School Board to honor retirees, mull bond work, deseg

Members of the St. Martin School Board will devote part of their meeting to the recognition of employees who are retiring from the system.
The 33 employees include supervisors, principals, teachers and paraprofessionals who have devoted a combined total of 821 years to the parish public school system.
The regular monthly board meeting is set for 5 p.m. today (Wednesday) at the Administrative Office on Corporate Boulevard.
The board’s finance committee is also scheduled to meet prior to the regular meeting, at 4:15, to review the budget, discuss sales tax salary supplements and the addition of two coaching stipends at each high school.
Today’s lengthy agenda also includes, in addition to a number of routine items:
•2009 and 2013 bond issue projects: 1) Acknowledge awarding of contract to renovate Breaux Bridge High counselor’s office to Garden City Construction, the low bidder at $49,788; 2) Allow superintendent to award contract for the BBHS marquee sign project to the low bidder if within the budget of $35,000, and the contract for BBHS waterproofing project if within the budget of $163,613; 3) Authorize board representative to approach property owners adjacent to Cecilia High School for interest in selling to the school board; 4) Allow Structure Design Group to take proposal for Catahoula Elementary renovations and allow superintendent to accept if quotes are within budget; 5) Allow Vermilion Architects to take proposals on the St. Martinville Sr. High pressbox repairs; 6) Acknowledge the award by the superintendent of the Teche Elementary cooler and freezer to Acadiané Renovations in the amount of $160,700.
•In regard to the 2016 bond program, award the Breaux Bridge Jr. High crosswalk project to the low quote within the budget of $150,000.
•Discuss purchase and/or construction of annex building for administrative expansion.
•Executive (secret) session to discuss 1) pending desegregation litigation; 2) Update on Gerald Castille vs. St. Martin School Board litigation; 3) Contractual dispute and threat of litigation regarding architectural service.
•Consider granting superintendent flexibility regarding high school staffing due to Jumpstart/Virtual requirements.
•At the request of board members, consider 1) abolishing the in-school suspension position at Cecilia High (Jimmy Blanchard); 2) Distributing the end of the year sales tax salary supplements in May instead of June (Blanchard); 3) Discussion of deseg order with Hammonds and Sills attorneys (Blanchard); 4) Hiring procedures not being followed pertaining to deseg order (Blanchard); 5) Supplements vs. absenteeism (Russel Foti); 6) Board member protocol relative to agenda item additions (Mark Hebert).
•Consider request for waiver of sales tax penalties for CLM Equipment.