Evangeline Parish School Board Meeting

June 1, 2016

      The Evangeline Parish School Board, Wednesday, voted to reject the entire executive committee report and send it back to committee for further review. Board Member Dr. Bobby Deshotel said the recommendations for a reduction in staffing “was done wrong.” Deshotel said the committee should have consulted with each school principal.  Another board member, Peggy Forman, asked the committee and superintendent  to notify the school board if and when the school district decides to implement its “reduction in force” policy.

   The executive committee met May 24 and made two recommendations to the full board in efforts to find ways to reduce the budget: eliminating 12 teacher positions through retirements, resignations, lack of certification and student membership. In this case, student membership which hovers around 6200 has remained steady according to the superintendent.

   The second recommendation would be to adopt a state special education staffing formula which would permit the school board to reduce the number of special education paraprofessionals by 16. Such a move would save the school board some $389,235. Superintendent Toni Hamlin reported that that there are only 666 special education students enrolled in the school district as compared to 800 this past year.

    Dr. Deshotel suggested the school  board look at cutting salaries. Superintendent Hamlin said state law prohibits  salary cuts. Hamlin said the board must address the problem of decreasing funds coming to operate the school system because of major cuts from the state. “We cannot operate in a deficit budget. The state has reduced its funding to school systems around the state by 44 million dollars. It is all about a lack of finances.”

   In other business, the school board:

--Heard reports from Evangeline Parish County Agent Todd Fontenot and 4-H Agent Kim Deville;

--Went behind closed doors in executive session to discuss an insurance settlement with their