(Note: Photos of all of the Pine students recognized at the School Board meeting are in the printed edition of The Era-Leader this week.)
By TONI TAGEANT
The Washington Parish School Board held its March meeting at Pine High School on March 12. The Invocation was led by Kensli Jenkins, Pine High School Student Council Vice-President; the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Junior High Parish Student of the Year and Junior High School Vice President Tanner Prats, and the National Anthem was sung by Dustin Ginn, High School Student Council President.
The Board then approved the minutes for the February 12 Regular Board Meeting.
Pine High School Principal Ramona Thomas then recognized some of Pine's best and brightest students and their many accomplishments.
The first item on the business agenda was the presentation of January 2026 financial statements. This was discussed at the Committee Meeting on Monday, March 9, and none of the Board members had additional questions. The Board then voted to renew the Board's Property Insurance one year contract (effective April 1, 2026) with McGehee Insurance. The Board also declined the terrorism option.
The Board then approved the IDEA Budget revisions for the 2025/2026 fiscal year as well as the Title I Budget revisions for the 2025/2026 fiscal year. The IDEA budget received an additional allocation making the revision necessary. These budgets and revisions were discussed at length in the Committee Meeting on March 9.
In other business the Board voted to award Starkey Mechanical the contract for HVAC preventative maintenance following the recommendation of Maintenance and Transportation Supervisor Mike Ingram.
The next item of business concerned health insurance premium contributions and a new policy effective July 1, 2026. Superintendent Jennifer Thomas explained that at some point in the past, the board could not afford to grant teachers a raise and instead began to pay insurance premiums for employees. This now totals approximately $360 per year per employee and $195,000 per year. All current employees will be grandfathered in with the policy, but all new employees hired after July 1, 2026, will incur this cost. Mrs. Thomas added that the two tax stipends should help this not be an extreme burden as the insurance costs $28.86 per month. The Board agreed with this change.
The Board also concurred with the recommendation of Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor Tiffany Hughes-Smith and approved the Student Code of Conduct for grades Pre K-5 and 6-12 for the 2026/2027 school year. It should be noted that, "Any extreme styles of dress or grooming that create a safety risk or cause a disruption to the educational environment are prohibited" was added to both documents.
The final item of business was the adoption of revised Washington Parish School Board Policy File: 404.00 Levying of taxes-Educational Facilities Improvement District-EFID. This concerns eight current employees who have been hired in more than one position. Cynthia Brewster, a bus driver and paraprofessional, implored the Board to reconsider their stand on this matter. She feels that since she does two jobs, she deserves two stipends. Mrs. Brewster asked that the employees this affects be grandfathered in and demonstrate a return of the loyalty the employees show. There was some confusion as the Board had to vote to approve of the agenda item before any type of amendment or addendum could be made. The revision was approved 5 to 2 with Board members Giles and Dillon voting against the measure. There was no further discussion of the item or attempt for another motion.
In the Superintendent's Report Mrs. Thomas first thanked Pine High School and Principal Ramona Thomas along with the faculty and staff for hosting the meeting.
She also congratulated the students and their parents who were showcased. Mrs. Thomas also announced that at the May meeting she will be presenting the "State of the Schools" and a survey is currently being conducted by stakeholders. Testing will begin following Spring Break April 3 through 10. SLU will hold a STEM Leadership event at Pine High School on April 1 with 50 slots available for juniors. 4-H Achievement Day will be on Thursday April 2 at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds. The next meeting of the School Board will be on April 16 at Franklinton Elementary School.
