OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE

RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Regular Session

 

The Richland Parish School Board met at its offices in Rayville, Louisiana, on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, at 6:00 p.m.

 

Agenda    Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance.

Item 1

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Agenda       Members present: Mr. Leonard Guine,

Item 2         Mr. Kevin Eppinette, Mr. David Barton, Mr. Moses Wilkins

                  Mr. Joe Chapman, Ms. Dee Adams, Mr. Ray Farmer

                  Mr. Billy Calvert, Ms. Marie Lewis

                  Members Absent:  None

 

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Agenda    Mr. Barton moved, seconded by Mr. Farmer to approve the agenda with

Item 3       the addition of Item 14 – Consider Resolution.

 

VOTE:     Yeas: All       Nays:  None     Absent:  None

 

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Agenda        Mr. Barton moved, seconded by Mr. Wilkins to approve the December 10,

Item 4           2013, Regular Session minutes before publishing in the Official Journal.

 

                    VOTE:    Yeas: All       Nays:  None     Absent:  None

 

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Agenda       The Board recognized all the board members for completing the required number

Item 5           of continuing education hours for the year 2013.

                     

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Agenda     The Board recognized the outgoing board president, Mr. David Barton for his service.

Item 6         

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Agenda     The board president, Ms. Marie Lewis appointed the following members as the

Item 7         Executive Committee: 

                                                Mr. Moses Wilkins

                                                Mr. Billy Calvert

                                                Mr. Joe Chapman

                                                Ms. Marie Lewis

 

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Agenda        Mr. Guine moved, seconded by Mr. Barton to approve the sale of timber

Item 8          from S16 T16N R4E to the high bidder, Good Hope Land and Timber Management.

 

 

                                VOTE:    Yeas: All       Nays:  None     Absent:  None

 

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Agenda        Mr. Chapman moved, seconded by Mr. Barton to approve the amendment to Business

Item 9          Associate Agreement with Hospital Service District 1-A Parish of Richland, State

                     of Louisiana, d/b/a Richland Parish Hospital.

           

                                VOTE:    Yeas: All       Nays:  None     Absent:  None

        

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Agenda        The Board received a report from the Richland Parish Hospital pertaining to dental

Item 10         and medical mobile units; Mr. Barton moved, seconded by Mr. Calvert to sign the

                     MOA associated with these units.

 

                                VOTE:    Yeas: All       Nays:  None     Absent:  None

 

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Agenda        Mr. Eppinette moved, seconded by Mr. Farmer to approve the personnel action chart.

Item 11        

NAME

R/S

POSITION

LOC

EFFECTIVE

RESIGNATIONS:

 

 

 

 

Wilson, Tralanya S.

BF

Teacher

DHS

1/6/2014

Jackson, Teresa

BF

Parapro.

RJH

12/12/2013

Prewitt, Jamie

WF

Parapro.

SES

1/10/2014

Guine, Annie

BF

Teacher

DMS

1/13/14

EXTENDED SICK LEAVE:

 

 

 

 

Buie, Nichelle

BF

Teacher

DES

2/1/2014 – 4/4/2014

Reeves, Jan

WF

Teacher

RES

1/8/2014 – 4/14/2014

Prewitt, Jamie

WF

Parapro.

SES

11/1/2013 – 12/20/2013

Guillot, Cynthia

WF

Teacher

MES

1/20/14 – 3/31/14

LEAVE WITHOUT PAY:

 

 

 

 

Alexander, Wynona

WF

Teacher

MJH

12/2-12/2013

Allen, Lynzi

WF

Teacher

RCCA

12/12/13 .25, 12/13/13

Banks, Howard

BM

Paraprof.

RHS

12/9-11/2013

Guine, Annie

BF

Teacher

DMS

12/2-13/2013

Haring, Sara

WF

Spch. Thrpst.

DES

12/4/13

Howland, Kevin

WM

Teacher

DHS

12/13/13

Hoychick, Jennifer

WF

Teacher

RES

12/03/13 .28

Jackson, Teresa

BF

Paraprof.

RJH

12/2-13/2013

Pittman, Kiamaya

BF

Teacher

RES

12/2/13

Thomas, Alvin

WM

Janitor

RHS

12/5-13/2013

Watson, Vickie

WF

Teacher

DES

12/2-3/13, 12/5-6/13, 12/9-10/13

Wilson, Tralanya

BF

Teacher

DHS

12/2/13, 12/3/13 .5, 12/13/13

Spivey, Desmond

BM

Teacher

DES

1/15/2014

 

                     ROLL CALL VOTE:    

                     Yeas:          Mr. Chapman, Mr. Farmer, Mr. Eppinette, Mr. Barton, Ms. Adams, Ms. Lewis, Mr. Guine, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Wilkins

                     Nays:          None

                     Abstain:       None          

                     Absent:        None                  

                                                             Motion Carried

 

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Agenda        The Board received the following monthly reports:

Item 12          a)    School Lunch                                                                                                                      

                     b)    Sales Tax Monthly Receipts                                                                                 

                     c)    Financial - General Fund

 

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Agenda        The Board received information on upcoming school district events.

Item 13        

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Agenda        Mr. Barton moved, seconded by Mr. Farmer to approve the following

Item 14         resolution relative to St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, et al v. State of

                     Louisiana, et al; No. 622,693, Sec. 24.

 

RESOLUTION OF THE RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

WHEREAS, La. R.S. 17:81(E) provides that each school board “shall exercise proper vigilance in securing for the schools of the district all funds destined for the support of the schools, including the state funds apportioned thereto, and all other funds”; and

WHEREAS, Article 8, Section 13(B) of the Louisiana Constitution provides, in part, that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall annually develop and adopt a formula to determine the cost of a minimum foundation program of education in all public elementary and secondary schools and the Legislature shall annually appropriate funds sufficient to fully fund the current costs to the State of such a program; and

WHEREAS, Article 8, Section 13(B) also provides that “the last formula adopted by the board or its successor, and approved by the legislature shall be used for the determination of the cost of the minimum foundation program and for the allocation of funds appropriated” “whenever the legislature fails to approve the formula most recently adopted by the board”; and

WHEREAS, for fiscal year 2012-13, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education  adopted a minimum foundation program formula and submitted that formula to the Legislature for approval pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 99 of 2012; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature approved SCR 99 of 2012 and such approval was challenged in legal proceedings instituted by the Louisiana School Boards Association and others; and

WHEREAS, the Louisiana Supreme Court ultimately held that SCR 99 was unconstitutional and null and void because, in part, it was not properly approved by the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, the ruling of the Louisiana Supreme Court declaring the 2012-13 MFP to be null and void required that the 2011-12 MFP be used for the determination of the cost of the minimum foundation program in 2012-13; and

WHEREAS, the 2011-12 MFP approved by the Legislature included a 2.75% growth factor for fiscal year 2012-13; and

WHEREAS, the State did not fund the 2.75% growth factor for fiscal year 2012-13 as constitutionally mandated; and

WHEREAS, the School Board has learned that a class action lawsuit entitled St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, et al v. State of Louisiana, et al; No. 622,693, Sec. 24 on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, has been filed alleging that public school systems across the State of Louisiana were not provided with the proper funding for the 2012-13 fiscal year under the MFP; and

WHEREAS, the Louisiana School Boards Association supports the efforts of public school systems to receive the state funding to which they are lawfully entitled and has encouraged all public city and parish school boards in the State of Louisiana to participate in the lawsuit captioned above in an effort to obtain such funding; and

WHEREAS, Robert L. Hammonds of the law firm of Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP, Charles L. Patin, Jr. of the law firm of Kean Miller, LLP, and Brian F. Blackwell of the law firm of Blackwell & Associates have special expertise in the issues presented in this litigation and have agreed to represent this School Board in the aforesaid suit and have agreed to do so on a contingency fee basis (subject to the approval by the Louisiana Attorney General) so that no fees or expenses are owed by this School Board unless and until a recovery is made on its behalf;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED, by the Richland Parish School Board in regular session duly convened that:

            Section I.       The Richland Parish School Board authorizes participation as a plaintiff in the matter entitled St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, et al v. State of Louisiana, et al, No. 622,693, Sec. 24 on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana.

            Section II.      This School Board employs Robert L. Hammonds, Charles L. Patin, Jr., and Brian F. Blackwell as Special Counsel to handle such litigation on its behalf and shall pay counsel for their services according to the contingency fee agreement and power of attorney attached to this Resolution, subject to approval by the Louisiana Attorney General of such arrangement.

            Section III.     This School Board has been duly advised that the law firm of Kean Miller, LLP, and the law firm of Blackwell & Associates of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has in the past represented, and may in the future represent, school employees in matters in which this School Board is an adverse party. This School Board recognizes that such representation may present said law firms with an actual and/or potential conflict of interest. As an inducement to said law firms to undertake its representation on the terms set forth in this Resolution, this School Board irrevocably waives any past, present, or future actual and/or potential conflicts of interest generated by representation of this School Board in said litigation.

            Section IV.     Subject to approval of this Resolution by the Attorney General, this employment shall be effective immediately upon adoption of this Resolution.

 

RESOLUTION OFFERED BY:      David Barton

 

RESOLUTION SECONDED BY:   Ray Farmer

 

            The vote, in open meeting on the within resolution was as follows:

 

YEAS: Marie Lewis, Dee Adams, Leonard Guine, Ray Farmer , Billy Calvert, Joe Chapman, Moses Wilkins, Kevin Eppinette

 

NAYS: David Barton

 

ABSENT: None

 

CERTIFICATE

 

            I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Richland Parish School Board in regular session duly convened on January 14, 2014 and that same has not been rescinded or repealed.

            RAYVILLE, LOUISIANA, this 15th day of January, 2014.

 

___________________________________                 ____________________________________

Sheldon Jones, SECRETARY                                 Marie Lewis, PRESIDENT

RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD                     RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

 

                     ROLL CALL VOTE:    

                     Yeas:          Mr. Chapman, Mr. Farmer, Mr. Eppinette, Mr. Wilkins, Ms. Adams, Ms. Lewis, Mr. Guine, Mr. Calvert,

                     Nays:          Mr. Barton

                     Abstain:       None          

                     Absent:        None                  

                                                             Motion Carried

                   

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           ~~Mr. Farmer moved, seconded by Mr. Eppinette to adjourn the meeting.~~

 

                        VOTE: Yeas: All     Nays:  None    Absent:  None

 

 

 ____________________________________  ____________________________________

SHELDON JONES, SECRETARY                 MARIE LEWIS, PRESIDENT

RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD          RICHLAND PARISH SCHOOL BOARD