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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 Orleans Parish School Board held its regular monthly Business Meeting on Tuesday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the McDonogh #35 High School.
The agenda and back-up documentation can be read here. At the beginning of the meeting, Ms. Caroline Roemer Shirley of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools urged the Board to add to its agenda a request to the State Attorney General for an opinion as to whether or not Board President Ira Thomas's service on the Board violated the state prohibition against dual office holding. She said that she understood from the previous Board meeting that the Board President would place the request on the April agenda. President Thomas stated that it was subsequently realized that Board action was not necessary because he, as an elected official, was empowered to request such an opinion and that he was already doing so. Thereafter, the Board took no action on this request.
***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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Superintendent's Agenda
Received reports from the Superintendent and took action as indicated
- District Student of the Year Winners and Runners-Up
- Approved the list of winners and runners-up
- Recognized and congratulated the students
- Presented winners with a cash award donated from outside sources
- 12th Grade Winner - William McGrew - Benjamin Franklin HS
- 8th Grade Winner - Karriem Bennett - McDonogh 35 HS
- 5th Grade Winner - Benjamin Wilkins - Lusher ES
- Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the year
- Recognized and congratulated Kaitlyn Pratt of McDonogh 35 HS
- Autism Awareness Month
- Recognized April as National Autism Awareness Month
- For more information, see here
Discussion Items
Received delegations discussing issues related to specific schools indicated
- Bethune Elementary School
- Delegation asked for larger school with Master Plan standard features
- Current building deemed too small to support expanding programs and enrollment
- Current building constrains the school and is unfitting for the high-performing school
- Benjamin Mays Elementary School
- Delegation appealed to OPSB to find a way to take over the school from RSD
- Parents and staff oppose closing school and leaving Desire Area with no elementary school
- Parents deem school to be improving and serving their children well
- Mays is a Type 5 RSD charter that is scheduled for closing this year as a low performing school
- School is currently located on a modular campus in the Desire area
- Superintendent Stan Smith reported that he requested RSD to release the Mays modulars to OPSB to use to open a new school for the Desire Area but that RSD said the modulars were being retained as swing space for schools being renovated
- Board members pledged to follow-up on this issue
Committee Reports
Received reports on activities from Committee Chairpersons with no action taken
- Accountability Committee
- Property Committee
- Legal and Legislative Committee
- Policy Committee
- Budget and Finance Committee
Action Items
Received and discussed recommendations and took action as indicated
- Resolutions
- Approved Resolution 10-13: General Fund Budget Amendment #1
- Approved Resolution 11-13: House Bill 661 RE: Type 5 Charters
- Would allow RSD Type 5 charters to retain, in some cases, LEA status upon returning to OPSB as Type 3B
- Approved Resolution 12-13: House Bill 556: RE: Competitive Sealed Proposal Method
- Approved Resolution 13-13: House Bill 559 RE: Design-Build Method
- Personnel Matters
- Approved notifying employees of reasonable assurance of re-employment
- Routine annual action to preclude academic year employees from collecting unemployment payments in summer
- Bids and Contract Awards
- Property Insurance Renewal 2013-2014
- Approved renewal of insurance through Gallagher Risk Management Services
- $50,000,000 in coverage for buildings under OPSB responsibility
- Slight reduction in costs from prior year
- Sophie Wright Roof Truss Shoring
- Awarded contract by competitive emergency bids
- Boines Construction - $181,600
- Firm is a DBE firm
- Superintendent Search
- Authorized issuance of RFQ to solicit firms to assist OPSB with selection process
- Services to include public engagement, development of qualifications and criteria, advertising for applicants, screening applicants, etc.
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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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