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Brought to you by
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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 Orleans Parish School Board regular monthly Board Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the McDonogh #35 High School and Special Board Meeting on Thursday, February 21, at Noon in its Timbers Office Building, 3520 General DeGaulle Drive.
***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***
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BUSINESS MEETING - TUESDAY, FEB. 19
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The full agenda and back-up materials for the Business Meeting can be found here. At the beginning of the meeting, there was considerable discussion over a proposal to add to the agenda the consideration of Leveraged Financing for the Wheatley School. Several speakers, including RSD Superintendent Patrick Dobard, urged the Board to add the item to the agenda so that the financing plan could be timely implemented.
By law, additions to the agenda require by unanimous approval of the Board Members present. Board President Ira Thomas opposed the addition and the item was not added to the agenda.
However, at the formal request of three OPSB members, the matter was set for the Special Board Meeting through its posted agenda.
Reports
Receipt and discussion of information from the Administration and/or invited presenters with no other action taken:
- Financial Statements for December 2012
- Discussion of report deferred
- Capital Projects Report
- Discussion of report deferred
- External Audit Presentation - 2012
- Can be read here
- Report was generally positive with no significant negative findings
- Sales/exchange of properties with HANO
- Due to clarifications in state law allowing intergovernmental sales at appraised value without bidding, the sales of the former Augustine, Bell and Mondy campuses will now be negotiated rather than handled as a "friendly" expropriation
- Booker T. Washington HS site expansion
- Proceeding with appraisals and environmental testing at the site of the old tomato warehouse across street from school
- RFP for Superintendent Search Services
- RFP for search consultant can be out in 30 days
- Stand for Children
- Delegation said organization supports OPSB, will hold members accountable, and wants public role in superintendent search
- Anti-Bullying
- Loyola student Dwayne Fontenot working with students in five schools on anti-bullying campaign
Action Items
Considered recommendations from Administration and/or Board President and took action as indicated
- Board Committee Appointments for 2012
- Approved recommendations of Board President
- Accountability: Usdin (Chair), Marshall, Cade, Koppel
- Budget & Finance: Ellison (Chair), Koppel, Marshall, Bloom
- Legal & Legislative: Bloom (Chair), Cade, Usdin, Koppel
- Policy: Cade (Chair), Usdin, Ellison, Bloom
- Property: Marshall (Chair), Koppel, Ellison, Cade
- Judgments and Settlements
- No funds to be so appropriated in FY 2013 Budget
- Master Plan Oversight Committee Appointments
- Approved James Alack and Michael Siegel as members
- Approved Nolan Marshall as OPSB representative and MPOC Chair
- NOCCA Board of Directors Appointment
- Approved Seth Bloom as OPSB representative
- Bell South - Bundy Road Facility - New Orleans East
- Approved non-binding purchase agreement for acquisition to evaluate conversion to school facility
- Note: It is unclear in Amended Master Plan which project this would house
- Behrman School - New Site Acquisition
- Approved extension of purchase agreement to obtain additional information for negotiations
- Constance Street school site (former Stern Site)
- Approved sale at or above appraised value to adjoining Kingsley House
- Authorized by recent State legislative action
- Exchange of OPSB's Surplus Bodenger Site for City's Fox Playground
- Approved exchange to expand Landry HS campus
- Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with City Relative to NFL Sales Tax Exemptions
- Approved waiving $150,000 to $200,000 in sales tax in order to realize $600,000 to $800,000 from Super Bowl
- Nullification of Interim Superintendent's Employment Contract
- General Counsel reported that some provisions of the contract had not been approved by OPSB
- Approved substitute motion to negotiate clarification in terms and conditions
- Algiers Bus Barn - Rejection of Sales Bid
- Approved rejection because purchaser at auction offered much less than appraised value
Executive Session
Recessed to discussed legal and/or personnel matters confidentially, after which reconvened in Public Session and took the action as indicated
- Demand by City Inspector General to Audit OPSB
- General Counsel reported that OPSB had received a status report from its outside special counsel on a voluntary audit agreement
- Nullification of Employment Contract for Deputy Superintendent for Charter Schools
- General Counsel reported some legal problems with the signed contract as written
- Proposed actions failed to pass
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SPECIAL MEETING - THURSDAY, FEB. 21
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The purpose of the Special Meeting was to discuss and consider several actions relative to obtaining the financing for the School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish, as Amended in 2011, with respect to New Market Tax Credits and State Historic Tax Credits. In particular, the Meeting's agenda dealt with several complex transactions involving the leveraged financing for the new Wheatley School using New Market Tax Credits.
The full agenda and back-up materials for the Special Meeting can be found here.
The provisions of the previously adopted Master Plan Amendments that contain the reference to the tax credit financing can be found on page 9 here.
Background Information
Provided by Administration and Board's financial consultants
Discussion
Questions and comments by OPSB members, RSD staff and the general public
Action Item
Took action as indicated
Recess to Orleans Parish Schools Facilities Foundation, Inc. Meeting
Recessed to allow its newly created foundation to take action as needed
- Elected officers
- Approved a group of items related to closing the financing
Reconvene Special OPSB Meeting
Reconvened as the School Board to take action as indicated
- Ratified the proceedings of the Orleans Parish Schools Facilities Foundation, Inc. above
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This service is made possible by a Community IMPACT 2012 Grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation and funding from the Robert Reily Family Trust and the Smith/Cooper Foundation
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