REGULAR MEETING OF THE
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
5:55 P.M.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board met at the School Board Office at 1050 South Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 5:55 p.m. on the nineteenth day of November 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; Dr. Jacqueline Mims; Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith; and Ms. Evelyn Ware-Jackson.
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. 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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Resolved, that, the reading of the minutes of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board meetings of October 15, 2015, School Board meeting, November 2, 2015, Special School Board meeting, and the November 5, 2015, Committee of the Whole meeting, be dispensed with and that they be approved as published in the Official Journal.
Seconded by Ms. Ware-Jackson
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Approval of Consent Agenda Items, Excluding Items #10, #11, and #14
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve the Consent Agenda items, excluding item #10, #11, and #14.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Items approved by the Committee of the Whole for recommendation to the Board:
Authorization to issue a Request for Information (RFI) to determine costs associated with retrofitting buses with air conditioning.
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.
Approval of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System financial audit results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.
Approval of the Proposed 2015-2016 Adult Education State, Adult Education Federal, and Adult EL Civics Budgets.
Approval of the 2015-2016 Title III Supplemental Immigrant Unaccompanied Youth Grant Budget.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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Approval to Evaluate and Engage Governmental Relations Consultants
By Mrs. Freiberg
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby give 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 Mr. Bellue
The vote on the motion was as follows:
Yeas: (8) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Vice-President Freiberg, Ms. Lee, Dr. Mims, Dr. Nelson-Smith, President Tatman, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Nays: (1) Ms. Dyason
Abstained: (0) None
Absent: (0) None
The motion was declared adopted.
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Approval of Revised Job Description
By Ms. Dyason
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby give approval to revise the job description for Supervisor of Employee Benefits and change the title to Coordinator of Employee Benefits.
Seconded by Mrs. Bernard
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Approval of Proposed School Calendar for 2016-2017
By Mr. Bellue
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve the proposed School Calendar for 2016-2017.
Seconded by Mrs. Freiberg
Discussion followed. The following substitute motion was made.
By Ms. Lee
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve the proposed School Calendar for 2016-2017 with the following change being made to the twelve (12) month employee calendar: Twelve (12) month employees will receive the day before Thanksgiving as part of their Thanksgiving Holiday.
Seconded by Dr. Nelson-Smith
The vote on the substitute motion was as follows:
Yeas: (4) Vice-President Freiberg, Ms. Lee, Dr. Mims, and Dr. Nelson-Smith
Nays: (5) Mr. Bellue, Mrs. Bernard, Ms. Dyason, President Tatman, and Ms. Ware-Jackson
Abstained: (0) None
Absent: (0) None
The substitute motion failed.
The vote on the original motion was unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Approval of a Resolution
By Mr. Bellue
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve a Resolution providing for the canvassing of the returns and declaring the results of the Special Election held in Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, on Saturday, October 24, 2015, to authorize the renewal of special taxes therein.
Seconded by Dr. Mims
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Approval of the Education Excellence Funds Budget
By Mrs. Bernard
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby approve the Education Excellence Funds budget.
Seconded by Mr. Bellue
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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By Mrs. Bernard
Resolved, that, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby authorize staff to advertise, accept the low bids meeting specifications and make the award of a contract in the area of literacy interventions, or reject any and all bids for just cause in accordance with the Louisiana Public Bid Law; Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 38; Chapter 10.
Seconded by Ms. Dyason
Unanimously adopted by a vote of all the members.
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Approval to Remove Item #25
Superintendent Drake requested that the following item be removed from the agenda: approval to renew the Memorandum of Understanding between the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board and the Foundation for EBRSS for one (1) additional term.
There was no objection by the School Board to remove the item.
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There being no further business, the Board adjourned by acclamation.
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Warren Drake, Jr.,
Secretary/Treasurer to the Board