The Washington Parish School Board members gathered for the board’s May 14 meeting.
Prior to the invocation, Board member Scott Breland asked everyone to be mindful of and in prayer for the families of Jaliyah Howard who attended Franklinton High School and Cameron Spears who attended Pine High School. Both passed away in the past two weeks.
Following the prayer Board President Lesley McKinley reiterated that the teacher and student relationship is a special one and he encouraged teachers and staff to love the students and help them when facing challenging times. The Board then approved the minutes for the April 16 Regular Board Meeting.
Stacy Payne, Supervisor of Special Education, recognized the Louisiana School Board Association art winners. Payne explained that each fall Talented Art students are tasked with creating a piece of art with a Louisiana theme. The schools then select a winner in grades Kindergarten-5; 6-8 and 9-12. These are then judged at the district and one winner from each grade is presented to the statewide contest.
District winners were Valerie Davis, a 4th grader from Franklinton Elementary whose teacher is Shannon Fornea. Next was Ava Walker, a 7th grader from Franklinton Junior High whose teacher is Courtney Smith. The final winner was Daila Johnson, a 9th grader from Varnado High School whose teacher is Sharika Williams. (See photos on Page A3.)
Next Finance Director Dana Knight asked for questions concerning the financial statements for March 2026 that were committed during the Finance Committee meeting. The board then adopted the millage rates for the next year. Board member Keith Giles explained that he will not vote for the millage rates as they are not being assessed to property owners as they are meant to be. He explained that they are meant to offset property taxes. He has no knowledge of anyone ever lowering millage rates and until that happens, he cannot adopt the measure.
Board member Robert Boone countered this by stating that this is a minimum and no one likes paying taxes. He pays property taxes and yet the school system could hardly operate without the millages. Washington Parish does not have the student numbers to add to MFP funding from the state and the system is reliant on the millage, he noted. The motion was adopted despite a “no” vote by Mr. Giles.
The Board then followed the recommendation based on the tabulation of submitted proposals by Mrs. Knight to award Hunt, Guillot and Associates of Baton Rouge the contract for Disaster Recovery Consulting Services. The final financial item approved the engagement of Louisiana United Business Association to become the workers compensation provider for the Washington Parish School Board effective July 1, 2026. In other school district business, the board adopted student transfers for the 2026/2027 school year as presented by Child Welfare Supervisor Tiffany Hughes-Smith.
Superintendent Jennifer Thomas then gave a 2025-2026 State of Our Schools presentation. She prefaced it by saying that even if a system is labeled an "A" school district, there will still be things to improve. She also noted that reflection each year and goal setting is critical. The vision of the Washington Parish School System is that ALL students receive quality instruction in a rigorous and relevant curriculum to prepare them to graduate college or career ready. The mission of the system is "We Prepare Students for Success."
Mrs. Thomas then gave interesting and informative facts about the system, from financial concerns to the decrease in population in the parish along with strides made in classrooms. She also was frank about difficult decisions facing the district moving forward. (Note: an article on the State of Our Schools will be published shortly in The Era Leader.)
The presentation was immediately followed by the Superintendent's Report.
Mrs. Thomas congratulated the 2026 high school graduates and added that all the graduation ceremonies were unique and excellent overall. There were lots of scholarships awarded to graduates and not one of the four high schools had a student who was unable to graduate. There will be many end-of-the-year programs around the parish with Kindergarten graduations and academic awards. She concluded by thanking everyone for a great year and wishes for a wonderful summer!
Mrs. Thomas is humble and readily admits that she has some of the best co-workers, administrators, teachers, and support staff. She stated, "I am very proud to work here."
