The Washington Parish School Board held an emergency meeting on Thursday, August 31 at the R. W. Johnson Auditorium at Franklinton Primary School.
The purpose of the meeting was to address the concerns of some school system employees about salaries.
Following an organizational meeting by bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria staff and some teachers on Monday, August 28, school was cancelled on Tuesday after a "sick-out" by many employees, leaving the district unable to provide transportation and meals to students. Employees have demonstrated outside the school board office on Main Street in Franklinton since then. Temporary arrangements were made by the school system and classes resumed on Wednesday.
The meeting was called to order by school board President John Wyble followed by the prayer by Lesley McKinley and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Kendall McKenzie.
Superintendent Frances Varnado began the meeting by thanking everyone for being present and pointing out that if they did not care about the children of Washington Parish then they would not be there.
Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Thomas then introduced Director of the Business Office Dana Knight, who presented a short slide show that detailed the budget, where the actual General Fund money originates (MFP, taxes, etc) and where salaries are paid from. She further explained that some salaries are paid through different fund sources and the limits that are placed on certain money.
One slide of note was the property and sales tax contribution to the General Fund Budget in comparison with nearby districts. In Washington Parish only 18% of the school system’s budget comes from sales tax. Whereas in neighboring Tangipahoa Parish it is 27%, in St. Tammany it is 53%, and in Bogalusa City Schools it is 43%. This showed that Washington Parish schools receive on average less than half of the money from sales tax as neighboring districts, and this impacts the money available for such items as larger salaries.
Mrs. Knight also explained the expenses the district incurs with an employee such as the district portion of health insurance, retirement contributions, and payroll taxes along with salary.
Assistant Superintendent Thomas emphasized that many of the funds that are received by the district are limited to how they can be spent and while it sounds like money for the district's use, there are strict guidelines that must be followed and unfortunately cannot be used for salaries.
Before turning the meeting over to public participation, President Wyble explained that each person speaking would be limited to two minutes and that there should not be any comments directed to individuals and should stay on the matter at hand.
Quite a few concerned citizens as well as school employees spoke. The predominate concerns were the number of employees at the central office and the desire to increase the pay of teachers and support staff. A lack of respect for the support staff and the job they do was also an issue for many.
Rev Calvin Wheat, speaking on behalf of the custodians, noted that one of their wishes/demands was simply "A Day of Appreciation."
Superintendent Frances Varnado then addressed some of the misinformation that is being circulated. She pointed out that health insurance rates have increased, and this has eaten into the salaries of the district employees. However, these insurance increases are not within the control of the local districts. Mrs. Varnado did note that she has earnestly fought alongside other superintendents to stop the increases in insurance premiums as she knows that employees have families that they are trying to support and care for.
Mrs. Varnado also addressed her own salary. She explained that upon being named superintendent she earned $125,000 per year. At the end of her initial contract, she was offered a two percent raise and accepted it along with a state stipend offered to all school employees. At the end of her fourth year, she was again offered a two percent raise, which she accepted. Her current salary is $132,000 per year which is a $7,000 increase since she has been in her position. It is not the $13,000 or $40,000 in raises or $200,000 per year salary that is being publicized on social media. She stated that if the district had the money, they would gladly give it to employees in order to make employees happy to come to work. She vowed that she and her team are meeting and working diligently to address the salary issues.
Several board members offered comments at the end of the meeting. District 1 member Keith Giles of Mount Hermon demanded that his fellow board members look at him and stated, "We have failed these people." This received a rousing response from the crowd. He further stated that the board has taken employees for granted and there is no more "for granted”. He added, "we are over-staffed at central office….." (The remainder of his statement was lost in the cheers and applause of the audience).
District 9 member and Vice-President Lesley McKinley thanked everyone who came to the meeting to express their concerns and that it is difficult to correct false information. He also stated that the board wants employees to trust them. He wants trust that the board he is a part of will work towards a solution, but the solution should be what is best for the children of Washington Parish. After the evident disapproval of the audience, Mr. McKinely explained that while he did agree with some of what was said at the visitor's podium as well as disagreed with other statements, he respected each person and expressed that he should be afforded the same respect. Finally, unable to express himself without calls from the audience, he handed the microphone to President Wyble.
President Wyble also thanked those present and confirmed the commitment of the board to work towards an agreement with employees. He has asked for a spreadsheet that lists every position at the central office and how the position is funded so that it can be scrutinized beyond a budget. He also explained the creation of a committee of himself, Vice President McKinley, and Treasurer Kendall McKenzie, Superintendent Varnado, and other administrators along with representatives from each employee group. This committee will meet on Friday morning and work together to come to an agreement. Then at the regular board meeting scheduled for September 7, 2023, the board will come together and consider proposals to address employee compensation. They will be looking at monetary and nonmonetary options to address the concerns of those present.
District 7 board member Scott Breland added that his wife is the cafeteria manager at Pine High School, and he is aware of the salary issues at hand. However, he asked for time; time for the board to meet and time to make decisions. He also asked that everyone return to work to continue educating children while the board does its job and looks for solutions.
Several members of the audience asked how people were selected for the committee. Mrs. Varnado explained they were pulled from those seen demonstrating outside the central office.
The regular September meeting will be held at the R. W. Johnson Auditorium on the Franklinton Primary School campus on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 6:00 pm.
