Port Allen, Louisiana

March 15, 2017

 

A regular meeting of the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board was held this date with the following members present:

 

Jason P. Manola, President, Craig Sarradet, Toby Sarradet, Dr. Atley D. Walker, Sr., Ronald P. LeBlanc, Leon N. Goudeau, Rose A. Lee Roche’, G. Alden Chustz, Jr., Michael A. Maranto, Teri Bergeron

 

Anna Langlois, student at Brusly Elementary School, and Diamond Gordon, student at Cohn Elementary School, lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

The next item was approval of the minutes of the regular board meeting held on February 15, 2017.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Dr. Walker and seconded by Mr. Goudeau, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the minutes of the regular board meeting held on February 15, 2017, be approved as presented.

 

The next item was Educational presentations by Superintendent Watts:

 

Recognition of:  a) State Beta Club Winners/BHS:  Logan Berthelot, 1st Place/Poem, Rebecca Guedry & Mallory Thibodeaux, 2nd Place/Robotics  b) BHS Wrestling Team/2017 Division 3 State Runner Up   c) BHS Girls Indoor Track State Champions Division II   d) “You Be The Chemist” winners: Laurel Fishburn/BMS, Gustavo Rojas/DMS, Naturi Scott/PAMS

 

The next item was the Superintendent’s Report: 

 

a) Superintendent Watts informed the members of the board that the Head Start Director’s Report was included in their packet of information.

 

b) Resolution of condolences to the family of Mrs. Miriam Hebert, retired Secretary of Federal Programs.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. Chustz and seconded by Mrs. Roche’, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the members of the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board do hereby extend to the family of Mrs. Miriam Hebert, their feelings of sincere appreciation for the many years of dedicated service rendered by Mrs. Hebert in the West Baton Rouge School System, and

 

Be It Further Resolved, That the members of the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board do hereby offer their sincere sympathy and condolences to the family of Mrs. Hebert.

 

The next item was a report from Community Committees.  Whereupon, Mrs. Rose Roche’ and Mrs. Teri Bergeron, Co-Chairs for WBR “Stuff the Bus”, reported that the date was set for July 13, 2017, at the WBR Community Center.

 

The next item was introduction of the following items on the Consent Agenda:

 

CONSENT AGENDA

 

8.         Consideration of request for approval of the monthly expenditures and financial reports/Jared Gibbs (Finance Committee Report 3/7/17)

9.         Consideration of approval of the request to authorize the Superintendent to sign a Contract with Earl Kern, Kern Consulting, LLC, designating him as Program Manager for the WBR School Building Program approved in the tax election held on December 10, 2016. (Finance Committee Report 3/7/17)

10.       Consideration of approval of the request by Superintendent Watts for the board to adopt a resolution to be sent to BESE to submit the ESSA Plan in September. (Finance Committee Report 3/7/17)

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mrs. Bergeron and seconded by Mrs. Roche’, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the board does hereby approve Consent Agenda items #8, and #9, and

 

Be It Further Resolved, That Consent Agenda item #10 be pulled.

 

Whereupon, Superintendent Watts gave an update on agenda item #10 before the board voted on the resolution.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. LeBlanc and seconded by Mrs. Bergeron, the following resolution, Consent Agenda item #10, was unanimously adopted

                                                                                                                       

The next item was End of Consent Agenda item # 11: Consideration of request for permission to participate in the Summer Feeding Program for 2017/Vivian Landry.

 

The Chairman declared the floor open for public comment.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. LeBlanc and seconded by Mr. Toby Sarradet, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the board does hereby approve the request for permission to participate in the Summer Feeding Program for 2017 presented by Mrs. Vivian Landry.

 

The next item was End of Consent Agenda item #12: Consideration of request for permission to advertise for bids for milk products, bread products, frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen meat and meat alternates, process foods, paper, chemicals, and miscellaneous supplies, small and large equipment for 2017-18/Vivian Landry.

 

The Chairman declared the floor open for public comment.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. Maranto and seconded by Mrs. Bergeron, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the board does hereby approve the request for permission to advertise for Bids for milk products, bread products, frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen meat and meat alternates, process foods, paper, chemicals, and miscellaneous supplies, small and large equipment for 2017-18 as presented by Vivian Landry.

 

Whereupon, Mr. LeBlanc asked Mrs. Landry to please thank all of the cafeteria workers for the excellent job that they are doing.

 

The next item was End of Consent Agenda item #13: Consideration of a resolution of the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board calling a Tenure Hearing in accordance with L.R.S. 17:493 to determine whether or not an employee should be dismissed or disciplined/Wes Watts.

 

The Chairman declared the floor open for public comment.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Dr. Walker and seconded by Mr. Toby Sarradet, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board does hereby call a Tenure Hearing in accordance with L.R.S.17:493 to determine whether or not an employee should be dismissed or disciplined, and

 

Be It Further Resolved, That the date for said Tenure Hearing shall be set for April 11, 2017, at a special meeting immediately following the adjournment of the committee meetings on April 11, 2017.

 

The next End of Consent Agenda item was the date of the committee meetings: April 11, 2017, a special board meeting immediately following the adjournment of the committee meetings on April 11, 2017; regular board meeting on April 19, 2017.

 

The next End of Consent Agenda item was: Executive Session to review the Superintendent’s contract.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mrs. Bergeron and seconded by Mr. Chustz, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the board does hereby declare itself in Executive Session to review the Superintendent’s contract.

 

Upon termination of the Executive Session, on motion of Dr. Walker and seconded by Mrs. Bergeron, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the board declare itself in Open Session.

 

The Chairman declared the floor open for public comment.

 

Whereupon, Mr. Jason Manola, President of the Board, commended Superintendent Wes Watts on behalf of the members of the board for his services and recommended that his annual base salary be increased to $140,000 and his car allowance be increased to $10,000 per year.

 

Whereupon, on motion of Mr. Maranto and seconded by Mrs. Roche’, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That Superintendent Watts’ annual base salary be increased to $140,000 and his

annual car allowance be increased to $10,000.

 

Superintendent Watts thanked the members of the board for their comments, for their vote of confidence, and for the salary increase and increase in his car allowance.

 

There being no further business to come before the board, on motion of Dr. Walker and seconded by Mr. Craig Sarradet, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

 

Be It Resolved, That the meeting be adjourned.

 

 

Jason P. Manola                                               Wesley Watts

President                                                          Secretary-Treasurer