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This report is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools
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Greetings!
The following report is from the Thursday, December 15, 2011, Committee Meetings and Special Meeting of the Orleans Parish School Board.
***This email is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools and is not an official correspondence from the Orleans Parish School Board*** |
Legal and Legislative Committee
Discussed legal and litigation matters in Executive Session
Executive Session- OPSB vs. Lexington Insurance Co. et al - Insurance Litigation - Status Report
- OPSB's Return of Schools Litigation with the State
- Settlement Recommendation in a Worker's Compensation Case
- Settlement Recommendation in a Personal Injury Case
- Litigation Report Presentation (FY 2010-2011)
Open Session - General Counsel reported that Items 1 & 2 were discussed in Executive Session
- Items 3 through 5 were deferred until the next OPSB Business Meeting
Property Committee Received and discussed reports and took action as indicated
Action Items Forwarded items to full Board with recommendations for approval
- Emergency repairs to Karr HS gym
- Forwarded and recommended plan for emergency structural and safety repairs
- Safety issue from termite damage - $194,000 budget
- Architectural and engineering services for Master Plan Phase II projects
- Forwarded item to full Board - specific list of firms not distributed
- Eight RFQs publicly issued for various professional services for capital projects
- Joint selection with OPSB and RSD
- Administration will present in January recommended project budgets and specific designer assignments
- Modular project for Eastbank swing space
- Forwarded and recommended procurement for modulars at Jean Gordon
- M-Space Holdings - $4,167,190.76
- First use is housing Audubon during renovations to its Broadway campus
Discussion/Information Items
Received and discussed reports from Administration
- Lake Forest ES New School
- OPSB has closed on purchase of former private school site at Wright & Lake Forest
- Removal of old school bus UST and environmental clean-up of area is nearing completion
- Project budget and designer will be recommended in January
- Concern was expressed to Administration about suggestions of new school sharing site with a new RSD high school
- Cafeteria renovations at Ashe site (Franklin ES Extension)
- Hidden code and environmental issues were discovered
- Budget amendment forthcoming to address - $260,000
- Total project will also include addressing dumpster pad and lodge building
- Harte ES New School Bid Opening
- Was held earlier in the day
Reports
Received printed report and deferred discussion
Accountability Committee
Received and reviewed reports and took action as indicated
Action Items
- Charter School Application Recommendations from NACSA
- OPSB contracted with National Association of Charter School Authorizers to evaluate applications.
- NACSA reviewed the six applications submitted to OPSB this year
- None of the applications were recommended by NACSA for approval
- Superintendent Kilbert summarized NACSA's assessment of strengths and weaknesses of each application
- Committee heard concerns from community-based applicants who wanted to appeal denials
- Committee decided to refer this matter back to the Administration to meet with applicants on potential to correct weaknesses before OPSB takes action on NACSA recommendations in January
Policy Committee
Received and reviewed reports and took action as indicated
Reports
- Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE)
- HR reported the hiring process for unit administrator is nearing completion
- Policy E500 - Facilities, Capital and Maintenance Management
- Currently prohibits alcoholic beverages from OPSB property
- Hynes Charter PTA is holding an upscale gala on February 4 to raise funds for more improvements to new school and requests ability to serve alcohol on a limited, controlled basis
- Three-drink limit, controlled by managed ticket distribution
- Professional bartenders and security
- Liability insurance covering PTA, Charter board, and OPSB
- Committee approved a recommendation to full Board to suspend the policy for that one event, subject to specified limitations and controls
Policies for 2nd Reading
- Forwarded to the full Board with recommendation to adopt amendments to current Policy J939 - Bullying, Intimidation, Harassment and Hazing
Budget and Finance Committee
Deferred agenda to OPSB Meeting on 12/20/2011
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Action Items
Discussed recommendations from Administration and took action as indicated Support for Anti-Bullying Bill
- Adopted Resolution 34-11
- Support for the Anti-Bullying Bill calling upon the Louisiana School Boards Association to support an anti-bullying bill, with enumerated classes, in the 2012 Regular Legislative Session
Qualified School Construction Bonds
- Adopted Resolution 33-11 - Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB)
- Final approval of Bond Sale to generate $79,055,000 in capital funds for Master Plan projects
- Specific project budgets to be jointly developed with OPSB and RSD
- Potential to help both existing buildings not yet funded for renovations as well as charter-generated projects
- Facilitates funding of Master Plan projects with tax credits
- Program established by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) - federal job stimulus program
- Debt is interest-free to OPSB because it is covered by federal tax credits
- Highlights of presentation by OPSB's Bond Counsel and Financial Advisors
- Resulted from financial team looking at Master Plan during amendment process
- No new taxes required to service the debt because it was paired with refinancing of existing debt
- No principal payments due until 2015 and will be paid off by 2021
- OPSB total annual debt service will be down $ 6 million by 2015
- OPSB will be totally debt-free by 2021
- Had been previously discussed during public OPSB and Committee Meetings (5/13/2009; 6/10/2009; 8/13/2010; 8/17/2010; 7/19/2011; 11/17/2011)
- Several speakers, including RSD Superintendent John White, questioned the necessity, the timing, or the public notice of the bond sale, and/or if it jeopardized school operational funding
- Additional information on the QSCB program can be found from the following links:
Presentations/Discussions
Received and discussed reports
Financial Report - November 30, 2011
- Administration is trying to resolve with City delays in the transmittal of collected sales tax revenues
- Administration is meeting with Algiers Charter Schools Association to obtain a reimbursement of $ 1.8 million in MFP advances
Tax Roll Forward
- Invited public discussion on rolling forward millages
- Several persons expressed disappointment in the 2012 millage not being rolled up and urged OPSB to roll up its 2013 millages as early as possible
- Generally, it was acknowledged that it was too late to roll up the 2012 millages
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This service is made possible by a Community IMPACT 2010 Grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
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