; Mr. Tarvald A. Smith; and Ms. Evelyn Ware-Jackson.
Others present were: Dr. Bernard Taylor, Jr., Superintendent; Mr. Michael Haggen, Deputy Superintendent for Innovation and Reform; Mr. Carlos Sam, Associate Superintendent; Dr. Herman Brister, Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services; Ms. Catherine Fletcher, Chief Business Operations Officer; Ms. Millie Williams, Interim Executive Director of Human Resources; Ms. Lizabeth Frischhertz, Chief Officer of Accountability, Assessment and Evaluation; and Mr. Domoine Rutledge, General Counsel.
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School Board Member Connie Bernard gave the invocation. School Board Member Jill Dyason led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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The following items were presented to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole by the Superintendent and staff:
By Ms. Ware-Jackson
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of a professional services contract, renewable for up to five (5) years, between the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and the LSU Gordon A. Cain Center for STEM Literacy to create and sustain a comprehensive partnership between Louisiana State University and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (6) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Ms. Dyason, Vice President Freiberg, Mr. Smith, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (2) Ms. Lee and Dr. Nelson-Smith
Abstained: (0) None
Absent: (1) President Tatman
The motion was favorably recommended to the full Board.
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By Mr. Bellue
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval to close White Hills Elementary School for the 2015-2016 school year if the current student enrollment is not increased by at least 100 students by June 30, 2015.
Seconded by Ms. Ware-Jackson
Discussion followed.
The following substitute motion was made.
By Mrs. Bernard
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby defer the following item to the June 4, 2015, Committee of the Whole meeting: approval to close White Hills Elementary School for the 2015-2016 school year if the current student enrollment is not increased by at least 100 students by June 30, 2015.
Seconded by Ms. Dyason
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (5) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Ms. Dyason, Vice President Freiberg, and President Tatman
Nays: (4) Ms. Lee, Dr. Nelson-Smith, Mr. Smith, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Abstained: (0) None
Absent: (0) None
The motion was approved for referral to the June 4, 2015, Committee of the Whole meeting.
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By President Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Education Foundations, LLC, in the amount of $25,000.00 as it relates to a federally-mandated summer school tutoring program. (Funding Source: Title I Non-Public Equitable Services).
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (7) Mr. Bellue, Ms. Dyason, Vice-President Freiberg, Ms. Lee, Mr. Smith, President Tatman, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (0) None
Abstained: (1) Dr. Nelson-Smith
Absent: (1) Mrs. Bernard
The motion was favorably recommended to the full Board.
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By President Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: acceptance of the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) grant in the amount of $188,333.00 to provide high quality professional development, instructional strategies, and resources teachers can utilize to improve student learning.
Seconded by Ms. Lee
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of all the members.
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By President Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Dr. LaTefy Schoen in the amount of $15,000.00 for academic consulting services related to the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Grant. (Funding Source: 21st CCLC Grant).
Seconded by Ms. Ware-Jackson
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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By Mr. Bellue
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Laverne Woods Dunn in the amount of $11,000.00 for family engagement consulting services related to the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Grant. (Funding Source: 21st CCLC Grant).
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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By Ms. Ware-Jackson
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval to negotiate a Scope of Work with the vendor that best meets the needs of the district as it relates to the migration of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s e-mail system from Novell GroupWise to Office 365.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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By President Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby defer the following item to the June 4, 2015, Committee of the Whole meeting: approval to relocate the EBR Readiness Program from the Town South Shopping Center on Staring Lane to the White Hills site for the 2016-2017 school year.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (8) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Ms. Dyason, Vice President Freiberg, Ms. Lee, Mr. Smith, President Tatman and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (0) None
Abstained: (1) Dr. Nelson-Smith
Absent: (0) None
The motion was approved for referral to the June 4, 2015, Committee of the Whole meeting.
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By Mrs. Bernard
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of the lease contract extension for the Nicholson Elementary School site between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and the Children’s Charter School, Inc., for the period of July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2017.
Seconded by Ms. Lee
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Mr. Smith was absent.)
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By President Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of proposed middle school assignment changes for the 2015-2016 school year and related matters.
Seconded by Dr. Nelson-Smith
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Mr. Smith was absent.)
By Dr. Nelson-Smith
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board meeting schedule for 2015-2016.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of all the members.
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Public Information
Notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. at the Parish School Board Office, 1050 South Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Parish School Board of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, plans to consider adopting a Resolution ordering and calling an election to be held in Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of East Baton Rouge to authorize the renewal of ad valorem taxes.
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There being no further business, the Committee of the Whole adjourned by acclamation.
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Dr. Bernard Taylor, Jr.
Secretary/Treasurer to the East Baton
Rouge Parish School Board
Committee of the Whole