Hico Elementary School May Close

Sources have told Lincoln Parish News Online (LPNO) that the Hico Elementary School is being considered for closure at the end of this school year.

Hico’s pre-K through grade 5 students would be assigned to Dubach, and Dubach High School students would be reassigned to Ruston High School (RHS), according to the sources.

About 175 students were enrolled at Hico for the 2012-2013 school year. About the same number of students were enrolled at Dubach in grades 6 through 12.

It is unclear at this time what grade levels would be assigned to RHS.

Hico is located in north Lincoln Parish, about 5 miles northwest of the Town of Dubach.

LPNO will continue to cover this story as it develops.

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RHS Principal Applications to be Taken

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Applications for Ruston High School (RHS) Principal will be taken starting today, after an approval vote at last night’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB).

The application period will end Thursday, April 18, 4:00 PM. An interview committee of three principals and two central office staffers will make a recommendation to the board for the 5/7/2013 meeting.

Superintendent Danny Bell said the interview committee should be in place within a week.

In other business, the board approved advertising for bids on a track for Simsboro High School. Total project budget, including concession and storage buildings, is about $1 million.

Sales tax receipts for March, 2013 declined slightly, according to the monthly report presented by Business Manager George Murphy.

A bid review of the L. J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium project at RHS was delayed, and the item was taken off the agenda. The project experienced problems with asbestos and lead paint abatement in the concession and restroom areas located under the east side stadium, and will be deferred until a solution can be worked out.

The project had been projected to cost about $800 thousand.

Ruston HS Principal Selection Process @ Tuesday LPSB Meeting

The Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) will meet Tuesday, April 2, 6:00 PM, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

See here the agenda.

In Unfinished Business, bids for renovations and additions to the L. J. “Hoss” Garrett Stadium at Ruston High School (RHS) will be reviewed.

In New Business, the procedure and timetable for RHS Principal will be discussed.

See here the memo and advertisement.

In Reports, personnel actions will be reviewed, and the 02/28/2013 fund activity will be reviewed. Compare to the 1/31/2013 and 2/29/2012 reports.

In Requests, distribution of instructional money from the 1979 sales tax collections will be discussed.

See here the memo.

National Merit, Achievment Finalists @ LPSB Tuesday

It’s one of our favorite Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) meetings of the year – recognition of National Merit Scholarship and National Achievement Scholarship finalists. We won’t be able to be there because of other meetings to cover, but we can duly recognize the honorees herewith:

National Merit Scholarship finalists.

John Steven Herren – Son of Kevin and Sherri Herren. John has 4.0 GPA, 35 on ACT is a member of the RHS band, FBLA, National Honor Society and attends Temple Baptist Church where he is member of their orchestra. John plans to attend LA. Tech and major in mechanical engineering.

John David Moore – Son of Byron and Melinda Moore. John has a 4.0 GPA, 33 on ACT, is the RHS Student Council President, a RHS Ambassador, and is on the varsity football team. John participated in mission trips with Christ Community Church, the Relay for Life, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk. John plans to attend college and play football.

John is the grandson of well-known Jonesboro businessman Joe Burns.

Samuel Evan Phillips – Son of Gregg and Andrea Phillips. 4.0 GPA, 35 on ACT. Samuel is a member of the RHS National Honor Society, the Freshman Mentoring Leadership Council and is varsity soccer captain. He has been on mission trips with First Baptist Church, built sandbox for Lincoln Parish preschoolers, and served Thanksgiving meals to local needy families. After high school, Samuel is looking at several colleges including Baylor, Arkansas or LSU.

National Achievement Scholarship finalists.

Christan Qalhata Dillard – Daughter of Quentin Dillard and Cathy Lewis. She has a 3.71 GPA and 29 on ACT. Christan is a member of the RHS band, FBLA, Spanish Club, Interact Club, and a member of the Mt. Zion CME Church. She has participated in the Mt. Harmony Baptist Church Hallelujah Night, the Relay for Life, and Mary Kay Adopt-a-Grandparent Gift Drive. Christan plans to attend Xavier University and major in pre-med/biomedical sciences.

Brian Jheffery Findley – Son of Stacy and Stephanie Findley. B.J. has a 3.7 GPA and a 31 on ACT. He is a Bearcat Mentor, a member of the RHS baseball team, and a LASARD Mentor. B.J. volunteers for the Special Olympics, the 13-14 year old Dixie Baseball All-Stars, and is a DARE Role Model. His plans are to attend college, play baseball and graduate early.

Other reports to be presented:

Personnel
February Sales Tax Collections
Fund Balance for Month Ending 3/31/13

The meeting is set for 6:00 PM, Tuesday, March 12, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

Here is the agenda.

More Deadheads Than Teachers?

Study: Administrators outnumber teachers

Louisiana is one of 21 states where education administrators and others outnumber classroom teachers, according to a report issued Thursday by a group that favors school choice.

According to the report, Louisiana’s student population dropped 13 percent between the 1992 and 2009 financial years while the ranks of administrators and others rose 13 percent.

The student population rose by 17 percent nationally while ranks of administrators went up 46 percent.

In addition, the state had 2,119 more administrators and other non-teaching personnel than teachers in the 2009 financial year, the study says.

The latest review said that an earlier study by the same group concluded that, despite the hike in public school employment, student achievement has been flat or declined.

The School Staffing Surge: Decades of Employment Growth in America’s Public Schools

LPSB Audit “the best opinion that you can get”

Monroe CPA Allen, Green & Williamson, LLP partner Margie Williamson told the Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) at last night’s meeting that the district’s annual financial audit earned an “unqualified opinion” for the fiscal year ended 6/30/2012.

Said Williamson, “It is an unqualified opinion, meaning that the financial statements are fairly stated without any qualifications.” She added, “An unqualified opinion is the best opinion that you can get on your financial statements.”

Williamson also noted that there were no findings (deviations from audit standards) in this year’s report.

See here the documents.

Earlier in the meeting, the board approved advertisement for bids for the Ruston High School (RHS) stadium improvements. The project consists of renovations to the restroom and concession areas of the east side stadium.

Budget for that project is about $835 thousand.

During reports, Title I/II Instructional Coach Kim Shackelford gave a report on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) program. PARCC is a common set of English and math assessments for K-12 students, so they can be ready for college and careers.

See here a link to the PowerPoint presentation from last night.

Director of Auxiliary Services Charles Owens reported on the construction progress of the New Tech and agriculture buildings at RHS.

The New Tech facility should be ready for the 2013-2014 school year, while the agriculture facility may be ready after the 2013 Spring Break, Owens said.

Lincoln Parish School Board Tuesday

The regular monthly meeting of the Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) will be held Tuesday, February 5, 6:00 PM, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

Here’s the agenda.

New Business

Ruston High School (RHS) stadium improvements bid advertisement – Memo.

School calendar for 2013-2014.

Reports

Personnel for February 2013.

Sales Tax Report January 2013.

Fund balance – 12/31/12 compared to 11/30/12 and 12/31/11.

Lincoln Parish School Board Tonight

The Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) will meet tonight at 6:00 PM, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

Here is the agenda.

Among the reports to be heard:

Personnel

Also, refinancing of two series of bond issues will be considered. About $560 thousand in interest would be saved over the twenty year life of the borrowing. See here the memos:

Simsboro District General Obligation Bonds
Ruston District General Obligation Bonds

Lincoln Parish School Board Tuesday

The Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) will meet Tuesday, December 11, 6:00 PM, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

See here the agenda.

Reports

Several reports will be heard. The Ruston High School (RHS) stadium project and the Simsboro High School track project will be updated.

Also, personnel changes will be detailed.

See here the report.

Financial reports to be reviewed are:

Nov 2012 Sales Taxes
10/31/12 Fund Balances

Compare the fund balances to the 09/30/12 and 10/31/11 reports.

New Business

A Compensation Plan/Teacher Salary Schedule will be reviewed for adoption. This plan is a result of Act 1 of the last state legislative session which requires districts to adopt pay plan that is locally relevant, and rewards educators relative to effectiveness, demand, and experience.

See here the proposed schedule.

Also, a change order for the RHS New Tech/Agriculture building project will be considered.

Lincoln Parish School Board Tuesday

The Lincoln Parish School Board (LPSB) will meet Tuesday, November 13, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville.

First, the Building and Grounds/Finance Committee will hold a joint meeting at 5:00 PM.

See here the agenda.

The full board will meet at 5:30 PM.

See here the regular session agenda.

Among the items to be discussed in committee is construction of a running track at Simsboro High School.

See here the memo.

Also, renovation of restroom and concession facilities at the Ruston High School (RHS) stadium will be discussed. A contract with architect Mike Walpole will be considered.

See here the memo.

During the full board meeting, the November salary supplement checks will be discussed.

See here the memo.

Likely to be interesting will be review of the state-mandated merit pay plan for teachers.

See here the memo and guidelines.

Personnel changes will be reviewed.

See here the list.

In finances, the October sales tax report will be reviewed, as will the 09/30/12 fund balance. Compare with the 08/30/12 and 09/30/11 balances.