The Washington Parish School board held its monthly meeting on Thursday, February 6. Following the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, the Board voted to approve the minutes of the January 16 regular board meeting.
The first item on the agenda was to approve moving the April 10 regular meeting to April 17. Superintendent Jennifer Thomas explained that this meeting will be held at Franklinton High School and the new date will coincide with the school's Academic Signing day. FHS Principal Shane Smith will be presenting the 2024 state runners-up football team and other students deserving recognition.
Next, the Board approved a motion to create a policy committee. This is a long overdue action to review and re-address all board policies. President Lesley McKinley further explained that the committee will include individuals in addition to school board members and pull in those who are well-versed in specific areas. Once the committee begins meeting in March and noting specific policies, they will be discussed with principals and other interested people before a final policy is put in place.
Director of the Business Office Dana Knight gave a brief overview of the December 2024 financial statements. Mrs. Knight noted that a decrease in MFP funding has resulted in $413,000 less income. However, the district had $15.7 million in equity at the end of 2024. The Board had no questions concerning the financial statements.
Mrs. Knight then asked the Board to approve awarding a bid for $155,900 for security fencing to Micon. Originally, local company Thomas Fencing was the projected recipient. However, the company was named a non-responsive bidder when it was discovered that a required line item was not contained within the submitted bid.
Chadwick Thomas, owner of Thomas Fencing, spoke to the board and explained that he felt he had followed the bid packet to the letter, and he expressed his disappointment that the bid was not awarded. Board attorney Matthew Garver advised the board that since this was a bid, there were very specific guidelines that must be followed, and awarding the bid to Thomas would not be upheld if taken to court.
Despite some of the Board members' obvious disappointment for Thomas, and expressions of appreciation for Mr. Thomas's professionalism, the bid was awarded to Micon with Board member Scott Breland voting against the award. His nay vote was largely symbolic in support of the local, tax-paying Thomas Fence.
The next item was to discuss and take appropriate action regarding requests for proposal for security cameras. Unlike a bid, a request for proposal (RFP) does not have the same stringent requirements. Discrepancies were discovered in all the RFP's, and it was agreed to throw out all proposals received and begin the process again.
A new transparency element from the state requires a public acknowledgement of donations received not only by the school district but individual schools as well. Mrs. Knight made the most recent donations available and will continue to do this periodically.
The final item on the agenda was the adoption of the 2025-2026 school calendar. Classes will begin on August 7, 2025, with holidays for Labor Day, the Washington Parish Free Fair, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Mardi Gras, and Spring. The last day for students in 2026 will be May 21. Superintendent Thomas noted that there will be no virtual days and those will be added if needed on a case-by-case basis.
In the Superintendent's Report, Thomas congratulated all the counselors in the district for National School Counselor's week. The Louisiana School Board Association convention will be held February 25-27. Finally, Coffee and Careers will be held on February 28 in the media center. Thomas expressed her appreciation to Suzette Nielson, Coordinator of Career and Technical Education for organizing this event.
During personal privileges, Scott Breland shared his concern about the lack of substitute bus drivers. A bus driver at Enon recently was out and there were no substitute drivers available. Transportation Supervisor Mike Ingram clarified that CDL training for bus drivers will begin on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at the board office at 5:00 pm.
Board President Lesley McKinley again apologized to Chadwick Thomas of Thomas Fence for the situation regarding the award of fencing bids and thanked Thomas for his professional handling of the situation.
The March School Board meeting will at the Board office on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
