EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 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 fifth day of November 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; Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith; and Ms. Evelyn Ware-Jackson. Ms. Vereta T. Lee was absent.
Others present were: H. Warren Drake, Jr., Superintendent; Dr. Michelle Clayton, Deputy Superintendent; 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. School Board Member Mark Bellue 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 Mr. Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval to allow the Superintendent to evaluate and engage governmental relations consultants, with the concurrence of Board leadership, and to provide for related matters.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (6) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Vice President Freiberg, Dr. Nelson-Smith, President Tatman, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (1) Ms. Dyason
Abstained: (0) None
Absent: (1) Ms. Lee
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 revise the job description for Supervisor of Employee Benefits and change the title to Coordinator of Employee Benefits.
Seconded by Dr. Nelson-Smith
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee 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: authorization to issue a Request for Information (RFI) to determine costs associated with retrofitting buses with air conditioning.
Seconded by Mr. Tatman
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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Resolution
By Mrs. Bernard
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: adoption of a Resolution that qualifies the East Baton Rouge Parish School System to apply for the 2016-2019 Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) Grant.
Seconded by Ms. Ware-Jackson
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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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 proposed School Calendar for 2016-2017.
Seconded by Mr. Tatman
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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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 East Baton Rouge Parish School System financial audit results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.
Seconded by Ms. Dyason
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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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 Proposed 2015-2016 Adult Education State, Adult Education Federal, and Adult EL Civics Budgets.
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee 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 of the 2015-2016 Title III Supplemental Immigrant Unaccompanied Youth Grant Budget.
Seconded by Dr. Nelson-Smith
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee 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 of the Community Partnership Grants Program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation in the amount of $3,000.00 to purchase musical instruments and band supplies. (Grant Recipient: Park Forest Middle School).
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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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 two (2), one (1) year contracts between the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and Louisiana State University to provide services under the Louisiana Department of Education Believe and Prepare Cohort 3 program; and the Proposed 2015-2016 Believe and Prepare Cohort 3 Grant Budget in the amount of $350,000.00 for the following eleven (11) schools: Claiborne, Howell Park, Melrose, Merrydale, and Park Forest Elementary Schools, Tara High School, Northdale and Greenville Superintendent’s Academies, EBR Readiness Academy, Sherwood Middle, and McKinley High to strengthen the capacity of mentor teachers to support English.
Seconded by Mr. Tatman
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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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 a three (3) year Believe and Succeed School Improvement Grant (SIG) in the amount of $1,270,500.00 and a three (3) year contract with Success for All Foundation, Inc., in the amount of $526,965.60 to service these eligible schools; and consideration of a request for approval of the Proposed 2015-2016 Believe and Succeed School Improvement Grant (SIG) Budget for the following four (4) eligible schools: Claiborne ($142,174.65), Howell Park ($151,608.60), Merrydale ($128,971.84), and Park Forest ($143,100.50) Elementary Schools.
Seconded by Mr. Tatman
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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By Mr. Tatman
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole does hereby favorably recommend the following item: approval of the Preliminary Actual Semi-Annual 2014-2015 Financial Tax Plan update and the Proposed 2015-2016 Tax Plan budgets for Propositions 1, 2, and 3.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Favorably recommended to the full Board by a vote of the members present. (Ms. Lee was absent.)
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There being no further business, the Committee of the Whole adjourned by acclamation.
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Warren Drake, Jr.
Secretary/Treasurer to the East Baton
Rouge Parish School Board
Committee of the Whole