REGULAR MEETING OF THE
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
5:00 P.M.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board met at the School Board Office at 1050 South Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 5:00 p.m. on the seventeenth day of September 2015, in regular-session convened. The President called the meeting to order with the following members present:Mr. David Tatman, President; Mrs. Barbara Freiberg, Vice President; Mr. Mark Bellue; Mrs. Connie Bernard; Ms. Jill C. Dyason; Ms. Vereta T. Lee; Mr. Tarvald A. Smith; and Ms. Evelyn Ware-Jackson. Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith was absent.
Others present were: H. Warren Drake, Jr., Superintendent; Dr. Michelle Clayton, Deputy Superintendent; Mr. Domoine Rutledge, General Counsel; Ms. Adonica Pelichet-Duggan, Chief of Communication and Public Relations; Ms. Catherine Fletcher, Chief Business Operations Officer; Ms. Millie Williams, Chief Officer of Human Resources; Mr. Gary Reese, Chief of Student Support Services; and Mr. Adam Smith, Associate Superintendent of Academics.
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School Board Member Evelyn Ware-Jackson gave the invocation. Cadet First Lieutenant Rebecca Morris, Northeast High School, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Shirley Sutton, Senior Army Instructor, led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Seconded by Mr. Smith
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Mrs. Bernard and Dr. Nelson-Smith were absent.)
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Adoption of a Resolution Proclaiming the Month of October as “Anti-Bullying Month”
By Mrs. Bernard
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby adopt a Resolution proclaiming the month of October as “Anti-Bullying Month.”
Seconded by Vice-President Freiberg
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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Approval of Consent Agenda Items, Excluding Item #14 and #15
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve the Consent Agenda items, excluding item #14 and #15.
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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Items approved by the Committee of the Whole for recommendation to the Board:
Approval of a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Jennifer Jacobson in the amount of $19,000.00 for professional development. (Funding Source: Curriculum and Instruction)
Approval to renew a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Southern University and A&M College for one (1) extern to assist I CARE with intervention and related matters. (Funding Source: I CARE)
Approval to administer a norm-referenced assessment to all students applying for an admission-based magnet program in Grades 4-11, beginning with the 2016-2017 application period.
Approval of revisions to the Pupil Progression Plan for the 2015-2016 school year.
Authorization for staff to advertise, accept the low bid meeting specifications, and make the award of a contract for the facility modifications and maintenance improvements at Broadmoor High School, or reject any and all bids for just cause in accordance with the Louisiana Public Bid Law; Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 38; Chapter 10.
Approval of the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Grant in the amount of $20,000.00 for two (2) years for the PLTW Gateway Introduction to Computer Science in Grades 7 and 8 at Northeast High School, $17,000.00 in year one and $3,000.00 in year two, for the period of June 15, 2015, through June 15, 2017.
Approval of the Believe and Prepare Community Development Grant in the amount of $10,000.00 to develop a new teacher preparation program at McKinley and Lee High Schools.
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Approval to Renew a Contract
By Mrs. Bernard
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve to renew a contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Mercer to provide employee benefits consulting for a period of three (3) years, beginning January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2018, for an amount of $125,000.00 annually.
Seconded by Mr. Smith
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (7) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Vice-President Freiberg, Ms. Lee, Mr. Smith, President Tatman, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (0) None
Abstained: (1) Ms. Dyason
Absent: (1) Dr. Nelson-Smith
The motion was declared adopted.
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Approval to Renew a Contract
By Vice-President Freiberg
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve to renew a contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Express Scripts Pharmacy for a period of three (3) years, beginning February 1, 2016, through January 31, 2019.
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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Approval of Admission Criteria for Lee Magnet High School
By Mrs. Bernard
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby give approval to change the admission criteria for Lee Magnet High School to: eliminate the portfolio and interview requirements; require students to have a 2.5 cumulative grade point average for the last four consecutive semesters; and perform proficiently on a district-based assessment in English Language Arts and mathematics, effective with the 2016-2017 application period.
Seconded by Vice-President Freiberg
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Dr. Nelson-Smith was absent.)
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Approval of a Professional Services Contract
By Vice-President Freiberg
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve a professional services contract between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and Contrast Films, LLC, in the amount of $71,800.00 as it relates to production and video for magnet schools and general publicity use. The Board authorizes Superintendent Drake to finalize and approve the final document. (Funding Source: General Fund – Magnet/Communications Departments)
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Unanimously adopted by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee, Dr. Nelson-Smith and Mr. Smith were absent.)
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There being no further business, the Board adjourned by acclamation.
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H. Warren Drake, Jr.,
Secretary/Treasurer to the Board