[00:00:01]
WE'LL DO THAT.[A. Meeting Opening]
GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMUNITY.WE NOW WELCOME YOU TO THE EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD REGULAR MEETING ON THIS DAY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2023.
WE'LL NOW BEGIN OUR MEETING WITH AN INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
THE INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS, FOLLOWED BY THE PPLE OH, MAKE THAT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, WHICH WILL BE LED BY CADET MAJOR JEREMIAH CAMPBELL OF LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY SENIOR ARMY INSTRUCTOR, COLONEL, RETIRED JONAH M HUGHES SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
APOLOGIZE FOR MY MOMENTARY TARDINESS.
THE UM, L S U HAS BEEN REAL BIG ON AI AND LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL.
SO I THOUGHT I'D, I'D ASK OH, UH, CHAT G P T TO WRITE OUR, UH, INVOCATION THIS EVENING.
IN OUR DISCUSSIONS, MAY OUR DECISIONS ALWAYS REFLECT OUR COMMITMENT TO THE GROWTH, SAFETY, AND WELLBEING OF EVERY STUDENT AND STAFF MEMBER.
GRANT US THE PATIENCE TO LISTEN, THE COURAGE TO JUSTLY AND THE WISDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY AND OUR SHARED PURPOSE.
LET US REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY AND THE VALUE OF DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES.
NOSIS AND ESTEEM MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR TO INTRODUCE YOU, THE FACE OF LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, PATRIOT BATTALION CADET, LIEUTENANT COLONEL JEREMIAH CAMPBELL IS A SENIOR IN HIS FOURTH YEAR IN AL J R T C PROGRAM.
CURRENTLY, HE SERVES AS OUR BATTALION COMMANDER, AS WELL AS THE CAPTAIN OF OUR NATIONAL COMPETING STATE CHAMPION RAIDER TEAM.
HE'S ALSO A SENIOR MEMBER OF OUR COLOR GUARD TEAM.
THIS YEAR, WE'LL MARK CADET'S CAMEL FOUR TIME IN A ROW, WINNING OUR LEAD BOARD AND BEING PRESENT BEFORE YOU.
AND THAT'S AN INDEED AN HONOR BECAUSE HE HAS, UM, STOOD BEFORE HIS PEERS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
UM, COMPETING YEAR AFTER YEAR ON LEADERSHIP TRAINING.
AND THERE'S A SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT IS ASKED UPON HIM AND OTHERS, AND HE'S MADE NUMBER ONE EACH YEAR.
CADET CAMPBELL CURRENTLY TAKES FIVE AP CLASSES.
HE'S AN AP SCHOLAR AND HE'S A G P A.
UM, IS A 4.714, AND HIS AT SCORE IS A 32, AND HE RANKS THIRD IN HIS GRADUATING CLASS.
WHILE AT LIBERTY, HE HAS PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES, INCLUDE COMPUTER SCIENCE, HONOR SOCIETY, AND STUDENT AMBASSADORS.
UPON GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL, HE WILL ATTEND THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT AND MAJOR IN LAW.
CADET CAMPBELL IS A MODEL LEADERSHIP IN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A J R T C CADET.
HE DEMONSTRATES GREAT CHARACTER AND WE AS INSTRUCTORS CAN ALWAYS TRUST HIM TO COMPLETE ANY TASK AND BE IN ANY LEADERSHIP POSITION NO MATTER WHAT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CADET LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAM CAMPBELL OF LIBERTY MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
ON BEHALF OF, UH, THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS MEDAL FOR ALL OF THE OUTSTANDING WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE AND THE SERVICE THAT YOU'RE GONNA GIVE TO OUR COUNTRY IN YOUR FUTURE.
BUT PLEASE DON'T GO TOO CLOSE TO THE WATER.
IF YOU FALL IN, YOU'LL NEVER SWIM WITH ALL THOSE MEDALS.
[00:05:08]
OH,YES,
YOU KNOW, WE HEARD OF A 4.0, WE NEVER HEARD OF A 5.0, SO YOU KEEP IT UP.
MOVING RIGHT ALONG, MADAM CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL.
IF YOU'RE NOT LOGGED INTO BOARD DOCS, PLEASE DO SO.
NOW, DISTRICT TWO, PRESIDENT LANTIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS.
MR. LEWIS? PRESENT, DISTRICT SIX.
MR. RUSS? PRESENT, DISTRICT SEVEN.
MS. SHALAN HERE, DISTRICT NINE.
[B. Meeting Minutes]
YOU.NEXT WE HAVE ITEM B ONE, MEETING MINUTES, APPROVAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 17TH, 2023 AND SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2023.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING AS PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVE BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS, SECONDED BY MADAMS, UH, VICE PRESIDENT MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
THIS TIME NOW I'LL TURN TO OUR BOARD TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
SEEING NONE AT THIS TIME, I WILL NOW GO TO OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
BY THE WAY, IF THERE'S ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEM ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA, PLEASE, UH, MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ATRIUM.
GET A PINK COMMENT CARD, FILL IT OUT, GIVE IT TO MADAM SECRETARY AND SHE'D BE SURE TO GET IT TO ME.
SEEING NO NAMES AT THIS TIME, WE COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
WE'LL NOW GO TO ITEM C FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
MS. UM, CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN? YES, MA'AM.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
IT JUST CAME UP THOUGH, ON THE COMPUTERS.
NO, I, IT'S, I THINK HE'S NOT IN THE QUEUE IN THE THING.
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO IT THIS TIME.
NOW WE'RE GONNA DO A ROLL CALL VOTE.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANIS? YES.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT FOUR, MS. STEWART? YES.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MORTON? YES MA'AM.
OKAY, NOW MOVING RIGHT ALONG TO
[C. Information Only]
ITEM C ONE.FIRST, WE HAVE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT.
MS. LOPEZ, GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS TONIGHT, UH, THE DISTRICT'S FIRST QUARTER FINANCIALS.
UM, THIS WILL BE INCLUSIVE OF JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 2023.
AS OF OCTOBER 1ST COUNT SUBMITTED TO L D O E, THE TOTAL M F P COUNT IS 38,657 STUDENTS.
NOW, AS YOU KNOW, THAT IS THE OCTOBER ONE COUNT.
IT WILL GO THROUGH THE L D O SIS AND THERE WILL BE VERIFICATIONS DONE.
SO, BUT THAT IS THE NUMBER THAT WE COUNTED.
THAT IS INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, NOT COUNTING OUR PRE-K 'CAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THEY ARE NOT FUNDED BY M F P ON THE CHART.
YOU CAN SEE HOW THE BREAKDOWN OF ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, HIGH, AND OUR TYPE ONE CHARTER SCHOOLS, THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND STAFF BY FUNCTION IS ALSO INCLUDED.
AS EXPECTED TEACHERS ARE OUR LARGEST POPULATION.
[00:10:01]
SOURCES OF REVENUE FROM THE GENERAL FUND.CURRENTLY, THE DISTRICT HAS COLLECTED APPROXIMATELY 14% OF THE PROPOSED REVENUE FOR THE YEAR, AND THAT'S ABOUT TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.
YOUR A VALOREM TAXES, YOU ARE RECEIVING SLIGHT AMOUNTS RIGHT NOW.
YOU'LL RECEIVE 85% OF WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE IN A FULL YEAR.
AS OF JANUARY 15TH, YOUR SALES TAX IS 45 DAYS IN ARREARS.
SO THAT MEANS BASICALLY THIS, SO FAR, THIS FISCAL YEAR, YOU'VE GOTTEN ABOUT SIX WEEKS OF SALES TAXES.
UM, THE DISTRICT, UM, WILL CONTINUE ON WITH THE M F P.
THE M F P RIGHT NOW IS BEING CALCULATED ON THE FEBRUARY, 2023 COUNT.
'CAUSE AS YOU KNOW, UNTIL L D O E CLEARS THE OCTOBER ONE COUNT, WE'RE BASING OUR NUMBERS ON PRIOR YEAR.
INDIRECT COSTS COME IN AS REIMBURSEMENTS HAPPEN, AND AS YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO SPEND THE MONEY, SUBMIT THE CLAIM, AND THEN RECEIVE THE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE FUNDING AGENCY.
SO THAT TOO TAKES A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER AS EXPECTED SALARIES, BENEFITS, AND CHARTERS ARE YOUR THREE LARGEST EXPENSES AND WILL REMAIN SO THROUGH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
CURRENTLY, THE DISTRICT IS AT 19% OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
SPECIAL REVENUE FINANCIALS, AGAIN, THIS IS INCLUSIVE YEAR.
PROP ONE, PROP TWO, PROP THREE.
AS STATED BEFORE, YOUR SALES TAX IS 45 DAYS IN ARREARS.
AS THESE THREE ARE COMPLETELY SALES TAX BASED.
YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN ALL YOUR REVENUES YET.
ESSER TITLE ONE AND, AND YOUR NON-MAJOR GRANTS, AS WE STATED WITH, UH, THE INDIRECT COST FOR GENERAL FUND.
WE'RE WAITING FOR THE REIMBURSEMENTS AND UNTIL WE GET REIMBURSEMENTS, WE DON'T GET INTO COST.
CURRENTLY, THE DISTRICT IS ON AN AVERAGE OF 15% OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES BUDGETED FOR YOUR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS.
UM, PROPOSITION ONE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE MOVEMENT AS THE YEAR AS WE CONTINUE ON WITH BROWNSFIELD AND THE BUILDING OF BATON ROUGE VISUAL.
SO THIS IS JUST A, AN OVERALL SUMMARY FOR YOU.
SO YOUR REVENUES GENERAL FUND, YOU'VE COLLECTED 14%, AS FOR MOST OF THEM YOU'VE COLLECTED ABOUT 14%.
YOUR GRANTS, YOU'RE STILL WAITING.
SO YOUR A VALOR WILL COME IN IN JANUARY.
YOUR SALES TAX IS 45 DAYS IN ARREAR, AND WE ARE WAITING ON STATE AND FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENTS.
OUR GOAL IS ABOUT 25% A QUARTER.
THAT'S HOW I KIND OF LOOK AT IT.
UM, GENERAL FUND, YOU'RE AT 19%.
ALL OF YOUR OTHERS, YOU'RE FALLING ANYWHERE ABOUT 15%.
SO WE'RE ON TRACK FOR THE YEAR RIGHT NOW, AS WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET OF 2324.
BOARD MEMBERS AT THIS TIME, IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE ENTER THE QUEUE.
HOWEVER, WE WILL HAVE TO LIMIT OUR TIME TO THREE MINUTES, AND YOU CAN ONLY SPEAK ONCE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION AS WE HAVE A ROOM THAT IS PACKED TO TONIGHT WITH SOME CONCERNED CITIZENS AND ALSO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET SOME OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER ITEMS. SO THIS TIME NOW, I'LL TURN TO THE QUEUE, GIVE EVERYBODY A FEW MINUTES IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I GUESS MR. LOPEZ, YOU GAVE A THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
SEEING OUR NAME INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, WE'LL KEEP IT GOING RIGHT ALONG.
AT THIS TIME NOW, IS THERE ANY INFORMATION ON PERSONNEL CHANGES? I SEE YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
ALRIGHT, SEEING NO ONE COME TO THE FRONT FOR PERSONNEL CHANGES, I WILL NOW GO TO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, UH, MICHAEL GOEY.
I JUST WANTED, AGAIN, TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, WE ARE NOW GETTING SOME NEW INFORMATION, UH, IN THE FORM OF CHARTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE VERY INFORMATIVE AND I APPRECIATE OUR HR DEPARTMENT PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A BIG PUSH, UH, AND LOTS OF PUBLICITY AROUND THE LACK OF BUS DRIVERS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
I JUST DON'T EVER WANT ANYONE TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE STILL HAVE, UH, TEACHER VACANCIES.
UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, WE STILL HAVE CLASSROOMS WITH SUBSTITUTES AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO, UH, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE TO TRY TO HIRE TEACHERS, UH, AND DO THIS.
AND, AND THE HR DEPARTMENT HAS DONE A GOOD JOB.
IN FACT, I THINK WE'RE BETTER OFF THIS YEAR THAN WE'VE BEEN IN THE PAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS, UH, ON THAT ITEM.
BUT I JUST DON'T WANT THE FACT THAT WE'RE STILL SHORT OF TEACHERS AND THAT WE'RE STILL HIRING TEACHERS TO GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE.
IF YOU'RE A TEACHER WITH A C D L LICENSE, THAT'S EVEN BETTER
WHICH BRINGS ME TO OUR NEXT PART, WHICH WE'LL GO A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF WHAT'S ON OUR AGENDA RIGHT NOW.
I'M GONNA CALL FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
AS I SAID BEFORE, IN THE PAST WHEN WE WENT THROUGH OUR TRANSPORTATION, UH, UPDATES, I SAID THAT, UH, EVERY REGULAR BOARD MEETING UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS ENTIRE SITUATION, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN ALWAYS GIVE SOME UPDATES TO OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
SO THIS TIME NOW, I'M GONNA CALL DOWN MR. CALVIN ORIGINALLY TO GIVE US A QUICK UPDATE ON, UH,
[00:15:01]
EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN TRANSPORTATION.CAME DRESSED TO IMPRESSED TONIGHT, MY BROTHER.
SO, REAL QUICK ON THE STAFFING, OUR NEXT SCHEDULED CLASS IS OCTOBER THE 30TH, AND IN THAT CLASS WE'LL HAVE 17 CANDIDATES BEING TRAINED TO ACQUIRE THEIR C D L MAINTENANCE HAS FIXED ROUGHLY 25 BUSES THIS WEEK WITH THE HELP OF VENDORS, KENT W AND PIT STOP, WHO HAVE BEEN EMBEDDED IN THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS NOW.
SPOKE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT ABOUT, UH, THIS PAST FRIDAY ABOUT ACQUIRING NEW BUSES.
SO HE AND OUR IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE ROUGHLY A HUNDRED BUSES WITH HIS BLESSING.
THE MOST EXCITING PART ABOUT TODAY IS THIS WEEK WE STARTED TWO COLLECTION POINTS.
ONE, I'M SORRY, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR WITH THE BOARD'S BLESSING.
THERE WAS NO SHADE THERE, BUT I WILL ASK
WE STARTED TWO COLLECTION POINTS TODAY, ONE AT THE GOODWOOD LIBRARY AND ONE AT SOUTHEAST MIDDLE.
THE PARENTS WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL SCHOOL LEADERS TO WORK WITH TRANSPORTATION SO WE CAN HAVE MORE COLLECTION POINTS.
AND IF I COULD ALSO ADD TO MYSELF AND, UH, MR. RIZZLEY TODAY MET WITH THE, UH, NATIONAL GUARD, UH, WITH THEIR FINAL REPORT.
WE'LL BE SUBMITTING THAT TO THE BOARD.
UH, IT'LL HAVE A LOT OF DATA METRICS.
UM, UH, THEY WORKED WITH US ON PROCESSES AND ALSO HR.
WE FOUND TODAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, WITH SOME OF THE PROCESSES THAT ALREADY BEEN PUT IN PLACE TO, UM, CUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT ACTUALLY TAKES FOR A TURNAROUND FOR A BUS TO BE FIXED.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THOSE EXACT NUMBERS, BUT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD.
UH, WE CAN ALSO SHARE THAT WITH THE PUBLIC.
UM, IT'S VERY, UM, DETAILED WITH ALL THE DATA METRICS.
SO WE WILL SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD.
BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THE GENERAL HIGGIN AND THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THAT WE LATER TO SHARE, UH, PUBLICLY CORRECT.
FIRST, LEMME SAY THANK YOU MR. RIDLEY, FOR THIS UPDATE.
UH, FIRST UP INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, WHAT I ONLY NAME IN THE QUEUE IS, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR SUPERINTENDENT ANSWERED, ANSWERED MY QUESTION.
SUPERINTENDENT, DID Y'ALL PROVIDE THE DATA THAT I REQUESTED ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY WE SPENT ON BUSES, UM, IN THE EMERGENCY KIND OF THUS FAR? I DON'T REMEMBER IF YOU DID OR NOT.
I HADN'T GOTTEN TO THAT POINT IN MY INBOX YET.
SEEING ALL THE NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE, THANK YOU AGAIN.
UH, MR. RIDLEY, AS YOU ALWAYS STATE, UH, YOU, YOU CAME FORTH, YOU GAVE US SOME GREAT UPDATES, AND I'LL JUST TAKE SOMETHING OUT OF A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
WE CAN'T LET GREAT GET IN THE WAY OF GOOD.
AND WE CAN'T LET GOOD GET IN THE WAY OF BETTER.
WE START THIS PROCESS OFF ON A SHAKY SCALE.
HOWEVER, IT HAS GOTTEN BETTER.
AND EVERY SINGLE TIME WE COME IN HERE, EVERY MONTH, IT'S PROGRESSIVELY GETTING BETTER.
CONTINUE DOING THE GREAT WORK AND MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO KEEP THOSE UPDATES COMING.
[D.1. Update from Superintendent]
HAVE ITEM D ONE.THESE ARE UPDATES FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT.
WHAT A, WHAT A GREAT WEEK IT'S BEEN FOR OUR KIDS.
UM, THIS WEEK, UH, WE CELEBRATED, UM, OUT OF, FOR CENTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL, CENTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS, WHERE, UM, OUT OF 164 SCHOOLS, TARA HIGH SCHOOL WAS THE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL, UM, IN THE COUNTRY THAT WAS ABLE TO GET NINTH GRADE PERFORMANCE.
UH, WHERE NICU HAS COMPLETED 90% OF COMPLETION RATE.
UM, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, ALSO, UH, IN, AND NOT JUST ONLY TERRA, BUT THE PROGRESSION THAT'S HAPPENED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, WE STARTED OFF TWO YEARS AGO AT 59%, AND NOW 82% OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CHILDREN ARE MATRICULATING TO THE NEXT GRADE WITHOUT, UM, WITHOUT FAILING A CLASS.
AND SO WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRESS THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, UH, I WANTED TO JUST HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS.
UM, WE ARE CELEBRATING DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WITH THE THEME, BE KIND TO YOUR MIND.
UH, THIS CAMPAIGN AMPLIFIES THE MESSAGE THAT TOGETHER WE CAN BREAK THE CHAINS OF DRUG ABUSE TO BUILD A BRIGHTER AND HEALTHIER TOMORROW.
WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO WEAR THE FAMILIAR RED RIBBONS AS THEY AIM TO INSPIRE US TO PROTECT OUR LOVED ONES, NURTURE OUR COMMUNITIES, AND PROMOTE A WORLD OF KINDNESS TO OTHERS AND OURSELVES.
AND THAT HAS LED THROUGH OUR ICARE RED RIBBON MONTH.
UM, SO WE APPRECIATE ICARE FOR THEIR WORK.
UH, THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS, UH, UH, E B R FOUNDATION DONATIONS.
OUR DISTRICT'S FOUNDATION HAS ALSO WORKED TILE SEAT TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS SECURING OVER $200,000 IN DONATIONS AND PLEDGES JUSTICE THIS
[00:20:01]
SCHOOL YEAR.LET'S GIVE OUR FOUNDATION A HAND FOR DOING THAT.
UH, THIS FUNDING WILL GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS OUR CLASSROOMS, UH, STEM PROGRAM, CTECH ESPORTS, WHICH IS JUST BLOWING UP ALL OVER THE PLACE.
AND WE'LL ALSO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE Y M C A OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAM.
WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THESE CONTRIBUTING GROUPS AND MANY MORE GRANT APPLICATIONS NEXT MONTH.
PORTER, ARE YOU HERE? I'D LIKE TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
LET'S NOT REALLY LITTLE, BUT, UM, PROJECT SEED GRANT.
UM, E B R HAS RECEIVED A TREMENDOUS $13 MILLION SEED CLUSTER GRANT AIMED AT REDUCING ACHIEVEMENT GAPS, IMPROVING SS P S SCORES, AND IMPLEMENTING UNIQUE PROGRAMS FOR THE WHOLE CHILD NEEDS OVER FIVE YEARS, THIS MONEY WILL FUND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COACHING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIVERSITY CURRICULUM AND SO MUCH MORE.
THIS GRANT ALLOCATION IS SPECIFICALLY AWARDED TO TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY, GLASGOW MIDDLE, AND MR. BALLOU, ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SCHOOLS.
UM, I'M GONNA ALLOW MS. THERESA PORTER TO TALK WHILE I GO GET THE CHECK.
SO, GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT NORTHEAST, AND THE COMMUNITY I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, MR. ELON NASH.
HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF CHOICE IN IMPROVING PROGRAMS FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
HE'S JOINING US VIRTUALLY AND HE WILL DISCUSS, UH, I'M SORRY.
HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTERING DISCRETIONARY GRANT FUNDS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT OFFER QUALITY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR PARENTS TO FIND THE RIGHT EDUCATION OPTION FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
SO MAYBE WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY FOR RIGHT NOW.
WE'LL JUST TAKE THE PICTURE,
AND, AND SO BOARD MEMBERS, WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION UNDER DO BUSINESS ABOUT THE GRANT.
$13 MILLION INVESTED BACK INTO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
CAN WE PLEASE GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE? THAT IS TREMENDOUSLY AMAZING.
UH, MOVING RIGHT ALONG, WE'LL GO TO ITEM
[F.1. Magnet Survey Report]
F, UH, PRESENTATION, UH, MAGNET SURVEY REPORT.THIS IS A MAGNET SURVEY REPORT, UH, MS. THOMAS AND MS. PORTER.
I AM THE RECRUITER FOR MAGNET PROGRAMS AND I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT
[00:25:01]
OUR DATA ON THE RECENT MAGNET APPLICATION SURVEY.NOW, THE REASON WE'RE HERE TONIGHT IS BECAUSE ON APRIL 20TH, WE DID VOTE ON THE RESOLUTION TO HAVE THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION INSTRUCTING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO CONDUCT A PARENT GUARDIAN SATISFACTION SURVEY BASED ON THE APPLICATION PERIOD FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
SO THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE DONE, AND WE CREATED A SURVEY WITH THIS GOAL IN MIND AND THIS MISSION, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE AN EQUITABLE RACE NEUTRAL MAGNET APPLICATION ACCESS AND PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT APPLICATION PROCESS TO BETTER OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO THE MISSION WAS TO USE THAT DATA SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT BETTER PRACTICES FOR OUR APPLICATION PERIODS, HENCE.
FOURTH, WE ADMINISTERED THIS ONLY TO THOSE WHO ACTUALLY APPLIED FOR A MAGNET SEAT LAST SCHOOL YEAR DURING THE 20 22 20 23 SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THAT WAS A TOTAL OF 4,696 RECIPIENTS.
SO WE USED A SERVICE CALLED MAILCHIMP TO MASS DISTRIBUTE THIS SURVEY TO ALL THESE INDIVIDUALS.
WE ONLY COLLECTED THOSE EMAILS FROM THE MAGNET APPLICATION PORTAL, PLUGGED IT INTO THE SYSTEM, AND THEN THEY DISTRIBUTED THAT INFORMATION.
WHAT WAS REALLY COOL ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM THAT WE USED WAS THAT IT LET US KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY PEOPLE OPENED THE EMAIL, HOW MANY CLICKED THE LINK AFTER READING THE EMAIL, AND THE EMAIL IS ACTUALLY ATTACHED THERE.
AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO CO COMPLETE THE SURVEY IS BASED ON WHAT WE FOUND FROM THE GOOGLE DOC ITSELF.
AS YOU SEE, UM, THE MAJORITY OF OUR RECIPIENTS OF THIS SURVEY AND THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY TOOK THIS SURVEY HAD STUDENTS IN A DEDICATED MAGNET WITH, UM, THOSE ALSO BEING IN A MAGNET WITHIN A TRADITIONAL PROGRAM.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE ALL THE STATISTICS FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT OTHER OPTIONS THAT THOSE STUDENTS COULD HAVE ATTENDED FOR THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOL YEAR.
WE ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD A CHILD THAT DID NOT ATTEND OR DID NOT SELECT A MAGNET PROGRAM THIS YEAR.
WHAT WAS THE REASON THAT BEST DESCRIBES WHY, UH, AS YOU SEE, 64% SAID IT WAS NOT APPLICABLE.
SO THAT INDICATES TO ME THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET IN OR THEY WERE NOT SELECTING ONE OF THESE OPTIONS THAT WERE OFFERED ON THAT SURVEY.
22.3% SELECTED THAT THEIR CHILDREN WERE NOT ACCEPTED.
NEXT QUESTION BEING, WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO APPLY FOR A SEAT IN THE MAGNET PROGRAM? AS YOU CAN SEE, IN OVERWHELMING 78% SELECTED, THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND NOT FAR BEHIND WOULD BE DIVERSITY OF THE MAGNET SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.
AS WE CAN SEE, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE APPLIED DURING OUR PRIORITY POOL, WHICH IS THE FIRST APPLICATION PERIOD THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO APPLY LAST YEAR.
IT BEGAN ON OCTOBER 3RD AND ENDED ON DECEMBER 2ND.
AND 75.5% SAID THAT THEY WERE SATISFIED WITH THE APPLICATION BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 16.8%.
WISH THAT THEY DIDN'T WISH THAT IT WOULD NOT BEGIN AS EARLY AS IT DOES, AND 7.7% ACTUALLY WISH THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEGUN EARLIER.
REGARDING THE APPLICATION PROCESS, HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU SUBMITTED A MAGNET APPLICATION? SO 37%.
THIS WAS THEIR VERY FIRST TIME TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION.
THIS DATA WAS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT LETS ME KNOW OVERALL HOW MANY TIMES, HOW MANY PEOPLE TOOK THIS SURVEY THAT HAVE ONLY EVER APPLIED THIS ONE PARTICULAR TIME.
SO I REALLY PAID ATTENTION TO THAT PARTICULAR, UM, BIT OF INFORMATION.
42.9% SAID THAT THEY HAVE APPLIED ONE TO THREE YEARS.
HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT WAS IT TO FIND THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS ON THE MAGNET WEBSITE? 37.7% STATED THAT IT WAS VERY EASY.
20.5% SAID THAT THEY REALLY WERE KIND OF INDIFFERENT TOWARD THAT.
AND THEN THAT 8.8 AND 1.8 SAID IT WAS EITHER DIFFICULT OR VERY DIFFICULT.
OVERALL, HOW SATISFIED WERE THEY WITH THE MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS? 34.4% WERE VERY SATISFIED.
AND, UM, THAT 8.1 WAS VERY UNSATISFIED.
AND THESE ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT WE, UM, ASKED.
THEY DID NOT HAVE TO DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION.
OBVIOUSLY THE WHOLE SURVEY WAS ANONYMOUS, BUT IF THEY CHOSE TO DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BASED ON THAT.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SCHOOL MEMBER? THE REST?
[00:30:02]
HEY, MS. THOMAS? SO, UM, HAD A FEW COMMENTS AND A COUPLE QUESTIONS TOO.SO I, BECAUSE I ORIGINATED THIS ITEM AND THE BOARD APPROVED IT, UM, I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH MS. THOMAS AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT ON DEVELOPING OUR SURVEY HERE.
AND I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DID.
THEY'RE VERY PATIENT BECAUSE I'M VERY SPECIFIC.
UM, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE INTENTION WAS TO GET GOOD INFORMATION TO OUR BOARD ABOUT THE MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS.
WE ARE ABLE TO SEE AS, UM, YOU CAN SEE IN SOME OF THIS DATA, WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, EXTRAPOLATE SOME THINGS ABOUT WHO IS APPLYING TO OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS IN GENERAL.
UH, BUT THE AIM WAS TO CONSIDER HOW IS THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE USING, UM, FOR OUR STUDENTS TO APPLY TO MAGNET SCHOOLS.
UM, I DON'T HAVE IT IN THE BACKUP, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE FULL DATA TO THE BOARD OF THE SURVEY BECAUSE, UH, I WANNA POINT OUT SOME PARTS OF THE SURVEY ASKED FOR LONG FORM ANSWER AND THERE'S SOME REALLY INTERESTING AND VALUABLE DATA AND SOME OF THOSE LONG FORM ANSWERS.
UM, SOME OF WHICH I WANTED TO, TO CALL OUT.
I'M NOT GONNA BE REALLY LONG-WINDED, BUT THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING POINTS IN HERE.
UH, WAS THERE ANYTHING DIFFICULT ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS? UM, AFTER BEING ACCEPTED, FINDING OUT WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO NOT MISS OUT ON THE SPOT, THERE WAS NO GUIDANCE.
UM, THE LIMITED TIME TO ACCEPT MAGNET PAPERWORK AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT HAND IN, IN PERSON NOT BEING ABLE TO MAIL IT IN ET CETERA, MAKES IT SEEM EXTREMELY ELITIST.
UM, I WAS UNAWARE THAT THERE'S MULTIPLE TIMES TO APPLY.
I FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE MORE ADVERTISED.
NOW, FOC KEEP IN MIND I'M FOCUSING ON SOME MAYBE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
THERE WAS ALSO POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND I, I WAS EXCITED TO SEE HOW MANY RESPONSES WE GOT IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, UM, THAT WE DID RECEIVE A LOT OF GOOD FEEDBACK ABOUT THE PROCESS, WHICH TELLS US THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE WORKING, BUT I THINK WE DON'T WANNA MISS THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE, WHICH IS WHAT I HOPE TO FIGURE OUT AS PART OF THIS.
SO WHAT I ASK OUR SUPERINTENDENT TO DO, UM, WITH THIS DATA AND WITH OUR TEAM, UM, IS TO COME BACK TO US AND TELL US USING THIS DATA, WHAT ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COULD BE MADE AROUND THE MAGNET MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS, UM, TO MAKE IT MORE TRANSPARENT, MORE ACCESSIBLE, BECAUSE I FEEL THAT, UM, THAT WE ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, MISSING KIDS, UH, IN THIS PROCESS.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, POINT OUT THAT WE PASSED THIS ITEM IN APRIL AND WE'RE NOW RECEIVING THIS INFORMATION IN OCTOBER.
UM, THIS WAS, UH, PASSED TO BE AN ANNUAL PROCESS.
SO I'D LIKE TO ASK THAT, UH, WE FIGURE OUT A, A MORE EFFICIENT MEANS THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE NEXT THAT MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS, THAT WE HAVE A SURVEY READY TO GO MOUNTED SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS IN A MORE EFFICIENT WAY.
UM, BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS WELL, RIGHT, WE NEED TO GET IT DONE EFFICIENTLY.
UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY OUR MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THIS YEAR'S ALREADY STARTED, SO WE CAN'T REALLY DO MUCH WITH THIS DATA TODAY.
UM, SO ALL THAT LONG-WINDED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS, UM, I ENCOURAGE MY BOARD MEMBERS TO REALLY READ THROUGH THIS DATA AND READ THROUGH A LOT OF THE RESPONSES SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE STILL HAVE IN OUR ENROLLMENT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA PAUL LEWIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. THOMAS FOR SHARING.
UM, MY QUESTION IS IN REGARDS TO THE SLIDE THAT ASK, HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU SUBMITTED A MAG APPLICATION? AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, UM, HOW CLEAR WAS THE DATA OR THE, THE RESPONSE OR HOW CLEAR WERE THE DETAILS IN THE QUESTION? BECAUSE WHEN I SEE THAT SOMEONE HAS APPLIED MORE THAN NINE YEARS, UH, MY QUESTION IS, IS IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD THAT HAS BEEN IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS? WHAT WOULD CAUSE THEM TO APPLY SO MANY TIMES? YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING THAT GENERALLY A CHILD GOES TO ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL, SO THAT MEANS ABOUT THREE TIMES, MAYBE FOUR AS FAR AS AN APPLICATION IS CONCERNED, BUT TO SEE THAT THEY MAY APPLY SEVEN TO NINE YEARS OR MORE THAN NINE YEARS LEAVES QUESTION.
AND I DO SEE WHERE THAT WOULD STAND OUT.
IN THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE SURVEY, WE DID INCLUDE A QUESTION THAT ASKED HOW MANY STUDENTS THEY CURRENTLY HAD IN THE MAGNET PROGRAM AND IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THAT MIGHT REMOVE SOME OF THAT ANONYMITY THAT FROM THAT, THAT PARTICULAR SURVEY TAKER.
SO WE FELT THAT IT WAS BETTER COLLECTIVELY AS A TEAM TO REMOVE THAT QUESTION FROM THERE.
I TOO WOULD ALSO LIKE TO DI DIVE DEEPER INTO THAT.
[00:35:01]
MR. RUS STATED, WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE SPECIFIC, UM, RESPONSES TO SOME OF THOSE LONG FORM ANSWERS TO, TO LOOK AT THAT.AND I DO WANNA SAY THAT, UM, WE HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF THAT FEEDBACK ALREADY INTO CONSIDERATION FOR THIS APPLICATION PERIOD.
UM, THE NEW SYSTEM THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH IS VERY QUICK TO RESPOND TO US WHENEVER WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING US WORK ON THIS PARTICULAR SURVEY 'CAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO USE THAT DATA TO BETTER THOSE PRACTICES.
MY OTHER IS, UH, WITH US BEING IN THE MAGNET, UH, APPLICATION, UH, TIME PERIOD RIGHT NOW, IS THIS SURVEY LIKE AN AUTOMATIC, UM, FEEDBACK OR AVAILABILITY, LET'S SAY WHEN A PERSON APPLIES, DO THEY AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE THE LINK TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THIS SURVEY? YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN, PRETTY MUCH LIKE WHEN WE, WE TAKE CARE OF OTHER THINGS AND OR WE, UH, TALK TO AN OPERATOR OR WHAT HAVE YOU OR COMPLETE SOMETHING ONLINE, THEN THE NEXT STEP IS THAT YOU RECEIVE THE SURVEY.
IS THAT, UH, THE PROCESS? IT IS NOT CURRENTLY.
THAT IS A GREAT IDEA FOR US TO CONSIDER AND, AND MOVING FORWARD.
NEXT WE HAVE SCUBA MARIA MICHAEL, GO DAY.
JUST, JUST VERY BRIEFLY, YOU MENTIONED, AND IT JOGGED MY MEMORY THAT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A BRAND NEW SYSTEM OPERATING THIS YEAR TO DRIVE THE MAGNET APPLICATION PROCESS.
COULD YOU JUST GIVE US A 32ND SNAPSHOT OF, UH, HOW THAT SYSTEM IS BETTER AND WHAT HAS CHANGED? ABSOLUTELY.
SO ONE SUCH IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN THEIR QUICK RESPONSE TIME.
ANYTIME THAT WE'VE HAD SOMETHING COME UP THAT HAS BEEN A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM, OUR CONCERN FROM ONE OF OUR MAGNET COORDINATORS WHO ARE PROCESSING THE APPLICATION CONCERN FROM OUR IN INSIDE OUR OFFICE OR WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY QUICK TO RESPOND TO US AND, AND SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS. ANOTHER REALLY GREAT IMPROVEMENT THAT HAS BEEN EXCITING FOR US IS THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO SUBMIT ANYTHING IN IN PERSON.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SIGN YOUR SIGNATURE PAGE ON THE APPLICATION ITSELF, WHICH HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT IMPROVEMENT.
UM, AND WE ACTUALLY GOT THAT FEEDBACK FROM THIS SURVEY AS WELL.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
THERE'VE BEEN SOME THINGS TO WORK OUT ALONG THE WAY, BUT IT'S OVERALL IS A MUCH BETTER USER-FRIENDLY SYSTEM.
UH, SEEING NO OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
[E.1. Board Appointees]
I'M NOW GONNA GO BACK TO ITEM E ONE REPORTS FROM BOARD APPOINTEES TO COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES.ARE THERE ANY BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE ANY, UH, INFORMATION THEY WOULD LIKE TO GIVE FROM THEIR BOARDS, OUR RESPECTIVE BOARDS THAT THERE'RE ON? OKAY.
WE'LL KEEP IT KICKING RIGHT ALONG AT THIS TIME.
[G.1. Professional Services Contract]
GO TO ITEM G UNFINISHED BUSINESS.THIS IS ITEM G ONE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT.
THIS IS FOR CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO ENTER INTO A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BARRENS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND AN AND AN APPROPRIATE AND QUALIFIED FIRM IN THE AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $95,000.
TO PROVIDE A REVIEW OF THE BOARD'S FISCAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AND SPECIAL REVENUES TO INCLUDE INTERVIEWS WITH BOARD MEMBERS AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS.
A BOARD WORKSHOP FOCUSED ON THE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET AND COLLECTION OF PUBLIC INPUT AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO STREAMLINE THE BOARD'S OPERATING PROCEDURES IN A WAY AS TO INCREASE FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, MEANINGFUL, MEANINGFUL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND LONG RANGE BUDGET PLANNING, AS WELL AS TO EXTEND POSSIBLE ASSIST WITH TO, TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, ASSIST WITH THE INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SUCH THAT MAY BE APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE BOARD FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
CAN I GET A MOTION, DEFER THAT ITEM TO THE, UH, NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING NEXT MONTH.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DEFER TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING FOR NOVEMBER.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
IS THERE ANYONE I CAN SPEAK? I SEE COACHES IN THE QUEUE.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR COACH PAT PATRICK HAD, MIKE WAS HOT.
UH, UH, SEEING, UH, NO OTHER NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
WE'LL KEEP IT KICKING RIGHT ALONG.
SEEING NO COMMENT CARDS TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM AT THIS TIME, WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD, GIVE EVERYONE A FEW SECONDS IN CASE THEY WANNA SPEAK, SEEN, NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE MATTER.
SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
[00:40:12]
AND AGAIN, THAT VOTE WAS TO DEFER TO OUR COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE FOR NOVEMBER.PRESIDENT LANS, CAN WE ROLL CALL? YES, MA'AM, WE MAY.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT ATLANTIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
THANK YOU AGAIN, MADAM SECRETARY.
[G.2. Policy Revision: DC Annual Operating Budget.]
WE WILL GO TO ITEM G TWO, POLICY REVISION DC ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A POLICY REVISION DC ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.CAN I GET A MOTION MOVE BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
SECOND BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
AT THIS TIME NOW I'LL SEE IF THERE'S ANY NAMES IN THE QUEUE FOR OUR BOARD.
I'LL GIVE EVERYONE A FEW SECONDS IN CASE THEY NEED IT TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
I'M SORRY, I JUST, I JUST, OH, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
I JUST WANTED TO, IF, IF, IF I REMEMBER, WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS ITEM, UM, TWO WEEKS AGO, BUT IF, IF SOMEBODY FROM STAFF COULD SUPERINTENDENT OR THE GENERAL COUNSEL COULD KIND OF EXPLAIN BRIEFLY WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT CHANGES WE MADE FROM, FROM LAST WEEK, TWO WEEKS AGO RATHER.
I CAN, I'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT.
SO THIS IS POLICY DC UH, ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET FOLLOWING A DISCUSSION BY BOARD MEMBERS, UH, RAISED SOME CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS AND ALSO MADE SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS AT OUR COW.
UM, WE FURTHER REVISED THIS POLICY TO, UM, REMOVE ANY LANGUAGE REFERENCING THE EQUITABLE FUNDING, UH, UNTIL WE CAN COME UP WITH MORE DETAILED DEFINITION OF WHAT THAT MEANS.
UH, WE ALSO INCLUDED INFORMATION THAT REFERENCES OUR OTHER POLICIES ON PROCUREMENT LIMITS, UM, AS WELL AS PURCHASING, UH, AND BID QUOTATION REQUIREMENTS.
SO ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN REFERENCED AS A FURTHER LIMITATION ON THE AUTHORITY GRANTED IN THIS POLICY.
UM, AND, AND THOSE REVISIONS WILL BE EFFECTIVE UPON ADOPTION OF THE BOARD.
UM, MR. SHAMAN, WHERE ARE WE WITH THAT LANGUAGE? I'M SORRY, MR. LEWIS, WHICH, WHERE ARE WE WITH THAT LANGUAGE? UH, WHICH LANGUAGE ARE YOU REFERRING TO? THE EQUITABLE FUNDING.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO, UH, FOLLOWING THE DISCUSSION LAST MEETING, THERE IS NO LEGAL DEFINITION.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK WITH THE BOARD.
I BELIEVE THE SUGGESTION THE BOARD MEMBERS WAS TO SORT OF LOOK AT FURTHER REVISIONS LATER.
ONCE WE CAN COME UP WITH A DEFINITION THAT BOARD MEMBERS COULD BE, COULD BE, UM, AGREEABLE TO.
AND SO MY MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE HAVE A POLICY, A PERSON WHO HANDLES THIS FOR US.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT WAYS TO MAYBE WORK WITH THE BOARD TO DEVELOP A WORKING DEFINITION OF EQUITY OR EQUITABLE FUNDING AND THEN BRING THAT BACK TO YOU GUYS FOR CONSIDERATION.
MAYBE BEST PRACTICES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WE CAN LOOK, WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE.
SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENTS, UH, IN THE QUEUE, WE WILL NOW TURN TO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC FOLLOW COMPLIANCE WITH STATE FEDERAL AGENCY.
SEEING NONE, WE NOW RETURN TO THE BOARD.
COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
YOU MAY HAVE TO GET OUT AND GET BACK IN.
CAN WE ROLL CALL ONE SECOND, SEE IF IT'S IN THERE.
[00:45:01]
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
I GOT A LITTLE FRANK SINATRA THERE.
[G.3. Policy Revision: EBBCEmergency/Crisis Management]
TO ITEM G THREE.THERE'S A STRETCH
E B B C EMERGENCY, UH, CRISIS MANAGEMENT.
THIS IS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A POLICY REVISION.
E B B C, UH, EMERGENCY CRISIS MANAGEMENT.
UH, UH, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CANNOT I GET A MOTION MOVED BY A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER? NATHAN RUSS.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I GO TO THE QUEUE, SEE IF WE HAVE ANY NAMES.
SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
I WILL GIVE OUR BOARD MEMBERS A FEW SECONDS OR MOMENTS IN CASE THEY WANT TO STILL GET IN.
SEEING AT THIS TIME, I WILL NOW GO TO OUR GENERAL PUBLIC AS I LOOK THROUGH AT Q CARD.
IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEM ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ATRIUM.
GRAB A PINK Q CARD, FILL OUT YOUR INFORMATION, GIVE IT THE MATTER OF SECRETARY.
BUT SEEING NO NAMES FOR THIS ITEM AT THIS TIME, WE COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
GREAT SCHOOL WILL ELIMINATE THE RUSH.
UM, THIS IS JUST A, MAYBE A SEMANTICS THING, BUT UH, I'M LOOKING AT THE BACKUP AND I SEE A DOCUMENT.
E B C E B B C, EMERGENCY CRISIS MANAGEMENT 2023.
IS THAT THE PREVIOUS VERSION? OKAY.
UH, WE KEPT THE PREVIOUS VERSION UP SO THAT THE PUBLIC COULD SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE NEW ONE.
SO I THINK IT MAY JUST BE A ERROR, BUT THE, UH, THE REVISED THAT'S IN THE BACKUP FOR THIS IS ACTUALLY FROM THE PREVIOUS ITEM.
SO I DON'T HAVE THE REVISED VERSION IN FRONT OF ME HERE IN THE BACKUP THAT I CAN SEE.
YEAH, IT LOOKS LIKE POLICY BC WAS UPLOADED IN, IN PLACE OF THE CURRENT, THE CORRECT POLICY.
UM, SO WE COULD, UM, I COULD, I COULD ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THIS.
THERE'S NO REVISION REQUIRED OF THIS STATUTE.
CAN I SPEAK TO THAT REAL QUICKLY PLEASE? YEAH, IT'LL PROBABLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
UH, SO THE, THE CONCERN RAISED, UH, AT THE COW WAS ABOUT THE, UM, PROTECTION FROM CIVIL, UH, AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY ASPECT OF IT.
NO REVISION WAS REQUIRED OF THE POLICY.
ESSENTIALLY, UH, AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, UH, DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ACTS OF THE 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THE STATUTORY LANGUAGE, UH, IN THOSE REVISIONS CREATES THAT LIABILITY PROTECTION.
SO, UH, I THINK MR. MARTIN KIND OF RAISED A QUESTION TO MAKE SURE THE RESEARCH IT TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO, NOTHING NEEDED TO, NO LANGUAGE NEEDED TO BE ADDED TO THIS, TO THIS, UH, POLICY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT INFORMATION WAS CORRECT.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THAT IS GRANTED IN THE LEGISLATIVE STATUTE.
SO NO REVISIONS WERE NEEDED, SO THERE WAS NO REVISION.
DOES THAT CONCLUDE YOUR QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
SCHOOL MEMBER RUS, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME MATTER.
MADAM SECRETARY, UH, WE ARE HAVING SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH ONE OF THE COMPUTERS STILL, SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL.
THE MAKER WAS MR. RUSS AND MR. MARTIN? YES, MA'AM.
DISTRICT THREE VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT FIVE, MR. LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
[G.4. Policy Revision: GBRIBSick Leave]
WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM G FOUR.THIS IS A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A POLICY REVISION FOR G B R I B.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NATHAN RUSS.
SECONDED BY, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
THIS TIME NOW I'LL GIVE MY BOARD COLLEAGUES AN OPPORTUNITY ON MOMENT IN CASE THEY WANT TO ENTER INTO THE QUEUE.
I SEE WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
UM, MR. SHALIN, COULD YOU, UM, KIND OF SUMMARIZE THE, THE, THE TWEAKS THAT WERE MADE TO THIS POLICY, UH, SINCE THE COW? YES, SIR.
SO FOLLOWING, UH, AGAIN, FOLLOWING THE, THE COMMITTEE, THE WHOLE DISCUSSION, UM, WE LOOKED AT LANGUAGE ADDRESSING RELIGIOUS FUNCTIONS FOR AN EMPLOYEE'S FAITH.
[00:50:01]
OR REMOVED.UM, WE DETERMINED AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE OFFICE OF HUMAN, UH, RESOURCES THAT THE TWO DAYS OF ABSENCE ARE ALLOTTED WITHIN THE CURRENT, UM, DAYS.
AND IT'S NOT REQUIRED AS ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED BY STAFF TO SUBMIT TO, TO, TO, UH, ACQUIRE THE LEAVE FOR THOSE DAYS.
UM, LANGUAGE SPECIFYING THAT EMPLOYEES MAY SUBMIT THEIR REQUEST VIA THE DISTRICT'S IDENTIFIED PLATFORM, DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT'S BEEN ADDED THROUGHOUT THE STATUTE.
TO CLARIFY THAT A PERSON DOES NOT NEED TO COME IN PERSONALLY TO SUBMIT THAT INFORMATION.
THEY CAN DO IT THROUGH THE DIGITAL PLATFORM.
UH, LANGUAGE CLARIFYING THAT EMERGENCY LEAVE MAY BE SUBMITTED VIA THE DISTRICT'S DIGITAL PLATFORM HAS ALSO BEEN ADDED.
UM, AND IF APPROVED BY THE BOARD, THOSE CHANGES WILL BE FILED.
SO I I I I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION JUST SO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.
SO I, I SEE THAT THE, UNDER THE HEADING SICK LEAVE FOR EMERGENCIES AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE TWO, TOP OF PAGE THREE.
AT THE TOP OF PAGE THREE, IT'S JUST THAT THIS REVISION NOW STRIKES ANY REFERENCE TO ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS FUNCTIONS OF THE EMPLOYEE'S FAITH NOT TO EXCEED TWO DAYS.
WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY TAKING ANY LEAVE AWAY FROM ANYBODY WITH THIS.
WE'RE JUST MAKING IT LIKE THAT'S JUST REGULAR SICK LEAVE OR WHATEVER THAT THEY'RE TAKING NO, NO.
SPECIAL CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.
AND, AND WHERE, WHERE WOULD I FIND THAT? THAT THEY CAN TAKE TWO DAYS OF SICK LEAVE FOR, FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE? WELL, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT STATED ANYWHERE IN POLICY.
UM, IT WOULD NOT BE STATED ANYWHERE ELSE IN POLICY.
UH, THE STAFF IS ALLOTTED SO MANY DAYS OF SICK LEAVE AND, AND I BELIEVE TWO DAYS OF PERSONAL LEAVE.
UM, AND SO THEY DIDN'T GET THOSE ADDITIONAL DAYS.
IT'S PART OF THE DAYS YOU'RE ALREADY ALLOTTED.
WE'RE JUST REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT THAT IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THOSE DAYS FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES.
YOU SUBMIT ANY, ANY INFORMATION TO VERIFY THAT.
SCHOOL MEMBER MARTIN IS, DOES THAT CONCLUDE YOUR QUESTION? YES, SIR.
SEEING ANOTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE'LL NOW TURN TO GENERAL PUBLIC.
SEEING NO CUE CARDS FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAME INSIDE OF THE QUEUE MATTER.
SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
SHOULD BE GOOD NOW, HUH? NO, SHE GOT A NEW COMPUTER.
OH, I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S WRONG.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANTIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT FOUR, MS. STEWART? YES.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MARTIN? YES.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM
[G.5. Litigation (Part 1 of 2)]
G FIVE.LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM, UH, UH, GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF DR.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL MEMBER MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART? SECONDED BY, SECONDED BY SCHOOL MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
THIS TIME NOW I'LL GO TO THE QUEUE SEEN ON NATHAN SIDE OF THE QUEUE.
I'LL GIVE MY BOARD MEMBERS A FEW MOMENTS IN CASE THEY WANNA SPEAK SEEN ON OH, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? YEAH, I'D, I'D, I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST WE GO ON, I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THIS BRIEFLY.
SO JUST FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS, IT'LL BE TWO SEPARATE ITEMS FOR THE SAME DEFENDANT.
SO JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT WAS UNDERSTOOD.
THERE'LL BE A LATER ITEM INSIDE OF THE, UH, FROM THE NEW BUSINESS.
RIGHT? THIS IS THE, THIS IS LITIG.
THIS IS THE LITIGATION OVER THE PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST.
I WAS JUST MAKING SURE YOU NOTED THE DIFFERENCE.
AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT BRIEFLY IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, YEAH, YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO TAKE A VOTE.
RIGHT? I WAS JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GOOD.
SO, UM, DO WE NEED A SECOND FOR THE EXECUTIVE SESSION? YOU NEED A SECOND AND YOU NEED A VOTE OF SIX TO APPROVE.
[00:55:01]
SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION BY SCHOOL BOARD PA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
RIGHT, BECAUSE IT IS A NEW MOTION WE WOULD ENTER, WELL WE CAN'T DISCUSS IT ON THE FLOOR.
WELL WE ONLY DISCUSSING THE UH, WHETHER OR NOT TO GO IN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE'LL COME BACK TO THE BOARD FOR COMMENT.
SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE, WE'LL NOT GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SEEING NO QUEUE CARDS FOR THIS ITEM, WE COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
MADAM SECRETARY, POLICE CALL FOR THE VOTE AGAIN.
FOR THE RECORD, WE NEED SIX VOTES IN ORDER TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION DISTRICT.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANTIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
[Additional Item]
PUBLIC TO PLEASE TO BE ON STANDBY AS WE WILL ENTER AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.I NOW CALL THE EXECUTIVE SESSION TO AN END.
[G.5. Litigation (Part 2 of 2)]
NOW ADDRESS THE ITEM BACK ON THE FLOOR FOR ITEM G FIVE.LITIGATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM, UH, GWEN SHALIN, GENERAL COUNSEL, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF JAMES T FINNEY VERSUS DR.
SECTION 24 19 J D C, STATE OF LOUISIANA.
WE HAD A MOTION BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL GO TO OUR BOARD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
I'LL GIVE OUR BOARD MEMBERS A SECOND IN ORDER TO COMMENT ON THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
SEEING NONE AT THIS TIME, I WILL NOW COME TO OUR GENERAL PUBLIC SEEING NO COMMENT CARDS ON THIS ITEM AT THIS TIME BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, I WOULD ASK ANYBODY INSIDE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC RIGHT NOW OR INSIDE OF THE ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEM TO PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ATRIUM.
GRAB A PINK COMMENT CARD, FILL IT OUT, GIVE IT TO MADAM SECRETARY.
SHOULD BE SURE THAT I GETS IT.
AT THIS TIME NOW SEEING NO PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY IS ASSISTING WITH A TECHNICAL PROBLEM.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE PLEASE VOTE.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANTIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
MR. LEWIS AB STATE DISTRICT SIX.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MARTIN? YES.
[H. Consent Agenda]
ALONG.WE'LL NOW UH, ENTERTAIN OUR CONSENT AGENDA AT THIS, WHICH IS ITEM H ONE, WHICH WILL BE READ INTO THE RECORD BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MS. SHOSHONE STEWART.
CONSENT AGENDA H ONE CONSENT VOTE.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE TO BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED WITH ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER SO REQUESTS IN WHICH EVENT THE ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED AS AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR A SEPARATE VOTE.
PROCEEDING THE LAST ITEM OF THE REGULAR AGENDA.
GRANT JOE BARROW FOUNDATION DO GOOD CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE JOE BURROWS FOUNDATION.
DO GOOD GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF 14,856 FOR A TUTORING PROGRAM AT TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY, TARGETING THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS STRATEGIC ALLIANCE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THREE.
GRANT LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR
[01:00:01]
THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE 20 23 20 24 LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.C C A P B THREE GRANT AND THE AMOUNT OF 4,353,360 TO EXPAND ACCESS TO EARLY CHILDCARE SEATS FOR INFANTS TO THREE YEARS OLD.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING EARLY CHILDHOOD CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SELECTED TYPE THREE EARLY LEARNING CENTERS TO EXPAND SEATS FOR INFANTS TO AGE THREE.
CHILDREN WITH THE CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE C C A P B THREE.
LOUISIANA STATE GENERAL FUNDS FIVE.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT.
LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF DEAF FOCUS.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF THE DEATH DOING BUSINESS AS DEATH FOCUSED IN THE AMOUNT OF $30,000 TO PROVIDE SIGN LANGUAGE SERVICES.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT INFRASTRUCTURE INCORPORATED.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND INFRASTRUCTURE INCORPORATED CANVAS AND THE AMOUNT OF 34,768 TO PROVIDE AN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT ATTUNED EDUCATION PARTNERS.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE ATTUNE EDUCATION PARTNERS L L C AND THE AMOUNT OF $120,000 TO CREATE A MULTI-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING STORES STRONG SCHOOL SYSTEMS STRATEGIC PLANNING INITIATIVE.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION IN THE AMOUNT OF $1.5 MILLION FOR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CAREER READINESS PROGRAMS. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FUNDING SOURCE GENERAL FUND.
CONTRACT ETHICS CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND ETHICS IN THE AMOUNT OF $30,960 TO PROVIDE ATHLETIC SHOES AND APPAREL TO SELECT SCHOOLS.
PROPERTY APPRAISAL WOODLAWN HIGH CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZING THEIR SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF TO PURCHASE AN APPRAISAL OF PROPERTY ADJACENT TO WOODLAWN HIGH 11.
NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS, CONSIDERATIONS OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE FOLLOWING.
NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS AS REFERENCED IN THE DOCUMENT, NEW JOB DE POSITIONS STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT.
POLICY REVISION B C B K EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF POLICY REVISION B C B K, EXECUTIVE SESSION STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF POLICY REVISION D I D AUDITS, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
POLICY E B C B VIDEO AUDIO MONITORING OF SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF NEW POLICY E B C B VIDEO AUDIO MONITORING OF SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE RE APPROVAL OF POLICY REVISION.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION FROM GWEN SHAMBLIN, GENERAL COUNSEL.
E B R PARISH SCHOOL BOARD IN THE MATTER OF GREGORY PAYNE VERSUS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, BERKELEY INSURANCE COMPANY AND LANCE L PATTERSON.
PARISH OF E B R AND THAT'S IT.
UH, CAN I GET A SECOND SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
AT THIS TIME NOW I ASK IS THERE ANY BOARD MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO PULL ANY ITEMS PLEASE INTO THE QUEUE? I WILL CALL ON YOU FOR THOSE ITEMS TO BE PULLED.
COACH UH, LEWIS, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
I'D LIKE TO, UH, PULL THE UH, ITEM FOR THE BATON ROUGE YOUTH CORRELATION.
THIS IS MORE DISCUSSION NEEDED.
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SO THAT'S ITEM EIGHT THAT HAS BEEN PULLED TO BE DISCUSSED AT A STANDALONE ITEM.UH, NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO PULL ITEM NINE, THE CONTRACT WITH ETHICS FOR IT TO STAND ALONE AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE ITEM EIGHT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT WITH YOUR BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION AND ITEM NINE, CONTRACT ETHICS THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED TO BE DISCUSSED SEPARATELY AS STANDALONE ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY MORE, UH, PULLED ITEMS AT THIS TIME OR ITEMS TO BE PULLED RATHER AT THIS TIME SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF OUR QUEUE.
I WILL NOW COME TO THE BOARD FOR ANY COMMENTS.
SEEING NO NAMES OUTTA THE QUEUE, I NOW GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
I SEE MS. STORM MATTHEWS HAS WISHED TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, MS. MATTHEWS.
UM, AS FAR AS THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS GO, UM, HR WILL BE READY TO GO TONIGHT IF THIS PASSES.
UM, WHAT WE WILL BE WAITING ON ARE THE ATTORNEYS AND HOW QUICKLY THEY CAN NEGOTIATE OR I E BADGER MY PREFERRED TERM OF ENDEARMENT,
SO
FINNEY'S RECOMMENDATION FROM LAST MEETING THAT, UM, FOR ALL THE OTHER JOB TITLES, UM, UH, MS. HALL HAS SAID NUM NUMEROUS TIMES HOW MANY, UM, TITLES WE HAVE IN THE SYSTEM WHEN SHE CAME ON BOARD.
BUT FOR ALL THOSE ONES THAT THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO YET, IF THEY ARE NOT FILLED AND THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY POSTED, THEN HAVE A UM, UH, ONE ACTION FOR ALL OF THEM AND SAY ALL OF THEM THAT FALL UNDER THAT, THAT THEY ARE DEEMED GONE AWAY.
OR HE HAD A BETTER WORD FOR IT.
I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT WORD HE USED, BUT, YOU KNOW, AND HE'S SMART LIKE THAT.
BUT, UM, I DO HOPE THAT THE, UH, THAT OUR ESTEEMED GWEN CHALIN CAN, YOU KNOW, BADGER AND, AND THEN NEGOTIATIONS.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER TO END THIS CONTRACT AND THAT WE CAN GET THOSE SUBS UNDER US AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SEEING NO OTHER QUEUE CARDS FOR ITEM H ONE.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW, UH, COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
I'LL GIVE EACH BOARD MEMBER A FEW MOMENTS IN CASE THEY WANT TO ENTER THE QUEUE.
C NO NAME INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME MATTER.
SECRETARY, WE'RE GONNA CALL FOR THE VOTE.
AND THIS IS FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA.
MINUS ITEMS EIGHT AND MI NINE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE IT STILL AHEAD AND COME UP.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT ATLANTA.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT PAUL LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MARTIN? YES.
[H.8. Professional Services Contract: Baton Rouge Youth Coalition]
WE HAVE, UH, ITEM H EIGHT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT, BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION.THIS IS FOR CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION.
THE AMOUNT OF $1,500,000 FOR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CAREER READINESS PROGRAMS. CAN I GET A MOTION? SECOND.
MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
YEAH, THAT WE ON IT NOW? HA NOW.
UH, FIRST IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE COACH CLIFF LEWIS.
UM, THIS ITEM IS, IS PRETTY TOUGH.
UM, BRICK DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB WITH WHAT THEY DO,
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BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY'RE ASKING US, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ASKING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PREPARATIONS.UM, AND AGAIN, THEY DO GOOD WORK, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR TO ME IS KIND OF BEYOND THE SCOPE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD COME TO THE SCHOOL BOARD TO ASK FOR.
THAT $1.5 MILLION CAN BE USED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
IT CAN BE USED FOR TEACHER PAY.
IT CAN BE USED TO, UM, MAKE SOME REPAIRS TO SOME SCHOOLS WHERE THE CEILING TILES ARE FALLING OUT.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS WE COULD DO AT $1.5 MILLION.
WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE STARING A DEFICIT IN THE FACE NEXT YEAR.
AND PERSONALLY, I JUST FEEL THAT THERE'S A BETTER USE OF $1.5 MILLION.
GRANTED, THEY SERVING THE KIDS WHO WE EDUCATE AND MAYBE WE SHOULD EMBED SOME OF OUR TEACHERS WITH BRICK.
I MEAN, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB.
BUT AGAIN, $1.5 MILLION WHEN WE ARE FACING BUDGET CUTS OR BUDGET CONSTRAINTS NEXT YEAR.
AND I'M SCARED TO DEATH THERE'S GONNA BE A RIF.
I JUST THINK $1.5 MILLION CAN BE BETTER SPENT IN-HOUSE, SO TO SPEAK.
SEEING NO OTHER NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW COME TO A GENERAL PUBLIC.
FIRST UP WE HAVE MS. JENNIFER CARLE.
MOST PEOPLE HERE ARE CARVILLE'S.
APPARENTLY MY HUSBAND'S FAMILY IS WELSH.
UH, I GO TO FIRST METHODIST AND WE SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM.
AND I KNOW IT'S A VERY GOOD PROGRAM.
UM, AND I DO BELIEVE EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION.
UH, I THINK YOUR PROBLEM RIGHT NOW IS YOU'VE GOT SOME MONEY TROUBLES.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOUR SOLUTION RIGHT NOW IS TO SPEND MONEY THIS WAY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE IT.
UM, UH, I WAS WATCHING THE, THE, THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AND IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO ME HOW EASY PEOPLE WERE TO JUST APPROVE THINGS, APPROVE THINGS.
AND I, I HEARD, UH, UH, MR. LEWIS SAY, I FEEL LIKE I'M ON.
AND I KIND OF FELT LIKE HE WAS ON LET'S MAKE A DEAL TOO, BECAUSE IT WAS JUST LIKE, IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS MONEY GOING LEFT AND RIGHT.
AND THEN WHEN IT CAME TIME TO, ARE WE GONNA PAY SUBS? OH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD DO THAT.
WELL, Y'ALL, YOU, YOU GOTTA THINK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR MAIN FOCUS? YOUR MAIN FOCUS IS THE CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND MAYBE YOU DO NEED TO BE FUNDING BRICK IN SOME WAY.
MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED TO BE FUNDING FAILING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND USING THAT MONEY TO FUND BRICK OR I, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE AGAIN, EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION.
IS THIS THE SOLUTION RIGHT NOW? YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
I'M, I'M WITH MR. LEWIS ON THIS ONE.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE MS. STORM MATTHEWS.
I ABSOLUTELY WANNA SEE BRITT GET THEIR FUNDING.
UM, THEY DO VERY, VERY GOOD WORK.
I'M JUST GONNA DROP A LITTLE TIDBIT LIKE I SOMETIMES DO.
WE HAVE ANOTHER ITEM ON THE AGENDA LATER? DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS AN EXXONMOBIL PERSON ON BRICK'S BOARD? I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH THEY ARE GIVING TO FUND BRICK.
MAYBE WE COULD USE THAT IF WE DON'T APPROVE THE EYE TIP LATER.
SEEING NO OTHER CUE CARDS AT THIS TIME, I WILL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE OR AGAIN, PLEASE VOTE.
[01:15:03]
THE MOTION CARRIES.[H.9. Contract: Ethics]
WE HAVE ITEM H NINE CONTRACTS, ETHICS, CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND ETHICS AND THE AMOUNT OF $30,960 TO PROVIDE ATHLETIC SHOES AND APPAREL TO SELECT SCHOOLS.CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SHOSHONE STEWART, YOU ARE NOW IN THE QUEUE.
CAN UM, I HAVE SOMEONE COME UP.
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO THIS ITEM.
UM, SO WE RECEIVED A PRESENTATION ABOUT THIS ITEM AT THE COW AND THERE WAS SOME STATS THAT WERE GIVEN TO US, UM, AS IT RELATES TO, UH, AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR BASKETBALL, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM.
AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE INFORMATION AS FAR AS WITH THOSE STATS, BECAUSE I LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS AND IT INDICATE, I GUESS LIKE OUT OF THE SIX SCHOOLS, THEY'RE LIKE, UH, MAYBE LIKE 20 FOR BOYS, 15 FOR GIRLS.
CAN YOU GIMME THE ACCURATE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO, UH, PURCHASE THESE ITEMS FOR, FOR THOSE SCHOOLS? OR ARE THOSE ACCURATE NUMBERS THAT, WITH THE PRESENTATION, THOSE WERE THE NUMBERS WE WERE GIVEN BY THE SCHOOLS AT THE TIME THAT WE ASKED THEM FOR IT.
SOME OF THOSE HAVE ADJUSTED SLIGHTLY A LITTLE LESS AS WE SENT THE FORM OUT AND THEY HAD TO TYPE IN THE PLAYERS' NAMES 'CAUSE THEY HAD TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE GONNA ACTUALLY COME OUT AND PLAY AND BE ON THE TEAM.
SO THEY'RE FILL THEY'VE BEEN FILLING IN THE GOOGLE FORM FOR THE LAST WEEK OR SO, OR WEEK AND A HALF WITH THE STUDENTS TO STUDENT ATHLETES' NAMES AND THEN THEIR SIZES.
SO THE NUMBERS HAVE GONE DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT, BUT THEY GAVE US ESTIMATES WHEN THEY FIRST GAVE US THE NUMBERS.
AND SO WHEN WAS THESE ESTIMATES GIVEN? OH, THIS WAS ABOUT PROBABLY THREE WEEKS BEFORE WE, BEFORE THE COW.
AND SO IN, IN RELATION TO THE COACHES, 'CAUSE MOST OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE LIKE SIX OR SEVEN COACHES.
DO WE ACTUALLY HAVE SIX OR SEVEN COACHES ON THESE BASKETBALL TEAMS? THOSE WERE THE NUMBERS WE WERE GIVEN, BUT AGAIN, THEY HAD TO, WE GOT THAT INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN APPROXIMATION.
THE, UH, QUOTES AND I, I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE I'VE GOT, I'VE DONE A LITTLE RESEARCH AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT ACCURATE AS, AS IT RELATES TO THE COACHES, STUDENTS AND SO FORTH.
AND SO I WAS KIND OF PUZZLED AS IT RELATES TO HOW WE CAME TO THE AMOUNT WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN THOSE PROGRAMS CURRENTLY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING WITH THOSE NUMBERS, HOW WE PROJECTING THAT AMOUNT TO STUDENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY NOT, YOU KNOW, IN THOSE SPACES.
BUT LIKE YOU SAID, THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY, THAT WAS WEEKS MAYBE BEFORE THE ACTUAL CALL.
BUT AS IT EXISTS WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE THE CALL, I'VE DONE MY LITTLE RESEARCH AND THE NUMBERS ARE NOT ACCURATE, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO BRING IT AND ASK SOME MORE QUESTIONS.
BUT I ALSO WANTED TO ASK AS IT RELATES TO THE ATHLETICS, BECAUSE UM, AS LOOKING INTO MOST OF IT, I REALIZED WE ONLY HAVE ONE, UH, ATHLETIC TRAINER, UH, FOR THE 11 HIGH SCHOOLS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, HAVE THE SPORTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT THE SAFETY AND UH, THE ISSUES AS IT RELATES TO, UH, WHEN WE ARE WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN WITH ATHLETICS, NOT HAVING THE, YOU KNOW, ATHLETIC TRAINER, WELL WE HAVE ONE, BUT THEY CAN'T BE AT THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
AND SO I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW WOULD THAT ACTUALLY BE EFFECTIVE? YOU KNOW, JUST ONE ASPECT.
AND THEN, UM, ME GOING TO SOME OF MY SCHOOLS REACHING OUT TO SOME OF MY PRINCIPALS, UH, THE ATHLETIC PART, THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT ITSELF NEEDS A LOT OF ENHANCEMENT AND, YOU KNOW, UPKEEP.
AND SO, UH, MY THING WAS, UM, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT TO HELP THE CHILDREN IN SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS WITH ATHLETIC SHOOT SNEAKERS AND APPAREL ISN'T A GOOD THING, BUT I'VE IDENTIFIED THAT THAT COST CAN BE ALLOCATED TO MORE IMPORTANT THINGS WITHIN OUR DISTRICT AND WITHIN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT.
BEL AIR, UH, I TALKED TO MY PRINCIPAL.
THE LOCKERS NEED TO BE REPAIRED, IT NEEDS PAINTING, YOU KNOW, JUST BASIC THINGS.
AND THAT'S FOR ALL OF THE ATHLETICS, NOT JUST THE BASKETBALL TEAM.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS COACH, UH, LEWIS INDICATED WE TALK ABOUT BUDGET, WE TALKING ABOUT MONIES, YOU KNOW, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALLOCATING OUR FUNDS AND OUR BUDGET, YOU KNOW, IN THE PROPER, UH, WAY THAT'S GONNA HELP FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS.
NOT SAYING THE SNEAKER THING IS, YOU KNOW, NOT GOOD TO HELP SOME STUDENTS THAT POSSIBLY CAN'T AFFORD 'EM OR, YOU KNOW, THAT DON'T HAVE SPONSORSHIP.
BUT THAT MONEY TO ME CAN BE ALLOCATED IN OTHER WAYS TO HELP OUR SCHOOLS IN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS.
UH, SO THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT THIS UP.
AND SO I WANTED YOU TO RESPOND TO THAT.
AND SO, UM, I SAID ALL THAT TO SAY THAT I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS.
[01:20:01]
DO WANNA ADJUST A COUPLE THINGS FOR YOU.SO WHAT WE CAN DO NOW THAT WE DO HAVE THE HARD NUMBERS, I'M HAPPY TO TURN THAT INFORMATION OVER TO YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS, SO THAT WE HAVE IT IN THE SPREADSHEET SO THAT CAN GIVE US THE ACTUAL SOLID NUMBER.
NOW THE TEAMS ARE ACTUALLY FORMED, OFFICIAL PRACTICES HAVE BEGUN.
SECOND THING ON THE ATHLETIC TRAINER NOTE, WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL AS WELL AS, UM, BROCK.
SO THEY HAVE BEEN SERVICING US.
SO THERE IS ONE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC TRAINER ON OUR ROSTER AT A SCHOOL, 'CAUSE THEY'RE HOLDING A TEACHING SPOT.
BUT WE DO HAVE ATHLETIC TRAINING SERVICES BEING PROVIDED TO OUR SCHOOLS BY THOSE PARTNERS.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A THIRD PARTNER THAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET CONTRACT FOR SERVICES AS WELL.
SO WE, I PROVIDED MY DEPARTMENT AND MY TEAM WHO'S DONE A GREAT JOB PUTTING A MASTER SCHEDULE TOGETHER, WE PROVIDED THAT TO THE PROVIDERS AND THEN THEY CAME BACK AND LET US KNOW, WHICH, UM, THEY WERE GREAT TO WORK TOGETHER AS WELL.
THEY WERE ALL LIKE, LOOK, WE DON'T CARE NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THIS THOUGHT OF COMPETITION, BUT FOR THE STUDENT ATHLETES, THEY WORKED TOGETHER TO TRY TO COVER AS MANY GAMES AS THEY COULD, RIGHT? UM, TO MAKE SURE WE HAD SERVICES FOR THE STUDENTS AND THE GAMES THAT WERE NOT.
THE SUPERVISORS IN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT OR THE ATHLETIC DIRECTORS AT SCHOOLS WERE ASKED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE, UH, OPPONENT SCHOOL WHO WE KNEW HAD A TRAINER TO ENSURE THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVICE, UM, ANY STUDENT ATHLETE THAT MAY HAVE NEEDED THOSE SERVICES AT THOSE GAMES.
BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO COVER OUR, UM, GAMES AS THEY ARE.
AND ALSO, AND SPEAKING WITH, UM, CENTRAL LEADERSHIP, JUST TALKING ABOUT BRINGING OUR SPORTS MED PROGRAMS BACK, THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO HAVE A TRAINER ON CAMPUS.
SO THE ONE THAT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS ACTUALLY AT A SCHOOL THAT HAS A SPORTS MED PROGRAM.
SO I'VE BEEN WORKING TRYING TO GET WITH THE ADSS AND WE TALKED AT OUR LAST MEETING TO GO BACK TO THE PRINCIPALS AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS GONNA BE A NEED.
AND ONE WAY WE CAN VERIFY AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AN ATHLETIC TRAINER ON CAMPUS IS TO START THOSE PROGRAMS BACK UP WHEN WE CAN HIRE THEM IN THOSE POSITIONS.
THEY CAN BE TEACHING, YOU KNOW, DURING THE DAY, MORNING PART OF THE DAY.
AND THEN PROVIDING THOSE ATHLETIC TRAINING SERVICES TO OUR STUDENT ATHLETES IN THE AFTERNOONS.
THAT'S NORMALLY THE WAY THAT SET UP WORKS.
SO WE ARE DEFINITELY, UM, DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE SURE THEIR SAFETY AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE TAKEN CARE OF.
WE'VE HAD THEM COME IN AND DO TRAINING FOR US.
BROCK CAME IN AND DID SOME TRAINING FOR OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTORS, FIRST AID COORDINATORS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO COVER THE BASES EVERY WAY THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE, THEY'RE SAFE.
AND THEN LASTLY, WITH REGARD TO THE FACILITIES, I HAD THE TEAM GO OUT THIS SUMMER AND TALK TO EACH ONE OF THE ADS, WALK THE CAMPUSES, WALK THE FACILITIES AND MAKE A SPREADSHEET OF ALL THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, NEED REPAIR.
YOU KNOW, JUST, WE'RE KNOCKING IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY UNDERSTANDING THAT PEOPLE NEED STUFF RENOVATED.
I KNOW I HELPED, UH, WITH THE COACH AT TERRA THERE, LOCKER ROOM SPACE IS RENOVATED AND THERE'S SOME OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING THERE.
IT'S JUST, IT'S A LOT OF WORK AND IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN ATTENDING TO, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THOSE THINGS ARE TAKEN CARE OF MOVING FORWARD.
AND I WANTED TO ASK, UM, AS IT RELATES, AS YOU JUST INDICATED THAT YOU GUYS HAVE GONE TO SCHOOLS TO TRY TO SCOUT TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUES ARE, HOW IS IT IDENTIFIED, UH, AT WHAT POINT PRIORITIZING WHAT REPAIRS OR WHAT NEEDS, WHAT ADDRESS, WHAT THINGS GET ADDRESSED FIRST.
BECAUSE I'M SAYING THAT TO SAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, LIKE YOU USE TERRA FOR AN EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR WEIGHT ROOM OR LOCKER ROOM OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, SO HOW IS IT IDENTIFIED TO WHAT STRUCTURE OF PRIORITIZING THOSE REPAIRS OR THINGS WITH THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS AS A WHOLE? WHAT I ASKED, SO THE LAST QUESTION, I'M SORRY.
WHAT I ASKED TO THE SUPERVISORS WAS TO TALK WITH THE AD'S AND COACHES AND WE ARE DEALING WITH AND THINGS THAT ARE SAFETY ISSUES FIRST.
RIGHT? SO LIKE, THERE'S ONE SPACE I THINK IT MIGHT BECAUSE THERE'S A LARGE HOLE WALKING TOWARD THE FIELD.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING BACK AND FORTH WITH THAT, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING IT.
SO IT'S BEEN REPAIRED A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT IT KEEPS COMING BACK UP.
SO IT WAS ALL ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN A SAFETY ISSUE FIRST.
SO IF THERE'S LIKE HOLES IN THE FIELDS, IF THERE'S PLUMBING ISSUES, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO USE THAT ARE, THAT COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD, THAT WAS THE WAY WE PRIORITIZE THEM.
AND THEN AS A, OBVIOUSLY COSMETIC STUFF'S GONNA FALL TO THE BOTTOM, BUT SAFETY ISSUES FIRST.
ARE WE PRIORITIZING SAFETY THINGS FIRST RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, APPAREL AND SNEAKERS? YES.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE A SCHOOL MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
YOU MENTIONED TWO THREE POSSIBLE PARTNERS FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS.
HOW MANY ARE ON BOARD? BATON ROUGE GENERAL AND BROCK ARE ON BOARD RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S WHO, HOW MANY TRAINERS? OH, THEY, I DON'T HAVE HOW MANY TRAINERS THEY HAVE.
THEY JUST GIVE THEM TO US PER GAME.
SO THEY PROVIDE THE TRAINERS FOR OUR GAMES.
THEY'VE PROVIDED, I MEAN I CAN'T, I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD HOW MANY GAMES THEY PROVIDED TRAINERS FOR, BUT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN IN-HOUSE PERSONNEL THAT THEY P R IN OUT FOR OUR GAME.
WELL, I THINK IT WOULD BE SMART IF WE KNEW HOW MANY, ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY E B R VERSUS E B R SCHOOLS ARE PLAYING FOOTBALL ON FRIDAY NIGHTS.
I GUESS WE COULD, WE COULD, UH, BOARD MEMBER, WE COULD PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT DATA.
WE COULD, WE COULD TRY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT DATA.
WHAT TYPE OF CONTRACTS DO WE HAVE WITH E M S SERVICES? WE HAVE A KD AND AMBULANCE THAT WE'VE CONTRACTED WITH FOR THOSE GAMES AT ALL GAMES.
THE E B R VERSUS E B R GAMES BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING STAFFING ISSUES.
[01:25:01]
WE GAVE HER THE WHOLE SCHEDULE.WE ASKED FOR A GUARANTEE FOR THE E B R VERSUS E B R, WHICH IS WHAT WE CONTRACTED WITH THEM FOR.
AND THEN SHE SAID, ANY OTHER TIME SHE CAN FEEL THE OTHER GAMES, SHE WILL.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO HAVING STAFFING ISSUES AND CONCERNS, JUST LIKE THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS AND EVERYONE ELSE.
THEY'RE JUST HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING THEIR OWN CREWS TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES.
SO IT'S NOT AN ISSUE ON OUR END, IT'S AN ISSUE OF HER HAVING AVAILABILITY OF STAFF.
I'VE BEEN AN AD IN HIGH SCHOOL AND WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE DOING IS TRYING TO BUILD AN AIRPLANE IN MID-FLIGHT.
THESE ISSUES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED LONG BEFORE A FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS.
IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN A CHILD STRAPPED TO A BOARD, THEN THAT WILL GET YOUR ATTENTION.
WE DON'T NEED TO WAIT TILL FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS.
THIS NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS CONTRACTED IN THE SPRING LONG BEFORE ANY OF THIS TAKES PLACE.
NOT SAYING THAT YOU DIDN'T DO THAT OR HAVEN'T DONE THAT, BUT IF YOU HAVE, WE NEED TO KNOW.
IF YOU HAVEN'T, WE NEED TO KNOW BECAUSE WE'RE STARING DOWN THE BARREL OF LAWSUITS IF WE SLIP UP JUST ONE TIME AND SOMEBODY'S CHILD IS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
SO WE DID, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WE DID START THESE SERVICES, THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM IN APRIL ACTUALLY.
AND THERE WAS SOME CONTRACTUAL STUFF THAT HAD TO BE WORKED OUT ON THEIR END AND THEY HAD TO LET US KNOW, DO WE HAVE THE PEOPLE OR DO WE EVEN HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SAY THAT WE'LL GIVE YOU GUYS THESE SERVICES.
SO THIS DISCUSSION HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
UM, IN THE TRANSITION OF ME COMING INTO OVERSIGHT IN THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE AND THAT COMMUNICATION WASN'T NECESSARILY FOLLOWED UP ON.
SO BY THE TIME I CAME INTO THE PICTURE, YOU KNOW, IT STARTED RIGHT THEN.
SO END OF MARCH, EARLY APRIL, THOSE DISCUSSIONS STARTED GETTING TO THE TABLE WITH THOSE PARTNERS AND FINDING OUT WHAT THEY WERE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO AND WHAT CONTRACTUAL THINGS WE COULD DO, YOU KNOW, THAT THE DISTRICT COULD DO.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN A PRIORITY.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WORKED ON ALL SUMMER.
AND FOR THE RECORD COACH, THAT'S FOR BASKETBALL, NOT FOOTBALL.
FOR THE RECORD, I'M TALKING ABOUT ATHLETICS PERIOD.
WELL, THEY CALL HIM COACH Y'ALL FOR A REASON.
YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO JUMP IN REAL QUICK.
MS. ANDERSON HAS BEEN WORKING WITH, WE, WE ACTUALLY BEEN WORKING ON THE ISSUE THERE.
THERE WAS A CAPACITY ISSUE INITIALLY.
UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS A PROVIDER, UM, LAST YEAR WHO HIT CAPACITY ISSUES, WASN'T ABLE TO PROVIDE THE NUMBER OF ATSS WE NEEDED.
WE TALKED ABOUT GOING TO A SECOND PROVIDER.
WE'VE ACTUALLY DISCUSSED BRINGING THE BOARD THE POTENTIAL FOR AN R F P OR R F Q TO SEE ABOUT HOW WE COULD DO THIS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND SO THAT'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD.
'CAUSE WE GOT ENOUGH MONEY TO DO A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.
SO LET'S, YES SIR, LET'S, LET'S TAKE CARE OF THE Q PROVIDER'S ENTERTAINMENT ON FRIDAY NIGHTS.
AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS WHENEVER THEY PLAY.
BUT MS. ANDERSON IS WORKING ON, ON AN R F Q PROPOSAL FOR THE BOARDS TO GET THE BOARDS APPROVAL TO GO OUT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT TRYING TO PROVIDE A, A A A BETTER COVERAGE GOING INTO NEXT YEAR.
UH, NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE, DID YOU WANNA SPEAK? OKAY.
WE HAVE S SCUBA MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I, I AGREE WITH COACH LEWIS'S CONCERNS.
I THINK WE, WE, WE, THERE'S BEEN SOME CON I'VE HEARD A LOT FROM CONSTITUENTS ABOUT ISSUES WITH ATHLETIC TRAINERS, BUT THAT'S NOT THE AGENDA TOPIC THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW.
BUT I AGREE WITH COACH LEWIS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AND GET THAT FIXED REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY ON THIS AGENDA ITEM, I DON'T WANNA RE-LITIGATE EVERYTHING THAT WE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TWO, TWO WEEKS AGO.
I, YOU KNOW, I SHARE MANY OF MS. STEWART'S CONCERNS ABOUT THIS ITEM.
I THINK HER, HER POINTS ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF HOW MANY COACHES ARE SUDDENLY WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN EX A CONCERN I EXPRESSED TWO WEEKS AGO, WHICH IS WE'RE PROVIDING SHOES FOR A, A, SOME SMALL SUBSET OF EMPLOYEES THAT WE DON'T PROVIDE SHOES FOR ANY OTHER, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES.
THE, THE REASON I I, I SUPPORTED THIS LAST TIME, AND I WILL SUPPORT IT AGAIN, IS, IS SIMPLY BECAUSE AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE'S A LOT OF SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT THAT ARE, THAT ARE GETTING THESE KIND OF THINGS PAID FOR THROUGH SPONSORSHIPS WITH NIKE AND PUMA AND, AND OTHER, UM, ATHLETIC, UH, BRANDS.
AND THIS IS REALLY FUNDING US FUNDING, UH, TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF EQUITY SO THAT THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT, UM, AT THE, AT THE LEVEL OR HAVE THE ATTENTION OR WHATEVER, UH, TO ATTRACT THAT KIND OF SPONSORSHIP CAN ALSO HAVE SOME OF THE SAME, UM, BENEFITS THAT, THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THAT THE OTHER SCHOOLS
[01:30:01]
GET.UH, THAT DOESN'T COME OUT OF OUR POCKETBOOK.
SO I, I, I SUPPORT THIS JUST AS A MATTER OF EQUITY, UH, FOR THAT.
BUT, UH, BUT THAT'S KIND OF FOR THIS YEAR.
AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A MUCH BETTER PLAN FOR HOW WE ADDRESS THIS SYSTEMATICALLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AGAIN, 'CAUSE THIS IS JUST BUY AND CHOOSE FOR ONE GROUP OF KIDS, YOU KNOW, FOR ONE YEAR.
UM, AND SO IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, AND ADDRESS SOME OF THESE EQUITY ISSUES THAT ARISE FROM THE SPONSORSHIPS, WE NEED TO REALLY DO A DEEP DIVE IN THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S OUR OBLIGATION TO, TO THERE, UM, TO PROVIDE PEOPLE AND, AND WHAT ARE THE RULES.
SO WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE PRINCIPAL, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU ASK THEM FOR A LIST AND THEY, OH, I, I LIKE, I LIKE THIS GUY.
WE'RE GONNA SAY HE'S A BASKETBALL COACH SO HE CAN GET SOME FREE SHOES.
I MEAN, UM, SO, SO I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
BUT FOR NOW, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THIS ITEM.
NEXT WE HAVE S SCUBA MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, SHARING YOUR SENTIMENTS.
UM, I DID WANT TO ASK, I THINK I'VE ASKED THIS BEFORE AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, WANT IT TO BE POSSIBLY BE RESTATED.
FOR THE RECORD, WHICH SCHOOLS WILL THIS PARTICULAR ITEM SUPPORT? OH, I HAVE IT.
SO, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS BAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL.
BMORE HIGH SCHOOL CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, ATTORNEY SHALIN, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
THAT WAS ONE MORE NAME IN, I THINK IT SLIPPED OUT.
SEEING OTHER NAMES DECIDED THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
NOW WE WILL GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT BENEFITS THE SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT GIVE SPONSORSHIPS, SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DIFFICULTY FUNDRAISING.
I'D LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT DOOR MONEY IS NOT FUNDRAISING THAT PAYS FOR THE REFS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, I DO AGREE WITH HAVING AN ACCURATE NUMBER OF COACHES, BUT COACHES SHOULD MATCH THE PLAYERS UNLESS OF COURSE THEY'RE COACHING LIKE A BOSS.
SEEING ALL THE CUE CARDS AT THIS TIME WILL NOT COME BACK.
OH, TO THE BOARD, MR. SHAWNEE STEWART IS IN THE QUEUE.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION.
UM, AND I KNOW THIS IS A, UH, I GUESS A COLLABORATION WITH THE FOUNDATION, BUT, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT I GUESS AS THE BOARD, UH, FOR THOSE SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE SPONSORSHIPS THAT WE SHOULDN'T ASSIST.
'CAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ASSIST.
UM, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST.
AND I KNOW WE WOULD GIVE IT, I THINK WHAT A 25% REDUCTION.
SO THEY PUT US LIKE AT $90 PER SNEAKER.
UM, BUT THERE ARE MUCH CHEAPER SNEAKERS.
UH, BASICALLY MY THING IS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO NEGOTIATE OR HAVE SOME RENEGOTIATIONS WITH THE FOUNDATION ABOUT THE COST OF THE SNEAKERS AS IT RELATES TO, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH US? AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PROFESSIONAL, YOU KNOW, PERSON THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE MARKETING FOR THEM AS WELL.
SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF LIKE A WIN-WIN FOR THEM.
UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE MARKETING THEIR SHOES ALONG WITH VINYL 'EM, RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, HIM MAKING A DONATION, WHICH IS WHAT COACH KIND OF SUGGESTED OR RECOMMENDED AT THE KYLE, YOU KNOW, UH, TO HELP US EVEN MORE.
UH, IT WOULD BE BETTER IF IT WOULD BE A DONATION, UH, RATHER THAN US SPENDING $30,000, YOU KNOW, ON THE SNEAKERS.
SO THAT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT I, UH, WANTED TO SUGGEST IN REGARDS.
BUT I ALSO WANTED TO DO, UM, A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO HAVE THIS ITEM DEFERRED WITHOUT DATE.
WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY COACH CLIFF LEWIS.
SO WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO MOVE THIS MOTION WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION TO WHAT DATE? YOU SAY DATE.
SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY LOOK MORE INTO NEGO, RENEGOTIATING THE COST AND MONIES.
'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA APPROVE $30,000 AS YOU SAID.
WE GOT NEW NUMBERS SO THE STUDENTS COACH, YOU KNOW, COACHES ARE, IF WE NEED TO TAKE THAT OUT, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD DO.
SO I WANNA DO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
SO WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, BUT A BUT A MOTION AND A SECOND.
UH, RIGHT, WE NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD FOR, UH, BOARD COMMENT MOTION.
BEFORE I GO TO THE, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, I WOULD ASK ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO SPEAK ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE, UH,
[01:35:01]
ATRIUM, GET A PER PINK COMMENT CARD, FILL IT OUT, AND THEN, UH, GIVE IT TO MADAM SECRETARY.AND I WILL BE SURE TO CALL ON YOU, MS. STORM.
YOU CAN FILL YOURS OUT AFTERWARDS.
SO I WILL SEE NO NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
BASKETBALL PLAYERS ARE TALL AND THEY HAVE VERY LARGE FEET.
UM, MY KIDS HAVE BEEN, THEY, THEY WEAR SIZE 13 SHOES.
IF YOU CAN FIND SIZE 13 SHOES FOR CHEAPER THAN $90, PLEASE TELL ME WHERE TO GO.
BECAUSE THESE BOYS, IT'S THE, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL PLE.
Y'ALL THROW A MILLION DOLLARS AT PEOPLE FOR A PRO, FOR, FOR, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE DON'T WANT.
AND Y'ALL WANNA THROW IT DOWN THE ROAD? NO.
$90 TENNIS SHOES THAT ARE GONNA LAST ALL SEASON.
PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU SHOP.
I'LL REFER TO YOU MS. MATTHEWS.
UH, SEEING NO OTHER COMMENT CARDS.
I'M TANYA MCMILLAN, PARENTING OF A CHILD IN EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I THINK THAT IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE WANNA ASSIST CHILDREN IN GETTING SHOES FOR, UM, AFTERSCHOOL SPORTS OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
OFTENTIMES THOSE THINGS DO KEEP CHILDREN FROM PLAYING.
MY SON IS NOW IN A SIZE EIGHT AND HE'S NINE YEARS OLD, SO HIS SHOES JUST WENT FROM 60 BUCKS TO 160 BUCKS, YOU KNOW, OVERNIGHT.
SO I DO THINK THAT'S A GREAT THING.
BUT I WOULD ASK THAT YOU GUYS, UM, I DO SUPPORT THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR YOU GUYS TO JUST LOOK INTO IT A LITTLE DEEPER.
YOU KNOW, ON THEIR WEBSITE, EVERYBODY'S GETTING LIKE $25 OFF OR $45 OFF AND THE PRICES ARE COMING BELOW $90.
SO IF WE CAN GET THE SAME PRICE THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE WEBSITE ARE GETTING, OR MAYBE AN ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT THAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER, THEN IT WOULD BE A DEAL.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE JUST BUYING THE SHOES AND WE CAN BUY THEM ANY KIND OF SHOES.
SEEING NO OTHER COMMENT CARDS AT THIS TIME, UH, WE'RE NOW COMING BACK TO OUR BOARD SCHOOL MEMBER.
FORGIVE ME 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE HIGH SCHOOL AGE KIDS.
WHEN DOES BASKETBALL SEASON START? DOES ANYBODY KNOW? IT'S STARTED.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANYTHING TO BENEFIT BY, UM, PUSHING THIS DOWN THE PIKE TO NOVEMBER.
IF, IF WE PLAN TO FUND IT AT ALL.
UM, I, I TOTALLY GET ALL THE SENTIMENTS AROUND RESOURCES AND WHAT WE'RE DOING AROUND ATHLETICS.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD POINTS ON WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO AROUND ATHLETICS AND DISTRICT.
UM, I DON'T LOVE SPENDING $90 ON SHOES EITHER.
BUT, UM, TO KNOW THAT THIS IS GONNA BENEFIT SOME KIDS THIS SEASON THAT WILL GET THEM IN, IN, IN THE GEAR THAT THEY COULD USE, UH, TO PARTICIPATE THAT MIGHT COST FAMILIES, UM, MORE MONEY THAN THEY, THAN THEY MAY BE WILLING OR HAVE TO SPEND.
UH, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA, UM, TO BRIDGE THE GAP AND CAN OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES ON HOW WE NEED TO HANDLE ATHLETICS MOVING FORWARD IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, IF, IF WE DO FIND THAT, AND IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT, UM, THAT WE'RE AUTHORIZING TO PURCHASE MORE THAN WE ACTUALLY NEED, UM, I WOULD EXPECT THAT THE DISTRICT WOULDN'T HAVE REPURCHASE.
RIGHT? IF WE FIND THAT WE BUDGETED IN THIS ITEM FOR 20 ATHLETES AND WE ONLY HAD 12, I WOULD ASK, LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ONLY BUY 12 PAIRS OF SHOES, UM, OR WHATEVER WE ACTUALLY NEED.
SO, AND I'M, MY UNDERSTANDING WOULD BE THAT'S HOW IT'S TREATED IN ANY SITUATION.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GO BUY A BUNCH OF PAIRS OF SHOES THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA USE.
I, I DON'T SUPPORT DEFERRING THIS.
I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH GETTING THIS DONE SO WE CAN PURCHASE THESE ITEMS AND GET 'EM INTO PLAY FOR BASKETBALL SEASON.
YES, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE MR. RUST.
I DON'T SUPPORT DEFERRING THIS ITEM.
IF WE KNOCKED ANOTHER 10% OFF THE PRICE, THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA SAVE US $3,000.
UM, AND, AND ARE WE GONNA SAVE FOR, IN ORDER TO SAVE $3,000? THESE KIDS AT THESE SIX SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT OUR BEST SCHOOLS, ARE NOT OUR MOST FUNDED SCHOOLS DON'T GET TO BENEFIT OF THESE SHOES IN TIME FOR BASKETBALL SEASON.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I'VE, THAT'S NOT WHAT, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S WORTH TRYING TO, UM, HAGGLE DOWN TO, TO, TO, YOU KNOW, 10% MORE OFF.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE OUR BUDGET IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY AT ALL OR ALLOW IT.
WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL WITH THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
IF THAT'S WHAT WE DID, WE EITHER NEED TO DO IT OR NOT DO IT.
AND IF WE'RE GONNA DO IT, WE SHOULD DO IT NOW BEFORE BASKETBALL SEASON.
[01:40:03]
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.NEXT IN THE QUEUE WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
SO IF WE DEFER THIS ITEM TONIGHT, WHAT IS THE CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR THESE SCHOOLS THAT ARE SELECTED FOR THIS UM, THIS BLESSING, BLESSING OF TENNIS YOUTH? I DO NOT HAVE ONE.
I WOULD HAVE TO SIT WITH THE TEAM AND SEE WHAT WE COULD DO.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED CAPITAL HIGH.
I KNOW THAT THIS WOULD BE THEIR FIRST, YOU KNOW, UH, GO AROUND.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT YOU MENTIONED, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE IN THE PAST? THEY CHARGE THE KIDS.
THE KIDS BUY THEIR OWN SHOES FOR THE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE SPONSORSHIPS, THAT'S, IT GOES TO THE, THE EXPENSE GOES TO THE STUDENT ATHLETES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
AND MAJORITY OF OUR SCHOOLS, OTHER THAN THESE THAT WERE MENTIONED HAVE SPONSORSHIPS.
THEY HAVE THAT OR SOME OTHER DEAL THAT THEY'VE ALREADY WORKED OUT.
SOME ARE ALREADY IN CONTRACTS WITH, YOU KNOW, SHOE COMPANIES.
SO THEY GET A DISCOUNTED RATE, BUT THEY USUALLY SIGN UP FOR A MULTI-YEAR SITUATION TO DO THAT.
BUT THEY ALSO ARE FUNDING THAT THROUGH THEIR ATHLETIC FEES, WHICH IS FROM THE STUDENT ATHLETES AND FAMILIES.
THANK YOU MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
NEXT WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER SH STEWART.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE BASKETBALL SEASON HAS ALREADY STARTED, SO SINCE THIS HAS ALREADY STARTED, NONE OF THESE SCHOOLS HAVE ALREADY, UH, MADE ANY PURCHASES OR ORDERED ANY SNEAKERS YET.
THERE'S I THINK ONE SCHOOL THAT MENTIONED THEY HAD, BUT NO, THEY'RE NOT ON THE LIST.
WE WERE CHECKING IN, IN CASE SOME SCHOOLS HAD ALREADY DONE IT, BUT THAT SCHOOL WASN'T ON THE LIST.
SO NONE OF, SO, UH, NONE OF THESE SCHOOLS HAVE MADE ANY PURCHASES OR ORDERS FOR SNEAKERS? THERE MAY BE ONE.
I DON'T HAVE MY PAPER IN FRONT OF ME.
'CAUSE I HAD THE SUPERVISOR GOING BACK AND CALLING AFTER THE LAST MEETING TO MAKE SURE BEFORE WE, 'CAUSE AGAIN, EVERYTHING WAS ON A SPREADSHEET.
SOME PEOPLE WERE NOT, WERE CONCERNED OR WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN.
SO THEY MAY HAVE GONE AHEAD AND, AND PLACED AN ORDER.
BUT I THINK THAT WAS ONLY ONE SCHOOL TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
BUT I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU.
AND TO ANSWER ONE ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WAS MENTIONED, WE DEFINITELY WERE NOT ORDERING, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE BOUND TO ORDERING $30,000 WORTH OF SHOES.
IT'S GOING TO BE THE NUMBER OF STUDENT ATHLETES THAT ARE REPORTED AND THE COACHES THAT ARE ROSTERED ON FOR THE, THEY ALL HAVE TO PUT 'EM INTO L H SSA'S WEBSITE.
SO IT'S GONNA BE THE ROSTERED ATHLETES, STUDENT ATHLETES.
AND THERE WAS GONNA BE THE ROSTERED COACHES.
SO THERE WAS NOT GONNA BE MORE PURCHASE THAN WAS ROSTERED FOR THE TEAMS. THAT WAS MY CONCERN.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
UM, I DON'T, UM, I DON'T OBJECT TO US BUYING THE SHOES.
I KNOW HOW BAD KIDS NEED ATHLETICS.
MY OBJECTION WAS TO HOW THE D HOW, I DON'T WANT TO USE THIS WORD, BUT I'M GONNA USE IT HOW THE DEAL WAS BOUGHT TO US.
WE WERE SUBSIDIZING SOMEONE WHO WAS DOING US A FAVOR OR SOMEONE WHO WAS HELPING US.
BUT YOU WANTED, YOU WANTED, YOU WANTED TO HELP US, BUT WE, YOU WANTED US TO HELP YOU IN, IN, IN TERMS PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, ESPECIALLY BASKETBALL PLAYERS, CURRENT AND FORMER.
THE GUY SITTING ON THE END OF THE BENCH MAKES MORE MONEY THAN MOST OF THE PEOPLE SITTING IN THIS ROOM.
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN THE SAME TYPE OF EFFORT MADE WITH FORMER AND CURRENT N B A PLAYERS TO COME IN AND HELP INNER CITY KIDS GET SOME TOP QUALITY SHOES.
NIKE, ADIDAS, OR EVEN THIS NAME BRAND SHOES.
I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ME PERSONALLY, THAT'S HOW I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN IT DONE.
BUT I FELT LIKE YOU WERE COMING TO US ASKING US TO HELP MARKET YOUR COMPANY.
I'M GONNA SUPPORT BUYING THE KIDS' SHOES.
WHAT I WAS NOT IN FAVOR WITH WAS HOW IT WAS BOUGHT TO US AND HOW IT WAS PRESENTED TO US.
I'M NOT BACKTRACKING, BUT I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT BASKETBALL CAN BE TO SOME OF THESE KIDS.
THAT MAY BE SOME OF 'EM TICKET IT OUT.
THAT MAY BE, SOME OF 'EM TAKE IT JUST TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION BECAUSE LESS THAN ONE HALF PERCENT OF 'EM WILL EVER SEE THE N B A.
BUT MAYBE THEY CAN GO TO COLLEGE AND MAYBE A PAIR OF SHOES THAT WE PUT ON THEIR FEET.
THEY MAY COME BACK IN 10 YEARS AND THEY MAY DONATE $300,000 WORTH OF TENNIS SHOES TO THE KIDS IN THIS DISTRICT.
SO I'M GONNA SUPPORT BUYING THE SHOES.
I JUST WANNA BE PERFECTLY CLEAR.
[01:45:01]
NOT LIKE HOW IT WAS PRESENTED TO US.UH, I'LL ENTER INTO THE QUEUE REAL QUICK.
I'LL TRY TO TAKE ABOUT 30 SECONDS.
I JUST WANTED TO REMIND, UH, ALL OF MY BOARD COLLEAGUES THAT I THINK, AND YOU CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, A PART OF THIS DEAL WAS ALSO FOR US TO REPURPOSE COURTS AND SOME OF OUR, UH, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND SOME OF THE OTHER NEIGHBORING SCHOOLS WHO, FOR THE LACK OF BETTER TERMS, JUST DID NOT RECEIVE PROPER CONDITIONING OVER YEARS.
SOME OF THEM FELL APART AND, UH, I THINK PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, THEY, THAT WHEN THEY CAME AND PRESENTED, THEY SAID THAT EACH COURT CAN COST AN ACCESS OF 60 TO $70,000 AND THEY ARE IN KIND DONATING SOME OF THOSE SERVICES BACK TO THE DISTRICT.
SO I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY JUST TO ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT ALSO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE APPAREL, THE SHOES.
THEY'RE ALSO REHABBING OUR COURTS INSIDE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND IF ANYBODY WANTED TO SEE ANY OF THE COURTS, UH, ONE THAT THEY JUST DID WAS NOT TOO FAR FROM BEING 7 0 8 0 6 COMMUNITY AT THE GUS YOUNG GYM.
AND THAT'S QUITE FRANKLY, HIS GYM THAT HAS NEVER REALLY RECEIVED, UH, PROPER ATTENTION AND CARE.
BUT THEY COMPLETELY RECONDITIONED THAT COURT AND IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER THAN IT DID BEFORE.
SO I JUST STOPPED RIGHT THERE.
I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO JUST, JUST THROW THAT REMINDER OUT THERE, UH, AT THIS TIME.
NOW, MADAM SECRETARY, WE'RE GONNA CALL FOR THE VOTE.
THIS IS ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
TO MOVE THIS ITEM, UH, WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION TO A DATE UNCERTAIN, PLEASE VOTE.
OKAY, AT THIS TIME NOW WE WILL COME BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH WAS A CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD AND ETHICS IN THE AMOUNT OF $30,960 TO PROVIDE ATHLETIC SHOES AND APPAREL TO SELECT SCHOOLS.
UM, THE MAKER OF THAT MOTION WAS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY OPEN COMMENT.
GIVE ANYBODY A MOMENT IF THEY WANNA SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
THIS TIME NOW SEEING THE NINTH SIDE OF THE QUEUE, WE'LL NOW GO TO OUR PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IF THERE'S ANYBODY'D LIKE TO SPEAK.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
DISTRICT TWO PRESIDENT LANDIS.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE PRESIDENT POWELL LEWIS? YES.
DISTRICT SEVEN, MR. GODDE? YES.
DISTRICT NINE, MR. MARTIN? YES.
WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS.
UH, FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, THE HOUR IS NOW 7 0 1.
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS I'M GOING TO, UM, ASK THAT WE MOVE UP ITEM H I'M SORRY, ITEM I THREE TO, UH, THE TOP OF THE LIST AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD.
ARE WE GOOD WITH THAT? GENERAL COUNSEL? IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS INSIDE THE ROOM TO MOVE UP? ITEM THREE, WHICH IS STUDENT STUDENT EXPULSION.
SEEING NO OBJECTIONS AT THIS TIME.
[I.3. Student Expulsion]
ADDRESS, UH, ITEM I, WHICH IS NEW BUSINESS I THREE STUDENT EXPULSION.DISCUSSION SLASH CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO APPEAL A STUDENT EXPULSION.
[01:50:01]
AND FOR CLARITY? JUST FOR CLARITY, I'M SORRY.UM, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN CONSIDERATION OF APPEAL PROCESS.
THERE'S NO VOTE OF THE BOARD AND NO COMMENT TONIGHT.
SO IT REQUIRES A MOTION AND A SECOND TO THEN MOVE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WHICH WOULD BE A FULL HEARING IN NOVEMBER.
UM, MR. PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT WE HEAR THE APPEAL.
MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
SAYING THAT WE HAVE A SECOND, A MOTION AND A SECOND.
THAT WILL BE A HEARING IN NOVEMBER.
SET FOR THE STUDENT EXPULSION.
THIS TIME NOW I WOULD ASK THAT WE MOVE UP THE NEXT PRESENTATION, WHICH IS GONNA BE, UH, ITEP EXXON.
IF THERE'S NOT ANY OBJECTIONS BY ANY BOARD MEMBERS UNDERSTANDING, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
BEING THAT THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, WE HAVE
[I.2. ITEP Application: Exxon Mobil]
ITEM I TWO E APPLICATION, EXXONMOBIL DISCUSSION SLASH CONSIDERATION OF AN APPLICATION FROM EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION FOR AN INDUSTRIAL TAX EXEMPTION AND RELATED MATTERS.MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MARK BALLOU.
OKAY, BEFORE WE GO INTO BOARD COMMENT, IS THERE A PRESENTATION
SO WE'LL ASK THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM EXXON, UH, TO COME UP FOR A PRESENTATION BEFORE THE BOARD.
WHILE THEY PREPARE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT SEAT, DR.
CEDAR CE HAS A FEW, UH, COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE IT, UH, RIGHT BEFORE, UM, UH, THE PRESENTATION FROM EXXON, UH, ATTORNEY SHAM, 'CAUSE I GET A LOT OF EMAILS ON THIS JUST FOR THE PUBLIC.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IEP IS IN THE PROCESS, JUST SO THE PUBLIC CAN BE AWARE OF THAT? 'CAUSE I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF EMAILS ON THAT, JUST SO WE CAN MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S AWARE.
UM, JUST BRIEFLY, UM, THE INDUSTRIAL TAX EXEMPTION PROGRAM, UH, IS BASED IN LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION.
UM, IT'S THE ADLAB TAX EXEMPT.
I'M SORRY, CAN YOU HEAR ME? BARELY.
GETTING A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE MIC.
IN THE INDUSTRIAL TAX EXEMPTION PROGRAM, I E UM, IS ACTUALLY ROOTED IN LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION.
UM, THERE ARE PROVISIONS IN THE CONSTITUTION THAT ALLOW FOR EXEMPTIONS FROM AVALARA, TEXAS FOR MANUFACTURERS.
UM, THERE'S A LOT MORE SPECIFICS THAN THE ACTUAL PROVISIONS.
UM, THERE WERE, THERE WAS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER BY THE GOVERNOR, A COUPLE OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS IN 2016 THAT, THAT AMENDED OR CHANGED THE PROCESS SOMEWHAT.
UM, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS THE REQUIREMENT THAT LOCAL GOVERNING AUTHORITIES LIKE THE SCHOOL BOARD, THE METRO COUNCIL, UM, THE POLICE JURY, UM, AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE THOSE PROVISIONS IF THEY WERE IMPACTED BY THE TAX.
AND SO, IN ESSENCE, UM, IT'S AN EXEMPTION.
UH, THE EXEMPTION IS FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEAR PERIOD AND THEN THE SECOND FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
UM, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF A BASIC RUNDOWN, UM, OF IT.
I, I, I HOPE I GAVE JUST SORT OF THE, THE, THE NITTY GRITTY AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF I CAN ANSWER 'EM.
WE WON'T HAVE QUORUM, SO IF YOU, I'M SORRY.
YOU ALL HAVE THE FLOOR FOR PRESENTATION.
STO NARCISS, PRESIDENT ATLANTIS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M A BATON ROUGE RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE.
I'M A MOTHER OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, AND I AM THE EXXONMOBIL PROJECT DEVELOPMENT LEAD FOR THE BATON ROUGE AREA.
AND WHAT I'M BRINGING HERE TODAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE, OUR BATON ROUGE FACILITIES TO BRING ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT HERE INTO THE COMMUNITY.
[01:55:01]
WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WITH YOU TODAY.AND REALLY AS, UM, COUNCILMAN SHAM SHAMBLIN EXPLAINED THE ITEP PROGRAM IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS PAST YEAR.
WE WENT AND TALKED WITH GOVERNOR EDWARDS AND THE LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP ON A CONCEPT FOR THESE NEW INVESTMENTS AND TALKED WITH THEM ABOUT, WE ARE CONSIDERING LOUISIANA FOR THAT INVESTMENT.
THEY WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE INVESTMENT AND THEY WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO BRINGING THAT HERE TO LOUISIANA BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT IT IS A GROUND GROUNDBREAKING PROJECT TO FURTHER PROOF LOUISIANA'S UNPARALLELED WORKFORCE.
SO, TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UH, SUITE, IT'S 250 MILLION INNOVATION SUITE AND ENCOMPASSES THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCTS.
TWO OF THOSE PRODUCTS WOULD BE MADE IN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FACILITIES AND ONE IN WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
OUR ADVANCED RECYCLING PIECE, WHICH IS ADDRESSING PLASTIC WASTE AND OUR ULTRAPURE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL TO SUPPORT DOMESTIC MICROCHIP PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES.
THOSE TWO PIECES ARE THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCOPE OF WORK ON THE WEST BATON ROUGE SIDE IS A, UH, POLYOLEFIN THERMOSTAT RESIN BLENDING AND PACKAGING PLANT THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR PLACING THERE IN WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
TALKING TO THE NUMBERS FOR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS 155 MILLION IN INVESTMENT.
74 MILLION OF THAT QUALIFIES FOR THE ITEP PROGRAM.
WHEN THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER RECENTLY DID THEIR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, THEY CAME BACK WITH 134 MILLION OF RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE PARISH.
SHOULD THIS SUITE OF WORK BE APPROVED AND PROGRESS FORWARD, WE'RE LOOKING AT ROUGHLY 8.4 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION PAYROLL UPON BEGINNING OF CONSTRUCTION, AND ALSO TAKING A LOOK AT JOBS.
WITH THE ADVANCED RECYCLING PROGRAM, WE DO ARE LOOKING AT STANDING UP A SUPPLY CHAIN, AND THAT HAS 10 INITIAL INDIRECT HIRINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SUPPLY CHAIN.
FROM THIRD PARTIES, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO CONTINUE TO HIRE FROM OUR NORTH BATON ROUGE, UM, TRAINING INITIATIVE.
15 GRADUATES INTO EXXONMOBIL JOBS DIRECTLY.
AND THIS ALSO ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE TO RETAIN THE 2200 EXXONMOBIL JOBS HERE IN OUR BATON ROUGE FACILITIES.
ALONG WITH OVER 2000 CONS, UH, CONTRACTOR JOBS HERE IN OUR BATON ROUGE FACILITIES.
SPEAKING TO THE TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SUITE, UH, WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS ROUGHLY 13.5 MILLION IN STATE OR SALES AND PROPERTY TAX OVER THE 20 YEAR TIMEFRAME.
WHAT WE'RE COMMITTING TO WITH OUR INNOVATION SUITE IS THE HIGH CONTINUED HIRING OF NORTH BATON ROUGE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INITIATIVE GRADUATES AND CONTINUING TO EXPAND OUR LOCAL AND SMALL DIVERSE SUPPLIER NETWORK AND USING THAT NETWORK TO PURCHASE, UH, PRODUCTS FOR OUR PROJECTS.
STEPPING BACK AND TAKING A LOOK AT OUR PROPERTY AND SALES TAX OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE TREND THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO INCREASE IN THOSE AREAS.
AND THAT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO LARGE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING TO OUR BATON ROUGE FACILITIES.
IN PARTICULAR, THE PAR PROPYLENE GROWTH PROJECT AND OUR BRICK SUITE THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
AND BOTH OF THOSE WERE BROUGHT HERE TO BATON ROUGE WITH THE HELP OF THE ITEP PROGRAM.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, SPECIFICALLY, EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOLS HAVE RECEIVED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, 145 MILLION IN PROPERTY AND SALES TAX REVENUE FROM EXXONMOBIL.
IF THESE PROJECTS ARE APPROVED, THERE WILL BE POSITIVE IMPACTS TO THE 2024 BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET IN THE VEIN OF SALES TAX REVENUE SHOULD THESE PROJECTS BE APPROVED AND MOVE FORWARD.
FOR FIN UH, FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION IN EARLY 2024, WE WOULD BEGIN CONSTRUCTION, WHICH MEANS WE WOULD BEGIN PURCHASING MATERIALS AND THAT WOULD CREATE SALES TAX REVENUE FOR THE PARISH.
THE PROPERTY TAX PIECE WOULD NOT GO INTO EFFECT UNTIL THOSE PROJECTS WERE COMPLETE AND STARTED UP, WHICH IS 2028.
SO THAT IS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE PROPERTY TAX, UH, FOR THIS PARTICULAR SUITE OF INVESTMENT.
I'M THE BA, EXXONMOBIL, BATON ROUGE PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO STEP IN AND AND SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INVEST IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THIS YEAR.
UM, I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO SO MUCH WITH YOU GUYS AND I WORK WITH MANY OF YOU ON THESE PROGRAMS. UM, THIS YEAR ALONE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO
[02:00:01]
BRING MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS IN PROGRAMMING TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS, OUR STUDENTS, AND, UH, DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT FOCUS ON LITERACY, MENTORING, UM, AND EVEN PROVIDING CLASSROOM SUPPLIES DIRECTLY FOR OUR TEACHERS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.SO THIS IS WORK THAT, UM, WE ARE COMMITTED TO.
WE'RE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING THIS.
UM, THE PARTNERSHIP IS LONGSTANDING AND IT WILL REMAIN FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, WHAT YOU DON'T SEE ON HERE ARE OTHER SPONSORSHIPS AND GRANTS THAT WE HAVE DIRECTLY WITH A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE.
UM, I WANTED BIA ROBARD, WHO'S OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, TO JUST TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE ARE CREATING JOBS IN THIS PARISH DIRECTLY WITH YOUR STUDENTS.
I'M THE BATON ROUGE AREA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER.
FOR THE THIRD, THIRD YEAR, EXXONMOBIL OFFERED RISING JUNIOR'S TO RECENT GRADUATE STUDENTS OPT THE OPPORTUNITY BE TO BE PAID AND JOINED OUR RANKS FOR EIGHT WEEKS AS AN EXXONMOBIL EMPLOYEE THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.
THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM WAS THE LARGEST EVER MAKING THE HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP FOUR TIMES LARGER THAN PRIOR YEARS.
THE INTERNSHIP HELPS STUDENTS UNDERSTAND CAREER CHOICES AVAILABLE TO THEM AS POST HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES, EITHER IN DIRECT TO CRAFT WORK FIELDS, OR THROUGH TRADITIONAL STEM CAREERS.
AND FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, EXXONMOBIL HAS PROVIDED STUDENTS WITH PATHWAYS FOR SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRIAL CAREERS, UH, THROUGH THE NORTH BATON ROUGE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INITIATIVE.
EVEN FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, THOUGH EXXONMOBIL IS CONVERTING STUDENT INTERNS INTO EMPLOYEES.
AS AN EXAMPLE, IN THIS PAST YEAR ALONE, WE HAD A STUDENT NAMED GABRIELLE, RECENT GRADUATE OF TMA HIGH SCHOOL, WHO WAS IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, AND SHE'S NOW WORKING IN OUR LABORATORY AS A FULL-TIME PERSON.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF WHAT EXXONMOBIL IS DOING TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES, WORKING WITH E B R SCHOOLS TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION, THE WORKFORCE, AND ULTIMATELY OUR COMMUNITY.
FOR THESE REASONS, WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF I E.
DOES THAT CONCLUDE YOUR PRESENTATION? YES.
ALL RIGHT, BEFORE WE GO TO OUR BOARD COMMENTS, UH, LET ME JUST SAY THAT, UM, THIS IS GOING TO BE QUITE A CONVERSATION, UH, GEARING BY THE AMOUNT OF Q CARDS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED TONIGHT.
SO I AM GONNA MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE TIME BECAUSE I WANNA REMIND OUR BOARD AS WELL AS OUR GENERAL PUBLIC THAT FOLLOWING THIS ITEM, WE WILL HAVE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR OUR NEXT ITEM.
AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG WE'LL BE THERE.
SO TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, MOVE THAT OUR PUBLIC HAS ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM, WHETHER THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE, AND THEN OUR BOARD IS GONNA HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM, UH, OR ASK ANY QUESTION.
SO THERE ANY, ANY, UH, ANY OBJECTION, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
UH, FIRST INSIDE THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
I'VE CERTAINLY GOTTEN A LOT OF EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS ABOUT THIS ITEM IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, AND I'VE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT IT.
UH, AND I SUPPORT THIS APPLICATION FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE, I TAKE THE LONG-TERM VIEW OF WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS AND THE FAMILIES OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
AND, AND IF WE DON'T HAVE A VIBRANT ECONOMIC COMMUNITY IN BATON ROUGE, THEN WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY.
AND SO I SUPPORT JOBS AND WHAT IT TAKES TO DO TO GET JOBS IN THIS AREA.
UM, THE REALITY IS THAT WE LIVE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET OF STATES WHO ARE ALL VINE AND COMPETING TO GET, UM, THE KIND OF INCREDIBLE EXPANSION PROJECTS LIKE EXXONMOBIL'S PROPOSING FOR HERE.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IN A GLOBAL SENSE, DOES IT MAKE SENSE THAT WE'RE COMPETING AGAINST MISSISSIPPI OR, OR TEXAS FOR TAX INCENTIVES FOR LARGE CORPORATIONS? MAYBE NOT.
BUT THAT'S THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN.
THAT'S THE REALITY IN WHICH WE'RE OPERATING.
AND, AND SO, UM, UH, I FEEL QUITE CERTAIN THAT PROGRAMS LIKE THIS ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO ATTRACT THOSE INVESTMENTS TO OUR COMMUNITY AS OPPOSED TO SOME OTHER COMMUNITY.
UM, AND, AND SO IT'S NOT A CHOICE OF DO WE HAVE EXXONMOBIL PAY $2 MILLION PROPERTY TAXES OR NOT PAY $2 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAXES.
IT'S A QUESTION OF DO WE WANT THIS INVESTMENT HERE OR DO WE NOT WANT, AND, AND, AND THE SALES TAX AND OTHER BENEFITS THAT WILL COME IMMEDIATELY AND THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT WILL COME ONCE THE EXEMPTION ENDS.
UM, OR DO WE NOT WANT THOSE? AND I WANT THOSE BENEFITS.
AND SO I THINK THERE WILL BE SUBSTANTIAL BENEFITS TO OUR CHILDREN, OUR COMMUNITY, AND ULTIMATELY TO OUR BOTTOM LINE BY APPROVING THIS.
[02:05:01]
I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT THE, UM, UH, THAT, THAT THESE KIND OF INVESTMENTS BY EXXONMOBIL AND THE OTHER COMPANIES THAT WILL BE COMING TO US, I'M SURE FOR, FOR SIMILAR APPLICATIONS IN THE FUTURE, ARE GOING TO TO, TO EXPAND IN OUR COMMUNITY UNLESS WE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROGRAM.UH, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW GO TO OUR GENERAL PUBLIC.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE SPEAK, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT I KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF EMOTION AROUND THIS ITEM.
AND I WILL IMPOSE OR, OR ASK THAT WE ARE GERMANE TO THE TOPIC.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WHATEVER THE ITEM IS THAT WE STATE ON THAT ITEM, ANY, UH, UH, ANY, UH, COMMENT, COMMENT OUTSIDE OF THAT SCOPE WILL BE STOPPED AND IT WILL RECEIVE A WARNING.
IT WILL RECEIVE A SECOND WARNING ON THE THIRD TIME.
IF IT CONTINUES, I WILL ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STOP SPEAKING AND, UH, THE MIC WILL BE SHUT OFF.
SO THAT'S JUST OUTTA RESPECT FOR EVERYONE.
WE WANNA GET THROUGH THIS AND WE JUST ALSO WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYBODY'S TIME.
FIRST UP, WE HAVE MR. DAVID LINDER FIELD.
UH, THESE REMARKS ARE DIRECTED NOT ONLY TO THE SCHOOL BOARD, BUT ALSO TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS.
COMMUNITY WHO MIGHT BE PRESENT.
THE CURRENT BUS CRISIS SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE.
IT WAS FORECAST IN THE SCHOOL'S ANNUAL BUDGET WHERE IT STATES, AND I QUOTE, ADDITIONAL STAFF IS NEEDED TO ENSURE ALL STUDENTS ARE IN SCHOOL IN THE TIMELY MANNER.
AND I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE THE BUS CRISIS IS SYMPTOMATIC OF A DEEPER CRISIS THAN EITHER THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SIMPLY LACKS ADEQUATE FUNDS TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS.
IF THIS IS TRUE, IT LEADS TO THE INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION THAT WHILE SOME IEPS MAY PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AS WE HAVE HEARD, THEY HAVE OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS AS FAR AS OUR SCHOOLS ARE CONCERNED, IT MAKES NO SENSE TO REMOVE FUNDS FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET WHEN THAT BUDGET IS INADEQUATE.
WORSE, IT ONLY REINFORCES THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE IN TROUBLE AND THEREFORE UNABLE TO DEVELOP, DELIVER QUALITY EDUCATION.
NO ONE COULD DE DEBATE THE MERITS OF THAT, BUT ITS EXISTENCE AS A MATTER OF PERCEPTION IS UNDENIABLE.
THIS MEANS THAT IT INCREASES THE UNATTRACTIVENESS OF OUR PARISH TO THE STATE AS A PLACE TO MOVE AND DO BUSINESS IN.
AND THAT IS WHY, UH, IT, IT IS IN THE SELF-INTEREST OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE.
MR. LIMIT, I'M SORRY, THAT'S GONNA BE TIME, BUT I'LL LET YOU FINISH YOUR THOUGHTS, RIGHT.
HAVE A SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THEN IEPS MOVE FOR SCHOOLS.
MOVE US AWAY FROM THAT GOAL RATHER THAN TOWARDS IT.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. DON PETERSON.
THANK Y'ALL FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I REPRESENT TURNER INDUSTRIES HERE IN BATON ROUGE AND ACROSS THE GULF COAST.
WE ARE IN SUPPORT AND WE ASK YOU TO BE IN SUPPORT OF THIS ITAP PROPOSAL.
TURNER INDUSTRIES HAS BEEN ENGAGED WITH EXXON MOBIL IN BATON ROUGE EVERY SINGLE DAY SINCE 1961.
WE EMPLOY ACROSS THE GULF COAST, 17,000 FAMILY MEMBERS.
ALMOST 10,000 OF THOSE FOLKS ARE LOCATED IN THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA ON BEHALF OF TURNER.
WE ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. I'M SORRY, AND I'M GONNA CALL UP A FEW NAMES SO I'M NOT CALLING THEM BACK TO BACK.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE MR. SCOTT BARINGER BARINGER, FOLLOWED BY MS. UH, TARA, UH, BRAZIL.
AND NEXT WILL BE AARON SNYDER.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF P GROUP, UH, CONSTRUCTION COMPANY BASED HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
UH, 2023 MAKES 50 YEARS THAT WE'VE CELEBRATED OUR HEADQUARTERS HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
WE'VE BEEN FOR MOST OF THOSE 50 YEARS, A SUPPLIER AND A PROVIDER TO EXXONMOBIL.
UH, JUST AS, UH, DON SAID TURNER HAS BEEN, WE ARE VERY MUCH IN SUPPORT OF THE IEP.
I JUST WANNA SHARE THE REASON WHY IN A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITHIN OUR COMPANY, WE HAVE FOUR SEPARATE OPERATING ENTITIES.
EACH HAS ITS OWN MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP.
AND WITHIN THOSE COMPANIES, THEY COMPETE INTERNALLY FOR AN INVESTMENT FROM OUR CORPORATE OFFICE TO EXPAND, TO GROW, AND TO DO THE THINGS THAT HELP, UH, MAKE THE, THE COMPANY BETTER.
[02:10:01]
UM, SIX YEARS AGO, ONE OF THOSE ENTITIES, RE REP, UH, RECOMMENDED A EXPANSION OF OUR FABRICATION FACILITIES, AND PART OF THEIR PROPOSAL INCLUDED, UH, ITEP APPROVAL TO PURCHASE THE FACILITY AND THE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO EXPAND THAT FACILITY.THAT PROJECT WAS APPROVED, IT EP WAS GRANTED, AND WE NOW HAVE THAT FABRICATION FACILITY THAT EMPLOYS 60 PEOPLE AND CONTINUES TO SUPPORT EXXONMOBIL'S OPERATIONS AS THEY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR EAST BY RIDGE PARISH.
SO HOW AM I PRONOUNCING THE LAST NAME? BAZI.
MY NAME IS TARA BAZEL AND I'M AN 18 YEAR EMPLOYEE AT EXXONMOBIL BATON ROUGE.
10 OF THOSE YEARS HAS BEEN FILLED WITH JOY FROM BEING ALLOWED TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN NEARBY COMMUNITIES.
WITHIN EXXONMOBIL'S, GREENBELT IS A BUILDING KNOWN BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT HAVE VISIT, THAT HAVE VISITED AS THE WEB, ALSO KNOWN AS OUR WILDLIFE EDUCATION.
BUILDING BEYOND THE WALLS OF THE WEB RESIDES OUR OUTDOOR CLASSROOM IN THE TE.
IN THE LAST 10 PLUS YEARS, EXXONMOBIL'S OUTDOOR CLASSROOM HAS EDUCATED HUNDREDS OF KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 10TH GRADE STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE WALKED ALONG OUR NATURE TRAILS, LEARNING ABOUT POLLINATORS AND WHAT WILDLIFE CALL OUR GREENBELT HOME.
THEY HAVE PLANTED NATIVE TREES, LEARNED WHAT TOOLS TO USE AND HOW TO MEASURE TREES, COMPLETED STEM ACTIVITIES, AND THE LIST GOES ON.
JUST THIS YEAR ALONE, WE HAVE HAD 60 KIDS FROM THE NEARBY COMMUNITIES VISIT OUR WEB.
TOMORROW WE'LL BE HOSTING 20 MORE KIDS WHO ARE EIGHTH GRADERS FROM A NEARBY SCHOOL THAT WILL BE PERFORMING STEM ACTIVITIES ABOUT WATER FILTRATION.
THEY ALSO WILL BE INTRIGUED BY ONE OF EXXONMOBIL'S CHEMIST PERFORMING HER CHEMISTRY MAGIC SHOW.
NEXT, UH, AARON SNYDER, FOLLOWED BY BARNA, UH, ROBARD AND GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS.
UH, SO SORRY, JUST ONE SECOND.
I'M SORRY IF I MISPRONOUNCED THAT LAST NAME, BUT YOU GOT THE FLOOR.
UH, MY NAME'S AARON SCHNEIDER.
I'M THE OPERATIONS MANAGER AT OUR BATON ROUGE PLASTICS PLANT WITH EXXONMOBIL.
UM, MY HUSBAND AND I AND MY HUSBAND BOB AND I LIVE IN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, UH, WITH OUR TWO SONS, WILL AND DREW, UH, WILL THIS YEAR ATTENDS FLAME.
UM, AND HAVE JUST BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH THE EDUCATION THAT HE'S GOTTEN, UH, THAT I REALLY WANNA SEE THIS ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE FROM THESE PROJECTS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS LIKE FLAME IN THE EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, FOR WILL'S BENEFIT, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE TEACHERS, UM, AND OF THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
I DON'T THINK KIDS AND TEACHERS WILL BE THE ONLY ONES THAT BENEFIT FROM THIS INVESTMENT.
UH, ONE OF MY, THE BEST PARTS OF WORKING IN A MANUFACTURING FACILITY FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS IS JUST HEARING THE COUNTLESS IMPACTS THAT THESE JOBS, EXXONMOBIL JOBS AND INDUSTRIAL PARTNER JOBS HAVE ON FAMILIES, UM, FROM BUYING HOMES, SUPPORTING FAMILIES, PAYING DOWN DEBT, SENDING KIDS TO COLLEGE.
UM, IT'S REALLY A JOY OF MY JOB EVERY DAY TO GET TO HEAR STORIES LIKE THIS.
UM, LASTLY, YOU KNOW, EXXONMOBIL CAN INVEST ANYWHERE.
UH, YOU HEARD THAT YOU CAN, WE NEED TO COMPETE IN A GLOBAL MARKET, AND THIS IEP JUST PROVIDES THAT STABLE TAX BASE FOR EXXONMOBIL TO CONTINUE TO MAKE INVESTMENTS LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE.
I'M DAVE LUKI, UH, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH RESIDENT DISTRICT SEVEN.
UM, I'M ALSO THE EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL PLANT MANAGER AND THERE'S SOMEBODY MENTIONED, I'M, I'M THE BOARD, THE BRICK BOARD MEMBER THAT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER.
UM, SIT ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THAT AS WELL, AND A BOARD MEMBER FOR THE CAPILLARY UNITED WAY AND HAPPENED TO BE THIS YEAR'S BOARD CHAIR.
UM, I JUST WANNA EXPLAIN KIND OF MR. MARTIN HIT ON IT.
WHEN EXXONMOBIL LOOKS TO INVEST, WE LOOK TO INVEST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PROCESSES, THE, THE CORPORATION PRIORITIZES? WHAT ARE THE PROJECTS WITH THE BEST RETURN FOR THE COMPANY, FOR OUR SHAREHOLDERS, ANYWHERE IN THE GLOBE THAT WE HAVE OPERATIONS.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE'RE, WE HAVE OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD.
AND SO THIS, THIS PROGRAM, WE REALLY HOPE TO TRACK THESE PROJECTS HERE TO BATON ROUGE.
WE THINK THEY'RE GREAT PROJECTS.
WE THINK IT'D BE GREAT FOR BATON ROUGE HAVE BE A BIG ECONOMIC BOOM FOR THE, FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE'VE GOTTA COMPETE WITH EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
AND WE'RE JUST HOPING WE CAN DO THAT.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. STEPHANIE CARGILL, FOLLOWED BY MS. JENNIFER PEREL.
WE, WE, WE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK EARLIER.
UH, MS. JENNIFER, I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN.
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BERGMEYER MEYER.MR. SPEED, WHAT I HAVE SAID, WHAT I PLAN TO SAY IS, UH, JUST BEEN SAID BY MR. LUKI.
UH, MR. GEORGE JONES, FOLLOWED BY MS. LANA VANDER VANDERBILT.
UH, I LIVE IN EAST BATON ROUGE, HAVE FOR THE PAST 31 YEARS, RAISED MY FAMILY IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, OF DISTRICT THREE.
MY THREE DAUGHTERS ATTENDED EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOLS, AND NOW ONE IS A TEACHER IN, IN YOUR PARISH, THE EXXONMOBIL.
IT E PROJECTS PROVIDE A, A, A WAY OF FUNDING PROJECTS THAT COME INTO THE, TO THE AREA THAT BENEFIT.
I TOTALLY SUPPORT THE ITAP PROGRAM AND OUR COMMITMENT AS EXXONMOBIL TO THE SCHOOLS AND OUR VOLUNTEERISM AND OUR WORK THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. NICK LEOR, FOLLOWED BY MS. DESIREE LEMOINE, FOLLOWED BY RON PERT.
THANK YOU MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS NICOLA BOARD AND I'M SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION TO THE ITEP TAX EXEMPTION ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT.
UH, SO LET ME START WITH A QUESTION.
HOW LONG HAVE WE DEPRIVED OUR COMMUNITY OF GOOD OPPORTUNITIES IN GOOD SCHOOLS? SO EXXON CAN START A PROJECT OFF THE TAXPAYER'S BACKS THAT WILL GENERATE ZERO NEW JOBS ON PAGE THREE.
I'M DROPPING MY STUFF EVERYWHERE LIKE A FOOL.
THE ANSWER IS, WE'VE DONE THAT FOR A LITTLE TOO LONG, BUT WE CAN FIX THAT TONIGHT.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIRECTLY FUND OUR COMMUNITY AND ITS SCHOOLS.
IF YOU VOTE NO ON THIS EXEMPTION, 'CAUSE WITH THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD TODAY IS DIFFERENT.
YOU HAVE VOTED NO BEFORE, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAND UP AND DO IT AGAIN.
KNOW IN FULL WILL THAT THE NEXT OCCUPANT OF THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION WILL LIKELY END THE POWER TO VOTE ON ITEMS LIKE THIS.
HOW COULD YOU CHOOSE TO VOTE AGAINST OUR CITY PARISH AGAINST OUR CHILDREN? TO DO A FAVOR FOR A COMPANY THAT'S POSTED OVER $50 BILLION IN PROFIT RECENTLY THROWING AWAY DESPERATELY NEEDED LOCAL MONEY WHILE THE PARISH STRUGGLES TO GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL.
YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THE EXEMPTION.
UH, MR. LEMOINE, FOLLOW UP BY MR. PERT.
SEN MEMBERS, MY NAME IS DESIREE LEMOINE.
I'M THE CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR INDUSTRY MAKES.
I AM HERE THIS EVENING AS ARE MOST OF THE MEN AND WOMEN BEHIND ME IN SUPPORT OF THE IEP APPLICATION OF EXXONMOBIL AND THEIR LATEST PROPOSED INVESTMENTS IN BATON ROUGE.
YOU ALREADY HEARD THE FINANCIAL NUMBERS, BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT EXXONMOBIL'S NORTH BATON ROUGE FACILITY IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER FOR ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL IN THE NATION? THAT THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES DEPENDS ON THE NORTH BATON ROUGE FACILITY FOR ITS SUPPLY OF GERM KILLING AND SANITIZING ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL THAT DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC, EXXONMOBIL RAMPED UP OPERATIONS TO MEET THE NATION'S NEEDS.
ONE OF THE TWO PROPOSED PROJECTS FOR BATON ROUGE WILL INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF THIS CRITICAL MOLECULE.
IT WILL BE USED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE MICROCHIPS FOR DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AS OPPOSED TO THE US RELYING ON FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR ITS SUPPLY.
THE SECOND PROPOSED PROJECT FOR BATON ROUGE IS ADVANCED RECYCLING.
THE INNOVATIVE PROCESS IS USED TO RECYCLE PLASTICS THAT CURRENTLY CANNOT BE PROCESSED AND END UP IN A LANDFILL.
ON BEHALF OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE BATON ROUGE INDUSTRIAL BASE, I ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT EXXONMOBIL'S ITEP APPLICATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ONE TAXPAYER WHO SUPPORTED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM RELIGIOUSLY FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS.
WHEN I LOOK AT THIS PROPOSAL AND I LOOK AT THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE, WHICH GUIDES MY VOTING IN THE PAST, THESE PRINCIPLES STATE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD IS SUPPOSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, OFFER AC ACADEMIC OPTIONS, COMMIT RESOURCES TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS.
THAT'S THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT YOU WERE ELECTED ON.
NOW, TO, TO GIVE AWAY MONEY THAT'S DEDICATED FOR THIS PURPOSE,
[02:20:01]
FOR ANY REASON, TO ME, IS A VIOLATION OF THE VERY PRINCIPLES THAT YOU WERE ELECTED TO UPHOLD.NOBODY IN THIS ROOM IS AGAINST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THE BEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT CAN BE DONE BY THE SCHOOL BOARD IS TO MAKE A QUALITY, HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR OUR PARISH.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. JOSHUA COMBS, FOLLOWED BY LAVERNE SEMINO, FOLLOWED BY MS. JENNIFER CARLISLE.
UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, MY NAME'S JOSHUA COMBS.
I'M REPRESENTING BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER.
WE'RE THE LEAD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FOR BATON ROUGE.
SO WE'VE MENTIONED THAT THIS IS COMPETITIVE, AND SO, UH, THIS SUITE OF PROJECTS WILL ALLOW BATON ROUGE TO BE COMPETITIVE IN EMERGING SECTORS.
SO THIS JUST ISN'T HAPPENING IN BATON ROUGE.
SO THESE TWO FACILITIES WILL ALLOW US TO GO OUT AND RECRUIT AND LEVERAGE THAT FOR MORE BUSINESS, WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR TAX BASE.
EXXON IS CURRENTLY OUR LARGEST, UH, PROPERTY TAXPAYER.
AND WITHOUT THIS PROJECT, THERE WON'T BE ANY TAXES TO, TO, TO DRAW FROM, TO CREATE REVENUE.
THERE WON'T, YOU CAN'T CREATE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING, RIGHT? AND SO IF THIS PROJECT IS NOT APPROVED, THERE'S NOT ANY MONEY BEING TAKEN AWAY BECAUSE THERE'S NO TAX BEING GENERATED FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT.
AND THROUGH THE ITEP, UH, PROGRAM, ALSO WANT TO STATE THAT NEIGHBORING PARISHES LIKE ASCENSION CURRENTLY HAVE $110 MILLION IN EXEMPTIONS ON THEIR BOOKS VERSUS ONLY 28.5 IN BATON ROUGE.
I'M A NATIONALLY BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHER WITH OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHER AT WOODLAWN ELEMENTARY WITH 90 STUDENTS.
THIS YEAR, I HAVE PHENOMENAL SUCCESS WITH MY STUDENTS SCORING PROFICIENT AND EXITING THE E S L PROGRAM AT RATES 20 TO 40 PERCENTAGE POINTS HIGHER THAN OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT AND THE STATE.
THIS FALL, I WAS MADE TO SIGN A LETTER SAYING THAT MY JOB WAS PAID OUT OF ESSER FUNDS AND WOULD NOT BE GUARANTEED FOR NEXT YEAR.
HERE WE ARE WITH EXXON HAT IN HAND, WANTING TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM MY SALARY AND OTHERS TO DEEPEN THEIR POCKETS.
EX YOU THINK EXXON NEEDS THAT MONEY MORE THAN I DO? IT IS JUST PLAIN STUPID TO GIVE OUR RESOURCES AWAY TO A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION WHEN YOU MAY LOSE GREAT TEACHERS LIKE ME.
I HAD A LOT MORE TO SAY, BUT I'M GONNA GET RIGHT TO THE POINT.
UM, WE MET WITH, UH, OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND HE TOLD US THAT THE LAST TIME THAT I WAS DENIED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD, THE COMMUNITY WAS IN AN UPROAR.
AND I SAID, WHAT? THE COMMUNITY I WAS WITH ALL APPLAUDED, WE WERE HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
HE SAID, NO, I MEAN, BRACK, UH, THEY ASSURED THE INDUSTRY THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
MY MESSAGE TO YOU IS IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO BALANCE INDUSTRY'S BUDGET.
AND THE $4 MILLION OVER 10 YEARS IS NOT GOING TO BREAK OR MAKE THIS PROJECT FOR EXXON, BUT IT'S GONNA FILL SOME HOLES FOR YOU.
MY SECOND POINT IS, IF YOU ARE HAPPY TO GIVE THIS EXEMPTION, DO NOT COME TO US, THE COMMUNITY WHEN YOU NEED TO FILL THAT HOLE AND ASK TO RAISE OUR TAXES.
UH, FAMILIES FOR FAIR TAXES THIS WEEK SENT OUT A, A SURVEY.
5,000 PEOPLE RESPONDED, AND 80 TO 89% OF ALL OF THOSE WHO RESPONDED WERE OPPOSED.
THAT'S AN EVERYBODY'S DISTRICT.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, ROBIN MULDER, FOLLOWED BY JAR GUIDRY, FOLLOWED BY HAYDEN CROCKETT.
FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE.
I'M GONNA BE PAYING MY PROPERTY TAXES UNTIL I DIE.
APPARENTLY, IF YOU VOTE TO GIVE A DISCOUNT, SAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY PROPERTY TAXES TO EXXON, THEN I WILL ASSUME AS A VOTER, YOU DON'T NEED
[02:25:01]
ME TO APPROVE ANY TAX INCREASES FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS.BY THE WAY, THAT MONEY, THAT PROPERTY WILL BE DEPRECIATED.
MOST OF THE DEPRECIATION EXXON HAS ARE 10 AND 20 YEAR DEPRECIATION SCHEDULES.
SO THE 10, 10, 10 YEAR ONES WILL NEVER GIVE THE SCHOOL BOARD A PENNY.
THE 20 YEAR ONES WILL WHEN KIDS IN KINDERGARTEN ARE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, HALF AS MUCH, HALF AS MUCH 10 YEARS FROM NOW, YOU ARE BASICALLY VOTING TO NOT COLLECT TAXES FROM EXXON.
AND YOU WANT ME TO PAY MORE? I WILL BE A VERY UNHAPPY VOTER.
I GIVE EXXON MONEY AT THE GAS PUMP.
I DON'T NEED TO GIVE EXXON MONEY WITH MY PROPERTY TAXES.
I'M A TEACHER IN THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
MY SALARY IS BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THIS BOARD DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO GIVE ME A RAISE.
AS MUCH AS I APPRECIATE THE STIPENDS I HAVE RECEIVED FROM YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR VOTING YES FOR THOSE, THAT MONEY ENDS UP PAYING FOR MATERIALS INSIDE MY CLASSROOM BECAUSE THE MATERIALS I GET FROM THE BOARD WILL NOT LAST AN ENTIRE YEAR.
I AM TAKING MONEY FROM MY FAMILY TO PROVIDE MATERIALS FOR MY STUDENTS.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE BOARD MEMBERS AND I NEED YOU TO CHOOSE MY FAMILY, ME AND MY STUDENT, WHO YOU TOOK AN OATH TO SERVE WITH YOUR JOB BY VOTING AGAINST THIS TAX EXEMPTION.
MR. HAYDEN CROCKETT, GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS HAYDEN CROCKETT AND I'M A SEVENTH GRADER AT SHERWOOD MIDDLE MAGNET.
I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK YOU NOT TO APPROVE THIS NEW EXEMPTION THAT EXXONMOBIL IS REQUESTING.
I HAVE BEEN A STUDENT IN THE E B R SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR NINE YEARS.
IN THAT TIME, I HAVE LEARNED THAT EVERYONE HAS TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE.
THE PROGRAMS THAT I USED AND LOVED AND LEARNED FROM ARE FUNDED BY TAXES SOMEWHERE TO THE ONE THAT EXXON IS ASKING FOR A BREAK ON.
I ALSO LEARNED THAT IN THE YEAR OF 2022, EXXON HAD A NET PROFIT OF $55.7 BILLION.
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHERE THIS MONEY COULD BE BETTER USED FOR IS FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.
MY SISTER'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RECENTLY MOVED TO A SWING SITE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THIS SPACE WAS PREVIOUSLY A MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HAS HAD LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE PROPERLY TO ACCOMMODATE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AND IN OVERSIGHT.
DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS, PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT WASN'T THOUGHT OF CONCERNED.
PARENTS BEGAN TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, AND SOON IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT THIS WAS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
WHEN THE SCHOOL REQUESTED ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO EITHER MOVE OLD EQUIPMENT OR PURCHASE NEW EQUIPMENT, THEY WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO FUND THIS REQUEST.
IN A MORE RECENT REQUEST TO THE BOARD, MY MOM REPRESENTING MY SISTER'S SCHOOL, IS PARTNERED WITH TWO OTHER PARENTS REPRESENTING THE NEXT TWO SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN VOTED THE USE TO SWING SITE.
NEXT, THIS PARTNERSHIP PROMPTING THAT THE REQUEST WAS MUCH MORE CRUCIAL AND WOULD IMPACT MORE STUDENTS.
MY MOM IS HOPING THAT THE BOARD AGREES WITH HER AS SHE WAITS FOR THEM TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN FUND THE NEW REQUEST WITH THE JOINT SCHOOLS.
BUT IT REALLY MAKES ME WONDER IF IT WASN'T IN THE BUDGET TO FUND PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, HOW CAN IT POSSIBLY BE IN THE BUDGET TO ALSO GIVE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CORPORATIONS IN THE WORLD A BREAK, A TAX BREAK? THE MASS JUST ANT MATHEN.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. UH, TAMMY MAHORN, FOLLOWED BY STEPHANIE ANTHONY, FOLLOWED BY LASH SHEINA HOLMES.
UM, MY NAME IS TAMMY MULHERN AND I'M A PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN IN E B R SCHOOLS.
THEIR PLAYGROUND'S ALSO BROKEN.
UM, AND THE BUILDINGS ARE CRUMBLING, BUT, AND ALSO MR. LEWIS SAID TODAY WE'RE STARING A DEFICIT IN THE FACE FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO, UM, I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF APPROVING EXXONMOBIL'S REQUEST FOR TAX BREAK.
IT'S NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD TO CONSIDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR POSSIBLY POLITICS.
[02:30:01]
CONSIDERATION TO CONSIDER MY STUDENTS AND THE REST OF THE STUDENTS IN E B R SCHOOLS.UM, ALSO THIS TAX EXEMPTION, THEIR REQUESTING THIS PROJECT DOESN'T EVEN CREATE NEW JOBS.
SO, UM, $8.6 MILLION CAN MEAN A LOT FOR THE E B R SCHOOLS.
IT CAN MEAN A HUNDRED TEACHER SALARIES.
IT CAN MEAN AN ACTUAL PAY PAY RAISE FOR THE BUS DRIVERS.
IT CAN MEAN A WHOLE, WHOLE LOT OF SHOES, WHICH YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT FOR 30 MINUTES.
UM, BUT WHAT DOES $8.6 MILLION MEAN FOR EXXONMOBIL? SO CONSIDERING THE PROFITS, WHICH I'VE ALREADY EVEN MENTIONED, THEY IN THE TIME I'VE BEEN SPEAKING, THEY MADE THAT PROFIT JUST NOW.
UM, THE CFOS SAID THEIR RECORD EARNINGS WERE DUE TO STRONG MARKETS PRODUCTION AND REALLY GOOD COST CONTROL.
THE REALLY GOOD COST CONTROL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IS NOT PAYING THEIR PROPERTY TAXES.
MY KIDS ARE THEIR REALLY GOOD COST CONTROL.
UM, SO MISS MAHOME, THAT'S GONNA BE TIME, BUT I'M GONNA LET YOU FINISH YOUR THOUGHT.
SO, EXXONMOBIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THANK YOU FOR AWARDING E B R SCHOOLS, A $1 MILLION GRANT THIS SUMMER.
THAT'S 10 MINUTES OF PROFIT TO YOU.
PLEASE STOP THROWING US THE CRUMBS.
PLEASE PAY YOUR PROPERTY TAXES.
STEPHANIE ANTHONY UNE HOLMES LASH LESINA HOLMES.
I'M A PARENT OF A STUDENT IN E B R HERE TODAY.
I READ YOUR MESSAGE THERE THAT SAYS, EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE, IT SAYS TO ME, OUR CHILDREN ARE THE PRIORITY.
AND DECISION MAKING RELATED TO OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE BENEFICIAL IN PERPETUITY.
DURING MY SON'S YEARS IN E B R, HE'S COME HOME ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, ALL EXCITED ABOUT A PAPER PARTY WHERE EACH STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO PURCHASE A $25 PLUS REAM OF COPY PAPER IN EXCHANGE FOR TWO SLIVERS OF COLD PIZZA.
BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE A FAMILY WITH MULTIPLE CHILDREN BEING TAXED AT $25 PER CHILD? ALL BECAUSE OUR SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO PROVIDE OUR CLASSROOMS WITH ADEQUATE SUPPLIES.
ITEP EXEMPTIONS GIVE AWAY NEEDED RESOURCES ONLY TO REGENERATE ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE, YET AGAIN, TAXING PARENTS THROUGH MILLAGES AND MORE TAXES.
IF IN FACT YOU ALL BELIEVE EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY, WHEN IS THAT DAY? IF NOT, THEN THOSE WORDS, EXCUSE ME, ARE NOT TRUE.
AND NEED TO BE AMENDED TO SAY SOME STUDENTS SOMETIMES.
AND WHEN IT'S CONVENIENT, EITHER LIVE UP TO EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY, OR GIVE OUR MUCH NEEDED SCHOOL, I'M SORRY.
AND GIVE OUR MUCH NEEDED SCHOOL TAX DOLLARS AWAY TO EXXON AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR STUDENTS.
THAT'S THE CHOICE YOU ALL HAVE.
WHAT IS YOUR DECISION? THANK YOU.
OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, WENDELL MACK, FOLLOWED BY KIRK GREEN, FOLLOWED BY ANGELA RINGS BROWN.
I'M A FORMER, UH, EMPLOYEE OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
EVERY TIME WE HAVE A CUT OR SOMETHING AS A RETIREE, WE, I WIND UP GETTING CUT.
WHEN I FIRST CAME TO EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, I WAS IN ANOTHER PARISH.
I WAS AN ADMINISTRATOR IN ANOTHER PARISH.
AND I CAME TO THIS PARISH BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS THAT EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH OFFERED OFFERED ME.
I CAME HERE AS A TEACHER AT MCKINLEY MILLER.
AND THEN AS TIME WENT ON, EVERY TIME WE HAD A PROBLEM THAT WAS A CUT TO RE RETIREES THE FIRST TIME WE WAS PART OF THE SELF SELF INSURANCE OF THE EASTBOUND ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD.
THEN THE NEXT TIME, NOT THAT QUICK
AND I APPRECIATE IF YOU CONSIDER THAT KIRK.
[02:35:03]
KURT GREEN TEACHER AT WESTDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL.I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ALL THE CHILDREN EXXON ONE EVER EMPLOYED.
THEY APPARENTLY EMPLOYED 15 IN MY CLASS.
THAT'S A, ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE.
THAT MEANS THEY CAN'T EVEN SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE YET.
I DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY WHO SPEAKS SPANISH.
I DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY WHO SPEAKS URDU.
SO WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
I HAVE 5 0 4 BEHAVIOR ACCOMMODATIONS.
I HAVE E S SS, ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS, ALL OF THAT IN THE SAME CLASS WITH UP TO 28 KIDS.
CAN ANY OF Y'ALL DO THAT? CAN ANYBODY FROM EXXON DO THAT? NO.
AND Y'ALL AIN'T GIVING ME WHAT I NEED TO MAKE SURE THESE KIDS, THAT'S SUCCESSFUL.
I NEVER HAD A PAIR VERY FEW TIMES.
BUT YOU'RE TELLING ME I HAVE ALL THIS IN FRONT OF ME.
YOU ARE NOT GIVING ME THE RESOURCES I NEED TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED.
BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE THEM A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY THEY DON'T NEED.
I'M MORE WORRIED ABOUT THESE KIDS THAT THEY WON'T EVER WANT TO EMPLOY.
THEY WANT EMPLOY 15 OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
WE WANNA TALK ABOUT MAGNET PROGRAMS. WHAT ABOUT THE RESOURCES MY KIDS NEED? THESE ARE MY KIDS.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT Y'ALL FORGET ABOUT THAT YOU SWEEP UNDER THE RUG THAT YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT.
OH, THEY HAVE LOW TEST SCORES.
THEY STRUGGLE WITH HOME SITUATIONS.
YES, THEY HAVE ALL OF THAT AND MORE.
AND WE SHOULD PROVIDE FOR THEM.
YOU'RE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY.
EXXON, YOU SHOULD PROVIDE FOR THEM TOO.
MOST OF YOU SITTING BACK THERE IN THE FANCY SUIT, YOUR KIDS AIN'T NEVER GONNA GO TO MY CLASS OR GO TO MY SCHOOL.
WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS IN MY CLASS SAY NO BECAUSE THEY DESERVE A CHANCE.
THEY ALREADY HAD THEIR CHANCE.
THEY'RE SITTING BACK THERE IN NICE SUITS, DRIVING NICE CARS, PUTTING THEIR KIDS IN NICE SCHOOLS.
MR. GREEN, MY KIDS DESERVE THIS TOO, TOO.
POINT, POINT OF ORDER PLEASE, MR. PRESIDENT.
I THINK WE OUGHT TO REMIND SPEAKERS TO COME UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD WITH THEIR COMMENTS.
AND DO THIS 'CAUSE ADDRESSING MEMBERS OF THE, UH, AUDIENCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT IS NOT WITHIN OUR RULES OF, UH, OF BEHAVIOR IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, BODY.
UH, THAT IS, UH, NOTED FOR THE RECORD AND IT WILL BE UPHELD.
I ASK ANYBODY WHO COMES IN TO SPEAK, PLEASE ADDRESS THE BOARD AND NOT THE FLOOR.
AS WE SAID BEFORE WE STARTED THESE PROCEEDINGS, UH, WE WANNA BE VERY RESPECTFUL.
EVERYBODY'S ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINIONS AND THEIR OWN THOUGHTS, AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED.
WE ASK THAT EVERYBODY PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.
AND THAT APPLIES ALSO TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE.
I'M ANGELA REEMS BROWN, PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AND SUPPORT WORKERS.
AS I VIEWED THE SLIDE THAT WAS PROVIDED BY EXXON, IT SHOWED THAT THEY GAVE 120 TEACHERS IN NORTH BATON ROUGE, SOME SUPPLIES.
NORTH BATON ROUGE, BETTER KNOWN AS CANCER ALLEY BECAUSE OF EXXON NORTH.
BATON ROUGE IS WHERE EXXON IS LOCATED.
EXXON IS A NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH BATON ROUGE RESIDENCE.
LAST TIME I CHECKED, THAT'S CALLED BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL BE FACING BASIC BUDGETARY CONCERNS FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR DUE TO LIMITED REVENUES TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
THIS YEAR ALONE, OUR BUS DRIVERS REFUSED TO PICK UP OUR STUDENTS FROM THE CORNER BECAUSE THEIR BUSES DID NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING.
SOME OF 'EM HAD MECHANICAL ISSUES.
WE HAD TO GIVE THEM MONEY TO DO THEIR JOBS.
IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO GIVE THIS MONEY AWAY AS A BOARD BECAUSE THE MONEY DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU.
THE MONEY BELONGED TO THE STUDENTS.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, CATHERINE RISBY, FOLLOWED BY HANNAH AROSO, FOLLOWED BY RAIN.
I'M A PARENT OF TWO STUDENTS IN E B R.
FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT LOUISIANA IS THE ONLY STATE THAT DOESN'T EXEMPT OR REIMBURSE SCHOOL SYSTEMS AS PART OF THEIR ITEP PROGRAMS. AS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, YOU SHOULD NEVER BE ASKED TO MAKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS OUTSIDE OF MAKING DECISION FOR KIDS INSIDE THEIR CLASSROOMS. IT'S JUST NOT YOUR JOBS.
KNOWING THAT LOUISIANA IS A MAJOR OUTLIER IN HOW SCHOOLS ARE AFFECTED BY IEP, IF I WERE EXXONMOBIL, I WOULD EXPECT THIS BOARD WOULD DENY THIS EXEMPTION, OR AT LEAST BE GRACIOUS TO YOU ALL AND LET YOU KNOW
[02:40:01]
THAT AS A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, THAT THEY'RE EMBARRASSED TO HAVE TO ASK FOR THIS MONEY ON THE BACKS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.YOU ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO VOTE UNANIMOUSLY AGAINST THIS AND SEND A MESSAGE TO EXXONMOBIL AND ANY FUTURE I E P APPLICANT THAT EXEMPTIONS WILL NOT BE GIVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION, ESPECIALLY IF NO PERMANENT JOBS ARE CREATED.
THIS BOARD HAS A STRATEGIC PLAN IN PLACE AND VOTING FOR THIS MEASURE DOES NOT FURTHER A SINGLE PART OF YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO FIRST I'M GONNA SPEAK REALLY QUICKLY BECAUSE YOU LIMITED US TO A MINUTE AT THE LAST SECOND.
SO FIRST I WANNA CONGRATULATE THE BOARD ON THIS WINDFALL OF REVENUE THAT YOU GUYS NEEDED TO PAY FOR STUFF.
UH, THE MONEY'S JUST BEING HANDED TO YOU.
UM, AND CONGRATS ON INVESTING ON 15 PEOPLE INSTEAD OF 22 AND 2200 JOBS INSTEAD OF THE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND CHILDREN IN OUR DISTRICT.
THANKS TAXON FOR INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY.
EXXONMOBIL DOES NOT NEED A TAX BREAK TO INVEST.
WE OWN THE RIVER AND THE PORT.
WE DON'T NEED TO GIVE THEM THE MONEY TO INVEST OR STAY OR RETAIN LABOR.
INVESTMENTS IN INTERNSHIPS HELP THE COMPANY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE INTERNSHIPS AND BEEN RETAINED AFTERWARDS AT EXXON? I WOULD LIKE NUMBERS ALWAYS.
SOMEONE MENTIONED THE REVENUE FROM THE SALES TAX, UH, FROM MATERIALS PURCHASES.
IS THERE A CONTRACT CURRENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE MATERIALS AND LABOR ARE PURCHASED LOCALLY AND HIRED LOCALLY? YES OR NO? 1 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS DOES NOT GO TO ALL OF THE SCHOOLS.
IT'S NOT GUARANTEED OR DISTRIBUTED EQUITABLY.
THE INVESTMENT IN THE MONEY IN THE SCHOOLS WOULD FUND A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT CANNOT EXIST NOW AND ALSO IMPROVE CHANCES OF KIDS ON THE JOB MARKET.
LIKE COMPUTATIONAL THINKING, ROBOTICS ENGINEERING, AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING.
WE NEED MORE KIDS READY TO ENTER THESE FIELDS AS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES AND INDUSTRIES LIKE EXXON ARE PHASED OUT DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
ADDITIONALLY, IF WE FOLLOW THE CLIMATE COMMITMENTS TO OUR KIDS, WE WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO APPROVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS THAT DO NOT ALIGN WITH CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.
THINGS THAT WE ARE, THAT WERE NOT BROUGHT UP BY EXXONMOBIL TIME RAIN.
I'LL LET YOU FINISH YOUR THOUGHT.
BUT THIS TIME THINGS THAT WERE NOT BROUGHT UP BY EXXONMOBIL INCLUDE THE WATER EXTRACTION NEEDED FOR THESE FACILITIES.
CURRENTLY, THE INCREASED RAINFALL AND WATER COMING DOWN THE RIVER ARE ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS KEEPING THE SALT WATER WEDGE AT BAY AND ENSURING PEOPLE HAVE SAFE DRINKING WATER IN THE LOWER PARISHES.
WITH INCREASED WATER EXTRACTION UP RIVER, THERE'S LESS WATER HEADING DOWNSTREAM.
THIS IS A PROBLEM NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
THE HEALTH IMPACT ON LOCAL P O C COMMUNITIES IS ALSO NOT ADDRESSED HERE.
WE'VE NOT HEARD OR SEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, I'M SORRY, FROM THIS PROJECT TO ANALYZE IT.
IT IS YOUR JOB TO SUPPORT THE CHILDREN AND THE STUDENTS.
I'M NOT SURE WHY THIS FELL ON YOU.
I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE THIS INTO THE LAW THAT YOU AND THE METRO COUNCIL MAKE THESE DECISIONS, BUT NO, IT'S YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO OUR JOBS AND TO KEEP US HERE.
NEXT WE HAVE EMMANUEL BOO MILTON, FOLLOWED BY ANNA JOHNSON, FOLLOWED BY RUSSELL RICHARDSON.
I'M HERE AS A CONCERNED CITIZEN.
UM, I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, FELL ON OUR KIDS TEACHERS AND STAFF.
UH, BUT I DON'T REALLY THINK IT'S LOGICAL OR, UM, IT'S REALLY LIKE Y'ALL'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR REAL.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD LEAD AT THE CITY COUNCIL, RIGHT? UM, THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS' JOB, I BELIEVE IS TO RETAIN AND FIND AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE AND TO SUPPORT THE EDUCATION FOR OUR KIDS AND EXPERIENCES FOR OUR TEACHERS IN ORDER TO THEN CREATE, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOME PRETTY GOOD SITUATIONS.
SO, UM, AND IF EXXON NEEDS MONEY FROM OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR KIDS IN ORDER TO, UM, RETAIN THEIR 2000 EMPLOYEES, AND IT'S NOT A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL AND IT'S REALLY LEACHING.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, IT'S BEEN A LOT OF YOUR PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN SPEAKING OUT AGAINST IT.
I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHO YOU VOTING FOR.
UM, ARE YOU VOTING FOR PLANT JOBS OR YOU VOTING FOR TEACHER JOBS? UH, AND THIS IS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, NOT AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
ALSO, UH, ALL SPEAKERS COMING FORWARD AFTER I SAY YOUR NAME, COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT IT SO THAT I AM NOT TAKING THE WRONG CUE CARD OUT OF, UH, ORDER.
UM, I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE WEST BATON ROUGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR THE EXXONMOBIL I E APPLICATION EXXONMOBIL'S EXPANSION IN EAST BATON ROUGE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF LOUISIANA'S ECONOMIC VITALITY AND
[02:45:01]
OUR ABILITY TO ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENTS ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF INDUSTRIES.I'M PROUD THAT EXXONMOBIL'S TALENTED WORKFORCE CONTINUES TO MANUFACTURE HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS THAT WE USE ALL OVER THE GLOBE.
THIS MARS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT FOR THE CAPITAL REGION.
WEST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL BOARD HAS ALREADY UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE IEP APPLICATION FOR EXXONMOBIL'S, WEST BATON ROUGE FACILITY.
THIS IS A LEG OF THEIR INNOVATION SUITE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT TODAY FOR THIS, AND I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS WILL SEE THE RESIDUAL VALUE OF THESE PROJECTS AS WELL.
UM, RUSSELL RICHARDSON WITH THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER.
UH, EARLIER TONIGHT, JOSHUA S MY COLLEAGUE ECU, UH, SUBMITTED SOME COMMENTS ABOUT, ABOUT SUPPORTING THE PROJECT.
WE'VE, I'VE WORKED PROJECTS FOR ABOUT 11 YEARS AT THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER, AS WELL AS THE, THE STATE, UM, HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS EACH YEAR THAT WE WORK AND COMPETE.
LIKE MR. MARTIN'S COMMENTS SAID, UH, THAT ARE VERY COMPETITIVE NATIONWIDE.
UH, AND SO, SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEE IEP AS YOUR, AS YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH COMPANIES WHO ARE PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY, UH, AS A MEANS TO, TO GROW YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN, IN, IN YOUR PARISH.
SO, UH, I JUST WANNA REITERATE ALL THE OTHER SUPPORTERS TONIGHT, THE COMMENTS THEY'VE MADE.
WE SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AND YOUR APPROVAL.
GAR MALONE, FOLLOWED BY STORM MATTHEWS, FOLLOWED BY ADAM BARRY.
SAW AND I'M IN, IN SUPPORT OF THIS ITEP INITIATIVE FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
I'VE BEEN IN BATON ROUGE FOR OVER 23 YEARS, AND I'VE DONE A LOT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING THE NORTH BATON ROUGE TRAINING INITIATIVE.
BUT A LOT OF YOU DON'T KNOW IS WHAT MY HISTORY IS.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHEAST CHICAGO, AND I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND, UM, THROUGH THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES WHERE INDUSTRY LEFT AND CRIME AND DESPAIR MOVED IN.
I DO NOT, I VIEW THIS IEP AND OTHER IEPS IN THE FUTURES AS INVESTMENTS INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY.
MY PARENTS WERE, UH, PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, THE, SOME, LIKE THE FRUSTRATION AND UNDERSTANDING NOT HAVING RESOURCE IN THE CLASSROOMS. BUT ILLINOIS TAX BASE IS, WAS THEIR, THEIR RETIREMENT SYSTEM WAS NOT SOLVING FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE OF INDUSTRY LEFT AND TAXES WENT UP ON PROPERTY SALES TAX AND INCOME TAX.
SO IF WE WANNA MAINTAIN OUR TAXES, WE NEED TO KEEP INDUSTRY HERE.
THEREFORE, I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE INITIATIVE, NOT ONLY FOR NOW, BUT ALSO FOR OUR FUTURE.
I APPRECIATE THE, UM, COMPARISON WITH ILLINOIS, BUT AS HANNAH AMMAR RUSSO SAID, LOUISIANA IS THE ONLY STATE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY THAT HAS AN EYE TIP FOR SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA DO, I TIP WITH THE, WITH METRO COUNCIL, DO YOUR THING.
BUT THIS THE ONLY STATE THAT DOES IT WITH SCHOOLS.
LOUISIANA IS A RESOURCE RICH STATE, YET WE ARE EXTREMELY POOR BECAUSE WE LIKE TO GIVE TAX BREAKS TO THE WEALTHY AND NOT COLLECT FROM WHAT WE HAVE.
UM, THEY SAY THAT IF THEY DON'T DO THIS, EXXON WON'T COME.
TAKE YOUR CANCER TO SOME, SOMEWHERE ELSE.
UM, THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE SALES TAX REVENUE, CRAP SALES, TAX REVENUE WILL START THIS YEAR.
ARE THEY GOING TO PURCHASE ALL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FROM THE CORTANA LOWE'S? BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY WE GET SALES TAX REVENUE THIS YEAR IS IF IT'S PURCHASED IN E B R.
ADAM BARRY, FOLLOWED BY JEN MOELLER, FOLLOWED BY HAYES JACKSON.
UH, MY NAME'S ADAM BERRY, LIKE A BEAR.
I AM THE, UH, C E O OF BEAR PROCESS SAFETY.
AN INDUSTRY PARTNER DEDICATED TO REDUCING RISK, UH, AND IMPROVING SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITY IS SOMETHING WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT.
UM, A LOT OF THE POINTS, I'M IN FAVOR OF THE BILL, UH, OF THE EXEMPTION.
A LOT OF THE POINTS HAVE BEEN MADE, UH, I WAS GOING TO MAKE, SO I'LL MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL POINTS THAT I DID NOT PLAN.
BUT, UH, THERE'S A COMMENT THAT WE HAVE RESOURCES.
WE HAVE THE RIVER, SO WE WILL ALWAYS GET JOBS.
I USED TO THINK THAT, UM, AS MR. MARTIN POINTED OUT, THAT'S
[02:50:01]
NOT TRUE.YOU CANNOT LOOK ANY FURTHER THAN RECENTLY.
BATON ROUGE LOST MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT WAS SENT TO HOUSTON INSTEAD OF US TO BE A HYDROGEN HUB.
I THINK THAT EXXON HAS PROVEN IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS I CAN LIST.
WE NEED PARTNERS, UH, TO GET OUR COMMUNITY TO WHERE WE WANT IT TO BE.
UH, AND I THINK THIS INITIATIVE WITH THE INNOVATION SUITE DOES JUST THAT.
WHETHER YOU VOTE YES OR NO, I KNOW YOU WILL DO SO, UH, AS THE BETTERMENT OF OUR CHILDREN, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU AND WE DO NOT ENVY YOUR DECISION.
UM, I AM A RESIDENT OF EAST BATON ROUGE DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, I'M A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY.
UH, BUT I'M HERE IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY AS, UH, A FATHER OF TWO KIDS IN THE BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
UM, AND AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, I VOTED FOR THIS EXEMPTION BECAUSE THIS EXEMPTION CONFORMS TO THE RULES OF THE PROGRAM.
BUT AS A VOTER, I'M ASKING YOU TO VOTE THIS DOWN.
NOBODY ELECTED ME TO ANYTHING ON THAT BOARD.
UH, BUT AS STEWARDS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE KIDS, NOT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF EXXON.
UM, AND THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER WE SUPPORT EXXON IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY TO WHAT THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THIS COMPANY SAID, AND WHAT THEY DID NOT SAY WAS THAT THIS COMPANY, THAT THIS PROJECT WOULD NOT COME IF YOU DON'T APPROVE THIS TAX BREAK.
THEY WERE VERY, THEY WANTED TO LEAVE THAT IMPRESSION, BUT THEY DID NOT SAY THAT IT WOULDN'T COME.
UM, THIS PROJECT CREATES ZERO JOBS.
THE QUESTION FOR YOU IS, SHOULD THIS MONEY GO TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF A GIANT GLOBAL CORPORATION OR TO THE KIDS OF BATON ROUGE WHO NEED THE MONEY? THANK YOU.
NEXT WE HAVE RILEY BRUMFIELD, MCMULLEN MCMILLAN, I'M SORRY, FOLLOWED BY HANNAH JACKSON.
HELEN JACKSON, FOLLOWED BY TANYA MCMILLAN CASE.
AND HELEN MADE COMMENT, THEY DON'T WISH TO SPEAK.
CASE AND HELEN JACKSON MAKE A COMMENT.
INSTEAD OF GETTING, OF GIVING $4 MILLION TO A MULTI-BILLION BILLIONAIRE COMPANY, YOU COULD, YOU COULD GET STUFF FOR BETTER PLAYGROUNDS AND BETTER INTERNET, WHICH IS REALLY, WHICH IS WHAT US KIDS LIKE TO CALL NOT GIVING.
AND YOU COULD, AND YOU COULD HAVE SOME PEOPLE TO PICK THE GLASS UP AND TAKE THE BARBED WIRE OFF OF OUR PLAYGROUND.
I'M TANYA MCMILLAN, PARENT OF A CHILD HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU GUYS OF YOUR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES.
I'VE HEARD THAT WORD THROUGHOUT THE MONTHS WHEN IT CAME TO TEACHERS RAISES, WHEN IT CAME TO BUS DRIVERS RAISES, WHEN IT CAME TO CAFETERIA WORKERS RAISES.
I KEPT HEARING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
I HEARD THE WORD IRRESPONSIBLE WHEN IT CAME TO GIVING BUS DRIVERS RACES.
WHEN IT CAME TO GIVING TEACHERS RACES, THAT WORD WAS IRRESPONSIBLE.
YOU GUYS WERE ELECTED TO REPRESENT AND TO VOTE AND TO DO THINGS, AND FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE CHILDREN OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM.
I ALSO REMEMBER SOMEONE SAYING, WE HAVE A MATH PROBLEM.
HEARD THAT SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
ALLOWING THIS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY TO KEEP THIS LITTLE CHUMP CHANGE IS NOT GOING TO HELP OUR MATH PROBLEM.
LET US INVEST THE $4 MILLION INTO OUR STUDENTS.
THAT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, GETTING THEM THE INTERNET THEY NEED TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK, GETTING THEM PROPER TEXTBOOKS.
WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO, WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO DON'T EVEN HAVE COMPUTERS OR WHITEBOARDS.
MS. MCMILLAN, I'LL LET YOU CATCH YOUR THOUGHT.
THAT ECONOMIC INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPMENT.
NEXT WE HAVE JAMIE ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY DANIEL LANGFORD, FOLLOWED BY FAIRLEY JACKSON.
AGAIN, THIS IS MR. JAMIE ROBINSON, DANIEL LANGFORD, AND MS. FAIRLEY JACKSON.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.
WHOEVER COMES TO THE MIC FIRST.
UM, THANK YOU PRESIDENT LANIS.
I THINK, UH, HELEN JACKSON AND HAYES JACKSON ACTUALLY PUT
[02:55:01]
COMMENTS DOWN THAT THEY WOULD LIKE READ INTO THE RECORD.OH, I WAS GONNA SAY, DO YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND DO THAT OR DO YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD? NO, MA'AM.
UH, ALL COMMENTS ARE GONNA BE WRITTEN TO THE RECORD, ARE GONNA BE AFTER ALL THE, UH, EVERYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK.
UM, I'M FAIRLEIGH JACKSON, DISTRICT FIVE.
UM, I AM NOT, UH, PAID BY ANYONE THAT BENEFITS FROM THIS VOTE, UM, BY THE COMPANY, BY THE AUXILIARY, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
BUT I DO HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST.
AND THAT SPECIAL INTEREST IS THAT THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT SUCCEEDS AND I TRULY WANT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU TO SUCCEED.
SO I DON'T THINK YOU CAN TURN AWAY $4 MILLION RIGHT NOW.
$370,000 A YEAR ON TOP OF FOUR, 5.9 IN EXEMPTIONS THAT WE ALREADY GIVE THIS CORPORATION AS OF LAST YEAR.
WE CAN'T GIVE OUR TEACHERS RAISES, WE CAN'T GIVE OUR BUS DRIVERS RAISES, OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS.
WE CAN'T GET A PLAYGROUND FOR A SCHOOL THAT'S GONNA SERVE THREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND THEN A K THROUGH EIGHT BECAUSE WE'RE BEING TOLD THERE'S NO MONEY FOR THAT.
UM, SO I WON'T ADDRESS WHAT I, THE PEOPLE I WANTED TO ADDRESS FOR.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU, WILL YOU PLEASE THEN ASK EXXON TO BUY US PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, TENNIS SHOES, FIX SOME CEILING TILES, DO ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR, AND ASK THEM.
AND I'M DANIEL LAMBFORD, E S S PARAPROFESSIONAL AT JEFFERSON TERRACE ACADEMY.
AND ORIGINALLY I SUPPORTED THIS MEASURE, BUT AFTER HEARING THE AUDIENCE COMMENTS AND WATCHING A VIDEO BEING REMINDED OF A VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE ITEP PROGRAM BETTER THAN, UH, I, I DECIDED TO BE AGAINST IT BECAUSE I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE BIG BUSINESSES LIKE EXXON, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT EXXON IN PARTICULAR, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF CORPORATIONS THAT ARE NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES WHILE WE, UH, CITIZENS, REGULAR PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO PAY TAXES AND IT'S NOT HELPING OUR SCHOOLS.
I AGREE WITH WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO HELP PEOPLE.
BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALSO WATCH A YOUTUBE VIDEO ON WHY LOUISIANA STAYS POOR.
AND IT, IT'S MAINLY, PARTLY DUE TO THE IEP PROGRAM, THESE BIG TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR BUSINESSES, BUT WHERE WE'RE STILL HAVING TO PAY ALL THESE TAXES.
MR. JAMIE ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY MS. HANNAH BIRMAN, FOLLOWED BY MR. DAVID HO.
I HAD SIX KIDS IN E B R I NOW HOMESCHOOL FOUR OF THEM BECAUSE THE DISTRICT WILL NOT PROVIDE A FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA, WHICH IS A PROTECTED DISABILITY UNDER IDEA.
I WONDER IF INSTEAD OF GIVING THESE TAX EXEMPTIONS, HOW MANY, UM, WHAT IS THIS CERTIFIED ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPISTS, OUR DISTRICT COULD HIRE TO ADDRESS THE ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN IN OUR CLASSROOMS THAT HAVE DYSLEXIA OR THE $250, THE BARE MINIMUM IT WOULD TAKE TO HAVE OUR TEACHERS CERTIFIED TO JUST BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY KIDS WITH DYSLEXIA.
MY KIDS HAVE BEEN AT FLAME SINCE 2015.
I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW EXXON, UM, HAS BENEFITED THE KIDS AT FLAME.
IT SURELY WAS NOT IDENTIFYING ANY OF MY FOUR CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA OR ANY OF THE OTHER DOZENS OF KIDS IN, UH, THAT SCHOOL OR ACROSS THE PARISH.
SO YOU ARE HERE TO SERVE THE STUDENTS.
YOU DON'T PAY A LIVING WAGE TO OUR BUS DRIVERS, TO OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS, TO OUR PARAS.
WE CAN'T GET OUR KIDS SAFELY TO SCHOOL AND OUR TEACHERS NEED A RAISE.
LET'S LET EXXON PAY FOR CULTS.
LET'S LET EXXON PROVIDE SERVICES FOR KIDS WITH DYSLEXIA OR
[03:00:01]
OTHER WAYS IN WHICH YOU, OUR DISTRICT ARE FAILING OUR KIDS.UH, MARY ALLEN SLATER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
HI, I'M DAVID HOWELL AND I'M A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT SIX AND AN ENGINEER AT EXXONMOBIL.
I ASK THE SCHOOL BOARD TO SUPPORT THE SITE TYPE APPLICATION TO CONTINUE TO GIVE OUR LOCAL STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT HERE IN BATON ROUGE WHERE IT CAN BRING BENEFITS AS QUICKLY AS NEXT YEAR'S SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET.
AND IF THE PROJECT IS UNCOMPETITIVE IN BATON ROUGE, NO BENEFIT WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE PARISH.
I'VE LIVED IN BATON ROUGE SINCE 2016 WHERE I HAVE BECOME A HOMEOWNER, A VOLUNTEER IN ORGANIZATIONS LIKE BATON ROUGE YOUTH COALITION, UNITED WAY LOCAL SCHOOLS, AND AS WELL AS MANY OTHER NONPROFITS.
I GREW UP IN ILLINOIS AND I GREW UP THROUGH THE ILLINOIS PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE THEY EDUCATED ME, SUPPORTED ME AS AN E S L STUDENT AND A LOW INCOME FAMILY, AND A, UH, FREE, UH, LOW, LOW INCOME STUDENT, UH, AND ON FREE LUNCH AND SEND ME AS, UH, TO ONE OF OUR NATION'S TOP UNIVERSITY AT M I T.
SINCE I LEFT ILLINOIS IN 2011, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GIVE ANY OF MY TIME OR RESOURCES TO THE STATE OF ILLINOIS BECAUSE OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT WHERE ILLINOIS RANKED THIRD IN THE WORST LOSSES OF BUSINESS IN 2021 TIME, MR. NEW YORK, IN CALIFORNIA.
BUT I'M GONNA LET YOU FINISH YOUR THOUGHT.
SO I ASK THE SCHOOL BOARD TO SUPPORT, UH, AND VOTE YES TO CONTINUE TO GIVE OUR LOCAL STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT HERE IN BATON ROUGE AND BRING ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO THEIR PARISH IN 2024.
GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS FOR A LONG TIME IN THIS PARISH.
I'VE STOOD AT THIS PODIUM AND TOLD YOU THAT FOR THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL.
NOW YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STOP DI STEALING FROM ROB AND JUST PAY PETER, HONESTLY.
AND WHAT DO THOSE HONEST DOLLARS COME FROM? PROPERTY TAXES.
YOU CAN'T EXPECT HARDWORKING CITIZENS WHO ALREADY STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET IN TODAY'S ECONOMY, TO PAY TAXES AND NOT ALLOW A, A, A $50 BILLION COMPANY TO NOT PAY PROPERTY TAXES TO OUR SCHOOL BOARD.
EXXON CAN AFFORD TO PAY THEIR STAFF A LIVABLE WAGE.
YOU GUYS HAVE TOLD US WE COULDN'T GIVE TEACHERS A PAY RAISE.
WHY? BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY.
YOU TOLD US WE COULDN'T GET THE NEW BUSES.
WHY? BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR THE REAL RESOURCE.
THE MATERIALS THAT TEACHERS ARE ASKING YOU FOR THAT MAKE CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL, YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ECONOMY.
YOU'RE BETTER CONCERN YOURSELF WITH THE WELFARE OF OUR CHILDREN.
THANK YOU MS. MARY ALLEN SLATER.
SO MARY ELLEN SLATER, DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENT.
AND I AM A PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN IN E B R SCHOOLS.
I'M ALSO A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER IN MID-CITY WHERE I HAVE TO PAY ALL OF MY TAXES.
THIS ISN'T A VOTE ON EXXON AS AN EMPLOYER.
THEY ARE AWESOME, RIGHT? GREAT BENEFITS, GREAT RETIREMENT.
IT'S NOT A VOTE ON THE MERITS OF THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT.
AS A SHAREHOLDER IN EXXON, HOWEVER TINY I AM SUPER EXCITED TO SEE THEM INVESTING IN INITIATIVES LIKE THIS IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
RESPECTFULLY, THESE THINGS ARE NOT GERMANE TO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS BOARD.
THIS IS A VOTE ON WHETHER THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN AFFORD TO GIFT EXXON $3.6 MILLION.
RIGHT NOW, I'VE BEEN ATTENDING THE LAST THREE BOARD MEETINGS AND I'VE HEARD JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, HOW TIGHT MONEY IS.
I'M HEARING HOW WE DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR BUSES.
WE DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR TEACHER RAISES.
YOU KNOW, RESPECTFULLY, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO GIFT THEM THIS MONEY.
PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS EXEMPTION.
NEXT WE HAVE RORY DELA, FOLLOWED BY MARIA HARMON, FOLLOWED BY ASHOKA.
I DON'T WANNA MISPRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME.
I'M, UH, WORK FOR EXXONMOBIL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
THANK Y'ALL FOR BEARING WITH THIS LONG EVENING.
A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANTED TO SAY.
UM, I I LIKE TO ALWAYS SAY ZERO FROM ZERO IS ZERO.
IT'S SOMETHING I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT.
SO IF THE PROJECT DOES NOT COME, THERE IS NO INVESTMENT.
AND WHAT PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE, IEP IS NOT, UM, IT'S WHAT WE NEED TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT IEP IS A TEMPORARY ABATEMENT.
IT'S NOT A PERMANENT EXEMPTION.
MONEY STARTS COMING IN IMMEDIATELY
[03:05:01]
WITH SALES TAX.SO IF WE START BUYING THINGS, WHEN THIS PROJECT IS APPROVED, WE START RECEIVING THAT SALES TAX IMMEDIATELY FOR THIS PARISH.
SO THAT MEANS MONEY IS RECEIVED FOR YOUR SCHOOLS FOR 2024.
THAT'S ALMOST $6 MILLION THAT YOU COULD RECEIVE FROM SALES TAXES.
I KNOW YOU SAW THE CHART IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
THAT'S BECAUSE CAPITAL INVESTMENT, THAT'S PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES THAT GROWS, THAT'S THE 145 MILLION THAT YOU HAVE SEEN E B R SCHOOLS.
SO O OBVIOUSLY I DO APPROVE AND HOPE YOU APPROVE THIS IEP EXEMPTION.
I'M REPRESENTING, UH, STEP UP LOUISIANA AND ALSO THE BATON ROUGE AND NAACP, WHERE I SERVICE THE CHAIR OF THEIR EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
AND I'M HERE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THIS TAX EXEMPTION, ESSENTIALLY, BECAUSE WE DO NOT FISCALLY HAVE THE MONEY TO GIVE AWAY RIGHT NOW.
$300,000 A YEAR FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS WOULD BE A GREAT HELP.
UM, YOU, YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO A, A RAISE FOR YOUR EDUCATORS.
YOU CAN'T AFFORD A RAISE FOR YOUR BUS.
DRIVERS CAN'T AFFORD A RAISE FOR THE FOOD SERVICE WORKERS.
WE ARE DEALING WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE DEALING WITH EVERYDAY ILLS AS FAR AS THE NEED FOR WRAPAROUND SUPPORTS, TRAUMA AND RESOURCES TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE NEEDS.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS COST MONEY.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT EXXON HAS MADE, UH, TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF IT REALLY AMOUNTS TO THE TAX EXEMPTIONS THAT THEY WALK AWAY WITH.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE JUST, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT.
AND, UH, WE'RE TRUSTING IN YOU AS OUR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD TO HOLD THE FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENSURE THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RUNS EFFECTIVELY.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS AND WE SEE A SIGNIFICANT, THAT'S GONNA BE TIME SIGNIFICANT.
UH, HARMON, I'LL LET YOU FINISH YOUR THOUGHT.
IF WE, IF WE MOVE INTO NEXT YEAR, FACING A SIGNIFICANT SHORTFALL OF A DEFICIT, UM, AND LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE IS JUST NOT, UM, ASTUTE IN AND RESPONSIBLE AS LEADERS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND WHEN YOU MAKE IT TO THE MIC, COULD YOU PLEASE PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME FOR ME? I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT.
HI, MY NAME IS ASHOKE AGGARWAL AL.
UM, I AM, UH, AN EXXONMOBIL EMPLOYEE IN BATON ROUGE.
I'M ALSO BATON ROUGE RESIDENT.
UM, I SPEAK FOR MYSELF, UH, NOT FOR THE COMPANY.
UM, I AM OPPOSED TO THIS TAX EXEMPTION.
UM, I, I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO INCENTIVIZE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, UH, IN OUR PARISH, BUT, UH, YOU SHOULD ALSO INCENTIVIZE ANY CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHETHER THAT'S A, A PERSON BUILDING A HOME, UH, STARTING A BUSINESS, OR A TEACHER PURCHASING SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THEIR CLASSROOM.
UM, THE, THE FACT THAT WE PRODUCE PRODUCTS, UH, DOES NOT, IS NOT A GOOD RATIONALE FOR APPROVING EXEMPTION FOR THAT BUSINESS.
ONLY YOU SHOULD EITHER INCENTIVIZE ALL INVESTMENT OR NONE AT ALL.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, DANA MITCHELL, FOLLOWED BY EVELYN WARE JACKSON, FOLLOWED BY MEG MAHONEY.
MY NAME'S DANA MICHEL AND I'M AN EXCELLENT MOBILE EMPLOYEE.
I ASKED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR SCHOOLS, AND IN THIS CASE, IT IS SUPPORTING EXXONMOBIL'S ITEP APPLICATION.
IF THESE PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN EXPECT TO BEGIN COLLECTING SALES TAXES AS SOON AS CONSTRUCTION BEGIN, WOULD BEGIN IN 2024.
TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEM'S NEEDS IN 2022, EXXONMOBIL PAID 33% MORE IN PROPERTY TAXES AND 29% MORE IN SALES TAXES THAN THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS.
THIS IS A DIRECT RESULT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENTS LIKE THE MODERNIZATION PROJECT AT OUR REFINERY AND THE EXPANSION PROJECT AT OUR POLYOLEFINS PLANT, BOTH OF WHICH RECEIVED IEP APPROVALS.
IEP DOES NOT GIVE AWAY TAX REVENUE FUNDING FROM LOCAL DUR JURISDICTIONS SIMPLY BECAUSE THE TAX REVENUE DOES NOT YET EXIST.
THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT FINALIZED.
THEY ARE A FUTURE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR BATON ROUGE.
IF EXXONMOBIL DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH A PROJECT, THE LOCAL ENTITIES WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
[03:10:01]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE, TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR SERVICE.UM, I, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON, UM, IN SUPPORT OF THE IAP FOR EXXONMOBIL AND THIS SUITE OF INNOVATIVE PROJECTS.
I THINK THESE ARE FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE, THE TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT WE WANT TO SEE LEGACY COMPANIES IN THE ENERGY SECTOR INVESTING IN FOR THE FUTURE JOBS OF ALL THE STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THIS, UM, PRESENTATION YOU SAW EARLIER SHOWED THAT EXXONMOBIL HAS PAID OVER 145 MILLION IN TAXES OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT.
UM, AND THE SALES TAX, UH, LIKE HAS BEEN MENTIONED THAT COME FROM THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS KICK IN IMMEDIATELY.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE PROPERTY TAX WHEN THE PROJECTS ARE COMPLETE, IEP ALSO IS NOT A 100% EXEMPTION.
SO THOSE PROPERTY TAXES, WHEN THE PROJECTS GO INTO SERVICE, COME TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UH, UPON STARTUP OF THOSE PROJECTS AS WELL.
SO I ASK FOR YOUR FAVORABLE SUPPORT.
WE HAVE MS. EVELYN WARE JACKSON, FOLLOWED BY EDGAR CAGE, FOLLOWED BY KEITH DAVENPORT.
HELLO, I'M EVELYN WARE, JACKSON, DISTRICT FIVE.
THE GUIDELINES FOR CONSIDERING IEP EXEMPTIONS WERE SET BY THE BOARD THROUGH A LONG AND CAREFUL PROCESS.
A FEW YEARS AGO, IT WAS SET SO THAT YOU COULD MAKE UNBIASED DECISIONS, EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER, EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER APPLICANTS THAT ARE YOUR FRIENDS.
THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR BACKUP FOR ALL IEP CONSIDERATIONS SO YOU CAN STAY TRUE TO THE STUDENTS OF THE DISTRICT AND TRUE TO THE PROCESS THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD TO MAKE YOUR JOB A LITTLE EASIER.
I'M SO PLEASED TO SEE EXXON CONTINUING TO BE ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND MAKING LONG NEEDED STEPS TO BE RESPONSIBLE IN RECYCLING.
BUT PLEASE LISTEN TO THE HUNDREDS OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS NEEDS.
EVERY STUDENT EVERY DAY, AND I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE STUDENTS IN THIS SYSTEM.
EXXONMOBIL HAS BEEN IN THE AREA OVER A HUNDRED YEARS.
THEY'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THESE EXEMPTIONS SINCE THE THIRTIES.
AND EACH OF THESE EXEMPTIONS, IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE PRESENTATIONS, EACH OF THESE EXEMPTIONS COME WITH THE PROMISE OF INCREASED REVENUE FOR THIS BOARD AND THE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES.
IF WE HAD RECEIVED THE REVENUE THAT HAD BEEN PROMISED, WE WOULD NOT BE IN A SITUATION WE'RE IN TODAY.
SO I ASK YOU TO LOOK FOR A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND GO BACK AND SEE IF THIS BOARD ACTUALLY RECEIVED WHAT YOU WILL PROMISED.
I GUARANTEE YOU THAT YOU WON'T.
SO EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, OCTOBER 19TH IS A DAY.
LET'S MAKE IT A DAY FOR THE STUDENT.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, KEITH, AND FORGIVE ME IF I'M SAYING THIS WRONG, UNDRIP PUNT.
I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERVISOR AT THE COMPLEX.
JUST WANNA REITERATE, THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED.
I SIT EVERY DAY TRYING TO LOBBY FOR 'EM TO, TO COME TO US.
WHAT I'LL SAY, I THINK LOUISIANA'S IN A TIME WHERE WE'RE COMPETING AMONGST A LOT OF STATES FOR, FOR INVESTMENT RIGHT NOW.
WE MAINTAIN INVESTMENTS TO KEEP, UH, THE TAX REVENUE GROWING IN THE FUTURE.
UM, FIGHTING EVERY DAY, RECRUITING KIDS FROM L S U RIGHT NOW, STUDENTS TO COME WORK FOR US.
THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE INNOVATION SUITE WE'RE PROPOSING.
UM, SO A LOT OF COMPETITION I'M SEEING EVERY DAY TRYING TO GET L S U STUDENTS TO STAY HOME AND STOP LEAVING THE STATE.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WE'RE WELL AWARE OF.
SO PLEASE APPROVE THE IEP, CONTINUE INVESTING HERE IN LOUISIANA AND BATON ROUGE IN PARTICULAR FOR, UH, FUTURE GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME.
AT THIS TIME, NOW, THAT IS THE LAST COMMENT CARD TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM.
UH, I WILL NOW READ THE COMMENT CARDS THAT SAID THEY DID NOT WISH TO SPEAK.
FIRST, WE HAVE DANELLA WASHINGTON, WHO OPPOSES AND SAYS, HOW CAN WE EXEMPT 5.9 MILLION WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN PAY OUR STAFF AND TEACHERS? THAT'S MONEY THAT CAN BE
[03:15:01]
USED FOR SALARIES AND RAISES, UH, AND STONE, UH, POLLS AND TRAPPY SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD ON IT.E P UM, JAMES PINOT, HE SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATION.
CHRIS BARKER SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATION.
KIM WALLET SUPPORTS EXXON ITIP.
IT SAID, DID NOT WISH TO SPEAK, BUT I, I WAS TOLD THAT YOU WANTED TO SPEAK, SO THAT'S FINE.
UH, I WORK IN OUR PROPERTY TAX DEPARTMENT.
THAT ALLOWS ME TO SEE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THIS, BECAUSE I'M THE ONE FILING THE RETURNS.
I SIGNED UP TO DO THAT OUTTA COLLEGE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
UM, SO WITH THAT, IT ALLOWS ME TO SEE WHAT OUR REVENUE HAS DONE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
SO, FROM 2016, WE PAID PROPERTY TAXES OF 33 MILLION.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE GONNA PAY 58 MILLION.
UH, 11 MILLION OF THAT IS YEAR OVER YEAR.
SO WE PAID 47 LAST YEAR, 58 THIS YEAR.
A PART OF THAT IS FROM, UH, A PAST IEP APPROVAL THAT, THAT YOU AWARDED US FOR OUR POLYPROPYLENE GROWTH PROJECT, WHICH ADDED IN A MILLION AND A HALF YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND THAT WILL CONTINUE FOR 10 YEARS.
AND THEN WHEN IT FALLS OFF, IT'S $4 MILLION A YEAR IN TAX REVENUE AFTER THAT.
SO, I, I SAY ALL THAT JUST TO LET THE BOARD KNOW THAT WE DO PAY OUR TAX, WE PAY A LOT OF TAX.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE DO COMPETE LIKE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE STATED WITH BAYTOWN AND BEAUMONT AND OUR OTHER FACILITIES.
SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A GIVEN.
WE COMPETE OUTSIDE THE COMPANY AS WELL AS WITHIN THE COMPANY.
UM, SHANE WILKINSON SUPPORTS THE, UH, ITEM.
I, SORRY, I CAN'T PRONOUNCE THAT LAST NAME 'CAUSE THE WRITING IS SO SMALL, BUT IT'S MR. FRANK IS WHAT I'LL SAY, UH, SUPPORTS THE ITEM GREAT.
FOR GREAT INVESTMENT FOR THE BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY.
TAYLOR WATSON SUPPORTS THIS ITEM, DARLYN PUGH.
I SUPPORT THIS REQUEST BECAUSE OF THE POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.
BRANDON SMITH SUPPORTS THIS ITEM.
LANE PETERSON SUPPORTS THIS ITEM, LANCE GLASPER.
I, I SUPPORT EXXON MOBIL'S ITIP, UH, APPLICATION.
MR. KEITH UNDER POINT HE SUPPORTS, BUT HE ALREADY SPOKE.
BARBARA BECKMANN SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATION.
TANISHA ELLIS SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATION.
JESSICA PARFAIT, UM, OPPOSES THE RECOMMENDATION.
NANETTE GRAY SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATION.
AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, I SUPPORT THE IEP FOR EXON FOR THEIR INNOVATION SUITE.
THE IMPACT OF NEW SPENDING HAS A POSITIVE RIPPLE EFFECT ON BUSINESSES LIKE MINE AND THE COMMUNITY OVERALL.
MEG MAHONEY ALSO SPOKE ALREADY, BUT ALSO PUT ANOTHER CARD IN IN SUPPORT OF THE RECOMMENDATION.
UM, HAYES JACKSON, UH, ALSO SPOKE ALREADY.
I AM NOT A, I AM A STUDENT, AND I THINK THAT THIS SHOULD BE OPPOSED BECAUSE IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR FELLOW STUDENTS.
AND HELEN JACKSON, UM, OPPOSES.
I OPPOSE THIS ITEM BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT A PLAYGROUND, BUT WE WERE TOLD THERE IS NO MONEY.
UM, AARON HENSON? YEAH, SHE CAN SPEAK.
I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE REVENUE THAT EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LOST TO I E P, SPECIFICALLY TO EXXON.
OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS, IT LOOKS LIKE FROM 2016 TO 2021, EXXON AVOIDED PAYING $156 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE OF ITEP EXEMPTIONS.
THAT MONEY COULD GO A LONG WAY.
[03:20:01]
THANK YOU.AT THIS TIME, NOW WE HAVE NO MORE COMMENT CARDS, BUT FOR THE RECORD, I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INSIGHTFUL, UH, INFORMATIVE, UM, COMMENT SECTION TONIGHT AS YOU GO.
WHO CAN SEE THIS IS THE BLOCK OF CARDS FROM EVERYONE WHO WANTED TO SPEAK ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
UH, WE WILL NOW COME TO OUR BOARD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, FIRST IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE MADAM VICE PRESIDENT, MS. CARLA POWELL.
BEFORE I START, I WANTED TO SAY, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SPOKE, UH, IN REGARDS TO THIS ITEM TONIGHT.
WHETHER YOU SPOKE IN FAVOR OR YOU SPOKE IN OPPOSITION, I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR STATEMENTS.
I I CAN'T SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I KNOW FOR SOME THAT THEY APPRECIATE THIS AS WELL.
UM, I WILL ASK MY COLLEAGUES FOR A BIT OF GRACE TONIGHT.
UM, I KNOW THAT USUALLY WHEN I PRESIDE, I, I DON'T, I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIMER.
I EVEN HAVE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES WHO WILL TAKE HIS FINGER, MR. RUSS, AND GO TELLING ME TO WRAP IT UP,
UM, AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I ASK FOR A BIT OF GRACE.
UH, FIRST THING I WANT TO ASK, UH, IF SOMEONE REPRESENTING EXXON WILL COME TO THE MIC AND, AND TELL US REALLY QUICKLY WITH WHAT YOU PRESENTED TO US, IF YOU COULD STATE IT ONCE AGAIN, WHETHER OR NOT THIS WILL AFFECT ANY JOBS, WILL THIS INCREASE ANY JOBS? WILL THIS AFFECT ANY JOBS? WE JUST, WE JUST WANNA REVISIT THAT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ROBUST CONVERSATION.
SO, I'M JENNIFER, I SPOKE EARLIER.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO, EXXONMOBIL AND BATON ROUGE IS ALWAYS HIRING.
LAST YEAR WE HIRED OVER 350 NEW EMPLOYEES.
WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT BECAUSE OUR WORKFORCE CONTINUES TO AGE AND RETIRE.
SO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE TO BRING IN NEW EMPLOYEES TO FEED THAT, UM, ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION.
WHAT WE'RE COMMITTING TO, IN ADDITION TO THAT, IS HIGHLIGHTING THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON OUR NORTH BATON ROUGE TRAINING INITIATIVE GRADUATES TO ALSO HIRE SOME OF THOSE DIRECT INTO NEW JOBS INTO THE, UM, FACILITY.
SO THE POSITIONS ARE THE SAME, BUT THE HIRING IS CONTINUING TO GROW.
AND AS LONG AS WE KEEP INVESTMENT COMING INTO THE FACILITY, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HIRE TO SUPPORT THOSE POSITIONS.
UM, THE NEXT, UH, I WANTED TO SHARE IS I GOT A CHANCE TO ASK THE PRINCIPALS IN MY AREA, WHAT WERE THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ITEM? AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM EXXON.
THEIR STATEMENTS WERE THAT THE BENEFITS THAT EXXON BRINGS TO THEIR SCHOOLS FOR THEIR TEACHERS, FOR THEIR STUDENTS, IS MUCH GREATER THAN THE TAX EXEMPTION THAT IS BEING ASKED.
SO, FIRST OF ALL, OR SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, I FORGOT TO SAY THIS.
MY NAME IS CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE, AND I AM A TEACHER WHO HAS BENEFITED FROM THE SUPPORT OF EXXON.
I HAVE SEEN STUDENTS RECEIVE THE SUPPORT FROM EXXON.
I HAVE SEEN STUDENTS GO ON TO GET JOBS AS A RESULT OF THE CONNECTIONS THAT THEY HAVE HAD AND THAT THEY HAVE BUILT, AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT THEY HAVE BUILT THROUGHOUT THEIR YEARS, SUPPORTED BY EXXON PROGRAMS. NOW, IF WE WANT TO SEE OUR STUDENTS GET A CHANCE TO HAVE EVEN MORE EXPERIENCES, THEN THAT MEANS THAT WE NEED TO CHALLENGE OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS STAFF TO CREATE EVEN MORE PARTNERSHIPS.
DISTRICT THREE, A PROPERTY TAXPAYER, A TEACHER AND A PARENT.
ASIDE FROM THAT, MY NEXT THOUGHT WAS, YOU KNOW, I'VE WATCHED RECYCLING PROGRAMS. I'VE, I'VE WATCHED US SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA COLLECT RECYCLING ITEMS, THAT WE'RE GONNA PUT 'EM IN A BIN, THAT WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND ADD TO WHATEVER KIND OF PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS.
BUT WHAT HAS BEEN SHOWN BY RESEARCH IS THAT WE DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE THINGS THAT WE SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA RECYCLE.
THE PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT, BROUGHT BY EXXON TODAY, GIVES IDEAS OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF WE ACTUALLY BEGIN TO WORK
[03:25:01]
TOWARDS RECYCLING.RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST BUILDING TWO LANDFILLS.
THIS COMPANY IS WILLING TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE COMMUNITY IN STATING THAT THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE SCHOOL BOARD'S ASSIGNMENT.
BUT WHAT WILL WE DO IN THE MEANTIME UNTIL WE TRANSITION THIS PARTICULAR I TIP IDEA TO BEING A CITY PARISH ASSIGNMENT? I'VE HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT, OH, WE MIGHT NOT LOSE THEM AS AN INDUSTRY.
WE MIGHT NOT LOSE THIS PROJECT.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE JOBS? SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE JOBS IN MY COMMUNITY? PEOPLE THRIVE OFF OF THE JOB THAT THEY HAVE WITH THESE INDUSTRIES.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THEY ACTUALLY LEAVE? WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED ANSWERS TO.
WE TALK ABOUT IN THE CASE THAT WE REJECT THIS TAX EXEMPTION, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH MORE MONEY TO OPERATE WITH.
WE HAVE WATCHED THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE HAD TO OPERATE WITH, NOT BE SPENT WISELY.
ARE WE REALLY AT A PLACE TO SAY WE WANT MORE MONEY THAT MAY NOT BE SPENT WISELY? IT'S LIKE SAYING, MY CHILD OR MY BROTHER, YOU KNOW, HE HAS WASTED HIS PAYCHECK.
HE SPENT, DIDN'T SPEND HIS MONEY WISELY.
OR AM I GOING TO HELP INVEST IN WAYS THAT I CAN? WE HAVE HEARD MANY TALK TONIGHT ABOUT WHAT COULD BE DONE WITH THE MONEY.
I CHALLENGE OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR STAFF THAT WHENEVER WE GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE MORE MONEY, THAT WE WOULD USE IT TOWARDS THOSE DIFFERENT INTERESTING AND UNIQUE PROJECTS.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE BEEN CHARGED TO REPRESENT, THOSE THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT AREN'T EVEN HALF.
MAYBE WE NEED TO SPEAK TO THEM.
MAYBE WE NEED TO SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HERE TONIGHT.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU FOR THOSE IN MY COMMUNITY, EXXON IS A FRIEND OF OURS.
IF WE WANT TO SEE EXXON'S PROGRAMMING IN MORE SCHOOLS AND WE WANNA SEE BETTER JOBS AND ALL OF THIS, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS.
UH, NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER, UH, MARK BALLOU.
UH, THIS IS A REAL, REALLY SIMPLE, UH, DECISION FOR ME.
I SUPPORT THE APPROVAL OF THE ITEP APPLICATION.
I THINK IT'S IN THE BEST LONG TERM FINANCIAL INTEREST FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
IT'LL EXPAND OUR TAX BASE, UH, IF IT GOES FORWARD BY, UH, THE PROPERTY TAX BASE BY 70, ROUGHLY $75 MILLION.
UM, AND THEN SINCE IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT TAX EXEMPTION, IT'S 80% EVEN, UH, THE FIRST YEAR, WE'LL SEE, UH, INCREASE IN TAX REVENUE IF THIS PROJECT GOES FORWARD.
UH, TO DO OTHERWISE WOULD JUST BE TO GAMBLE THAT MAYBE, UH, MAYBE THIS PROJECT WOULD STILL HAPPEN.
AND, AND, UH, THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT CALCULATIONS THAT WERE MADE WOULDN'T BE AFFECTED TOO MUCH, UH, WITHOUT IEP.
I, I KNOW THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
IT IT WOULD AFFECT THIS, UM, POTENTIAL PROJECT AND OPPORTUNITY, UH, AS WELL AS OTHERS IN THE FUTURE.
SO, UH, I, I'M NOT WILLING TO GAMBLE THAT AWAY.
AND I, I, I SUPPORT, UH, THIS PROPOSAL.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CLIFF LEWIS.
I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF TOO, UH, MARK.
CAN SOMEBODY FROM EXXON COME UP AND PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU ARE GOING TO PURCHASE
[03:30:02]
MATERIALS TO START IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FROM EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH VENDORS? SOMEBODY SAID EARLIER THAT WE WILL BE BUYING, THAT WE'LL BE PURCHASING ONE OF MY CONSTITUENTS,SO MUCH OF OUR PIPING AND OUR WIRE AND OUR INSULATION IS PURCHASED FROM VENDORS HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
AND THOSE ARE ALL PARTS OF THESE FACILITIES THAT COULD POTENTIALLY GO INTO OUR PLANT.
WE WILL BE SPENDING MONEY AND CREATING SALES TAX WITH THE THINGS THAT WE PURCHASE AND THAT OUR CONTRACTORS PURCHASE FOR US ON OUR BEHALF.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF NUMBERS THROWN AROUND TONIGHT.
WE'VE THROWN AROUND, UH, YOU KNOW, $5.9 MILLION, $370,000 A YEAR, TIMES 10 YEARS.
UM, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WELL, JUST, JUST FROM A HISTORICAL STANDPOINT, UH, THIS IS A WONDERFUL QUOTE BY JOHN BELL EDWARDS.
I WONDER IF THAT QUOTE WAS FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, OR WAS THAT FOR ANOTHER PROJECT? DON'T KNOW.
BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 2016 THAT A GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA DECIDED TO GIVE SCHOOL BOARD SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS, METRO COUNCIL, CITY COUNCILS, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL 'EM, THE RIGHT TO SAY YAY OR NAY FOR HALF A CENTURY OR MORE.
IT WAS A HUNDRED PERCENT BOTTOM LINE.
BUT JOHN BELL EDWARDS, I THINK HE SAW THE WRITING ON THE WALL.
HE KNEW THAT MUNICIPALITIES, SCHOOL BOARDS, PEOPLE LIKE THAT NEEDED TO HAVE A CHOICE BECAUSE THE EXEMPTIONS, OVER HALF A CENTURY OR MORE, WE LOST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SCHOOLS.
METRO COUNCILS, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
SO I THINK JOHN BELL EDWARDS WAS THROWING US A LIFELINE IN 16.
UM, IN 22, THERE WERE $5.9 MILLION IN EXEMPTIONS.
EXXON WAS THE GREATEST BENEFACTOR RECEIVING ABOUT 5 MILLION OF THOSE DOLLARS.
SOMEBODY MENTIONED EARLIER TONIGHT ABOUT TAKING AN OATH FOR THIS OFFICE.
I WAS ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT IEP A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
MY RESPONSE WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SIMPLE.
IF IT CREATES NEW JOBS, I CAN SUPPORT IT.
IT SAYS IN IN THEIR OWN STATEMENTS, IT DOES NOT CREATE NEW JOBS.
THERE'S GONNA BE SOME JOBS RETAINED.
BUT AS FAR AS NEW JOBS, NOWHERE IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT I SEE WHERE IT CREATES NEW JOBS, I'M, I'M, I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF MS. JACKSON COMING TO THE PODIUM, BRINGING TO MY REMEMBRANCE THE, UH, RESOLUTION IN 21.
THERE'S A RULE, THERE'S RULES THAT THE PREVIOUS BOARD PUT IN PLACE FOR US TO DEAL WITH OR REFER TO.
I WAS SITTING RIGHT OUT THERE THE NIGHT THAT ALL THAT TOOK PLACE.
WE HADN'T, WE HADN'T LOOKED AT IT.
AT LEAST I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT.
IN 2016, THERE WERE MORE THAN 121 MILLION EXEMPTIONS.
WE CANNOT, WE CANNOT BECOME A 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL.
WE CAN'T EVEN COME A 21ST CENTURY STATE IF WE CONTINUE WITH THE EDUCATION STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE IN LOUISIANA.
IF WE CONTINUE TO MISS THE MARK WITH OUR EDUCATION.
I JOINED THIS BOARD FOR ONE REASON, ONE REASON ONLY TO TRY TO IMPROVE THE STANDARD
[03:35:01]
OF EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN IN THIS DISTRICT.THAT'S WHY I'M SITTING UP HERE.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I JUST, I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS.
I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE MONEY AWAY THAT COULD BENEFIT OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR CHILDREN.
AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO COME IN SALES TAX AND PROPERTY TAX AND, AND ALL THAT STUFF.
BUT HISTORICALLY, PROPERTY TAXES IN LOUISIANA HAVE BEEN LOW ANYWAY, BECAUSE IN 1982, 40% OF THE STATE'S GENERAL FUND WAS IN OIL AND GAS.
AND IN 22, IT HAS SHRANK TO LESS THAN 4% OF OUR STATE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE THE LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS, A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS.
SO YOU GOT, WE GOT THIS WHOLE BIG BALL OF HISTORY WRAPPED AROUND ITEP AND HOW IT IMPACTS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND WHERE, AND HOW AND WHERE WE LIVE.
THANK YOU FOR THE GRACE, BUT I AM NOT SUPPORTING THIS ITEM.
UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE STILL HAVE, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON THIS ITEM, WE STILL HAVE TWO MORE ITEMS TO GET TO.
I'M GOING TO ASK NOW THAT, UH, WE EXTEND THIS MEETING OR THAT WE, UM, BECAUSE I HAD TO GET A MOTION THAT WE, UH, GET A MOTION TO EXTEND THIS MEETING.
UM, PAST 9:00 AM I'M SORRY, 9:00 PM IT MUST BE LATE.
BRAIN FRIED
NOW, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA BE HERE TILL NINE 30, HOWEVER, UH, WITH THE TIME BEING SO CLOSE, UH, WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT.
SO, UH, EXCUSE BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN SAYING IS AN AIR MAKE THE MOTION SECONDED BY, UH, MR. SHONEY STEWART.
IS THERE ANY COMMENT ON EXTENDED THE MEETING? ALL RIGHT.
SCENE, NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE TO EXTEND THE MEETING AT THIS TIME.
NOW, I WOULD GO TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IF THERE'S ANYBODY WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON US, EXTENDING THE MEETING SO WE CAN GET TO ALL OF OUR ITEMS. OKAY.
JUST REAL QUICK, WILL THE, UM, THE TIME LIMITS FOR, UH, COMMENT, UM, REMAIN IN PLACE SINCE WE'RE EXTENDING THE MEETING? YES.
JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, GET EVERYBODY OUT ON TIME.
'CAUSE WE HAVE TO HIT THAT NINE 30, UH, UH, MARK.
OTHERWISE WE WOULD'VE TO EXPEND
AND I THINK NOBODY WANTS TO DO THAT TONIGHT.
SO AGAIN, UH, IF THERE'S NOT ANY OTHER OPPOSITION, AGAIN, WE WENT TO THE BOARD.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
AND THIS IS TO EXTEND THE MEETING, UH, PAST NINE O'CLOCK TO NINE 30.
AND IT HAS TO BE, UH, UNANIMOUS VOTE, BY THE WAY.
SO EVERYONE WOULD HAVE TO VOTE YES IN ORDER FOR US TO DO SO.
WHERE DOES IT, IS IT A ROLL CALL OR WHERE DOES IT COME? NO, IT'S, IT SHOULD COME ON YOUR COMPUTER.
UH, COMING BACK TO THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
UM, UH, I AGREE WITH, UH, EVERYTHING THAT MY CARLA, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL LEWIS, SAID, I, I ALSO WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO SPOKE SO PASSIONATELY THIS EVENING.
UH, PARTICULARLY OUR STUDENTS WHO CAME AND DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB, AS THEY ALMOST ALWAYS DO WHEN THEY TESTIFY TO US.
I, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS ITEM OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS.
I THINK LISTENING TO ALL THE CONVERSATION TONIGHT, I I, I, I DISAGREE WITH THE, A LOT OF THE CHARACTERIZATION THAT WAS BROUGHT OUT TONIGHT WAS THIS WAS EITHER A VOTE FOR THE BIG CORPORATION OR A VOTE FOR OUR KIDS.
AND I, I DISAGREE WITH THAT, THAT CHARACTERIZATION, BECAUSE I'M UP HERE TO SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN.
I THINK IT, IT, IT'S ALMOST A PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUE IS, IS DO YOU LOOK AT THIS AS REVENUE LOST OR REVENUE GAINED? AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, THAT EXXONMOBIL WILL MAKE THIS INVESTMENT, THAT THE, UM, THAT THE CORPORATE LEVEL PEOPLE THAT DECIDE THESE, THAT MAKE THESE DECISIONS IN, IN OTHER HEADQUARTERS FAR AWAY FROM US, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD, WOULD SEND THIS PLANT HERE NO MATTER WHAT, THEN, THEN, THEN IT'S REVENUE LOST.
RIGHT? WE OUGHT TO STICK IT TO 'EM.
IF, HOWEVER, YOU BELIEVE THAT THESE CORPORATE, UM, UH, DECISION MAKERS
[03:40:01]
HAVE EXXONMOBIL SHAREHOLDERS BOTTOM LINE IN FINANCIAL INTEREST AT THE FOREMOST OF THEIR MIND, AND THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS DRIVEN BY THOSE FACTORS, THEN, THEN, THEN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MOVE AND MAKE THIS INVESTMENT HERE WITHOUT THE KIND OF INCENTIVES THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING OFFERED.AND, AND IN WHICH CASE, APPROVING THIS IS REVENUE GAINED, WE IMMEDIATELY GET THE 20%, UH, SHARE OF THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT'S NOT COVERED BY THE EXEMPTION.
WE GET THE SALES TAX REVENUE THAT COMES FROM THE CONSTRUCTION PURCHASES AND SO FORTH.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN THE SUGGESTION THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, EXXONMOBIL HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY HERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE OF THE RIVER, BECAUSE OF, OF, OF WHATEVER.
BECAUSE WE'RE WILLING TO TOLERATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS TYPE OF INDUSTRY IN THE AREA.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE, THE, THE PEOPLE IN DETROIT FELT PRETTY SECURE THAT THE AUTO INDUSTRY WAS THERE FOREVER AND IT WASN'T.
AND, AND, AND BUSINESSES THAT DON'T GROW, THAT DON'T EXPAND, THAT DON'T MOVE INTO NEW MARKETS LIKE THIS REALLY AMAZING ADVANCED MOLECULAR RECYCLING PROGRAM ARE BUSINESSES THAT DIE.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE THAT A VOTE FOR THIS IEP EXEMPTION IS A VOTE FOR THE FUTURE, IS A VOTE THAT'S IN THE BEST SENSE OF INTEREST OF OUR CHILDREN.
AND THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT THIS.
UM, THAT'S THE NAME, LAST NAME.
I'LL ENTER THE QUEUE REALLY QUICK.
I, WHAT I WILL SAY IS, IS THAT IT'S NOT ANYONE'S JOB ON OUR BOARD TO TELL SOMEBODY HOW TO VOTE.
UH, EVERYBODY'S GONNA VOTE IN THEIR OWN, AT THEIR OWN, IN THEIR OWN INTEREST.
AND IT ALSO, UH, I THINK THE INTEREST IS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY FALL.
UM, WHAT I WOULD ALSO SAY IS THAT, UM, I HAVE STOOD ON BOTH SIDES.
WHEN I FIRST GOT ON THE BOARD IN 2019, I VOTED AGAINST THE, UH, EXEMPTION FOR EXXON, BUT I ALSO CHALLENGED THEM TOO.
I DIDN'T JUST SAY, I'M GONNA VOTE NO.
AND I WANT YOU ALL TO SHOW AN INVESTMENT THAT YOU'RE GONNA MAKE INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
COME FIVE YEARS LATER, THEY HAVE, UH, NOT ONLY MADE INVESTMENTS THIS YEAR, THEY HAVE MADE CONTINUOUS INVESTMENTS.
UH, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS, THOUGH.
LOUISIANA IS 50TH IN THE NATION.
WE ARE 49TH IN INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE ARE 49TH IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND WE ARE 48TH IN OPPORTUNITY.
EVERYTHING WE HEAR TONIGHT IS ABOUT KIDS LEAVING.
'CAUSE THERE'S NO OPPORTUNITY, THERE'S NO JOBS.
WHEN YOU COME TO NORTH BATON ROUGE, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE GROCERY STORES.
ALL YOU HAVE IS FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS.
AND YOU CAN'T GET ANY OF THOSE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES TO STAY THERE BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN A SUSTAINABLE ENOUGH, UH, UH, INCOME BASE TO KEEP THEM THERE.
AT SOME POINT, YOU HAVE TO INVEST SOMEWHERE.
AGAIN, I CAN'T TELL ANYBODY HOW TO VOTE, BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO INVEST AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO DO SO BATON ROUGE IN THE CAPITAL REGION IS 25 YEARS UNDERDEVELOPED BEHIND THE NEXT CAPITAL CITY, WHICH WOULD BE JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.
AND THAT'S NO KNOCK TO JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.
BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME THINGS.
UH, WE HAVE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND WE HAVE TO BE SMARTER AND WISE ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN TERMS OF THE WAY WE SPEND OUR DOLLARS.
MADAM SECRETARY, SEEING NO OTHER NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
JUST A, A REMINDER, I BELIEVE MR. MARTIN KNOWS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE ITEM FOR CLARIFICATION.
MY MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE I THE IEP EXEMPTION.
'CAUSE IT SAID DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION.
SO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW IS TO APPROVE THE ITEM ON THE FLOOR.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE.
[I.1. Grant: Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration]
ITEM I ONE GRANTS FOSTERING DIVERSE SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATION CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOSTERING DIVERSE SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATION GRANT.UH, PROJECT SEEDS SCHOOLS EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ECONOMIC DIVERSITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,214,698.
UH, PLEASE, AS YOU ALL ARE EXITING NOW, WE ASK YOU PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL.
THERE'S STILL A MEETING GOING ON.
[03:45:01]
QUIETLY OR AS QUIETLY AS YOU CAN.UM, PROJECT SEED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT THROUGH ECONOMIC DIVERSITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,214,698 TO INCREASE ACCESS AND EQUITY AND DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AT TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY, GLASGOW MIDDLE, AND BROUGHT MORE HIGH SCHOOL AND RELATED MATTERS.
CAN I GET A MOTION MOVED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODES, SECONDED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
UH, WE FIRST COME TO OUR BOARD FOR COMMENT, SEEING NO NAMES INSIDE THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
OH, WE GOT SCOOP AND MARK BALLOU, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
UH, THEY MENTION THEY WERE GONNA, UM, DISCUSS THIS GRANT AND AS FAR AS HOW IT WAS GONNA BE SPENT, YES.
THEY BROKE DOWN EACH SCHOOL, AS THEY SAID, EACH SCHOOL IS GONNA GET AN ALLOCATION.
SO IT'S ONLY GOING TO THREE SCHOOLS OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS.
FIVE YEARS OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS.
AND IT'S ALSO INSIDE OF THE BACKUP DOC DOCUMENTATION IN CASE ANYBODY NEEDS TO SEE THE FULL BREAKDOWN.
NEXT IN THE QUEUE, WE HAVE SCHOOL MEMBER PATRICK MARTIN.
JUST VERY QUICKLY ARE, ARE THERE ANY KINDA MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS? THIS IS JUST $13 MILLION TO BENEFIT OUR KIDS? THAT IS CORRECT.
THAT, THAT, THAT'S HARD TO OPPOSE
UM, THAT'S ALL THE NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
I'LL JUST ASK REALLY QUICKLY, UH, CAN WE TAKE THE CHECK TO THE BANK AND CASH IT? WE'LL FOLLOW ALL LEGAL PROCEDURES.
SEND ALL THE NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
WE'LL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
SEEING NO CUE CARDS FOR THIS ITEM, WE COME BACK TO, UM, OUR BOARD SCHOOL MEMBER.
I KNOW IT'S LATE, BUT I JUST WANT TO, UH, GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE STAFF AND FACULTY AND EVERYTHING AT THESE SCHOOLS AND THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, UH, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY PUT IN.
YOU KNOW, THESE GRANTS JUST DON'T HAPPEN.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, WE HAVE BECOME MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE IN PURSUING THESE GRANTS AND, AND QUALIFYING FOR THEM.
KUDOS FOR OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OTHERS FOR DOING THIS, BECAUSE THAT'S $13 MILLION THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE YESTERDAY.
AND, UH, I JUST DIDN'T WANT THAT TO GO BY WITHOUT, UH, NOTE OF APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WENT INTO GETTING THIS.
AND I'LL JUST, UH, CONCUR TO THAT.
UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS GET A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HERE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE HOT BUTTON ISSUES, BUT WHEN THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE THIS, AGAIN, $13 MILLION, NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT.
YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE WE GET MORE PEOPLE THAT WOULD GIVE SOME PRAISE TO THAT AND BE WILLING TO SPEAK TO THAT.
SO, UH, KUDOS TO THE DISTRICT.
UH, THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE TEAM.
13 MAYORS IS GONNA GO A LONG WAY FOR THOSE SCHOOLS AND, UH, LET'S JUST KEEP PUTTING OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD.
UM, SEEING ALL THE NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
UH, AT THIS TIME NOW WE'LL GO TO OUR LAST VULNERABLE ITEM OF THE NIGHT.
WHAT'D YOU SAY, COACH? HOT DOG.
[I.4. Litigation (Part 1 of 2)]
THIS IS ITEM I FOUR.UH, LITIGATION DISCUSSION SLASH CONSIDERATION OF THE ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF AN OFFER OF A SETTLEMENT IN THE CASE OF SINGLETON KEY KS, NEIMAN NIMAN AND, UH, FEENEY VERSUS THE EASTBOUND RIDGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD SUITE NUM, SUITE NUMBER C 7 9 7 1 9 5 7.
DIVISION 30, UH, 19TH, J D C TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.
CAN I GET A MOTION? CAN I HAVE A YES SIR.
UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO ASK OUR CHIEF COUNSEL, UH, IS IT REQUIRED THAT WE DO A, UH, PASS ANY KIND OF A MOTION ON THIS? OR IS, UH, NON-ACTION ACCEPTABLE? ANO, THERE COULD BE A NON-ACTION.
IF THERE'S A MOTION AND NO SECOND, THEN THERE WOULD BE THE ITEM FAILS.
BUT WE'RE NOT REQUIRED BY THE COURT TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER.
THIS IS AN OFFER AND WE CAN JUST, I, I MISUNDERSTOOD YOUR QUESTION.
WE'RE NOT REQUIRED BY THE COURT TO, UH, YES, SIR.
SO HAS ANYONE MADE A MOTION YET? NO, THERE'S NO MOTION ON THE FLOOR, BUT THE, UH, MOTION WAS OFFERED.
SO ANYBODY CAN MAKE THE MOTION.
[03:50:01]
MOVE TO DEFER THIS TO LATER TO, UH, UNDETERMINED DATE.IS THERE A SEC? WAIT ONE SECOND.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO A DATE.
ONE SECOND BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL GODES, SECONDED BY A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, PATRICK MARTIN.
SO THAT'S WHAT'S ON THE FLOOR AT THIS TIME.
UM, I'LL NOW COME TO OUR BOARD TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
ALRIGHT, I SEE SCUBA NOT ON THAT.
SO I SEE SCUBA MEMBER MICHAEL GOEY.
ALRIGHT, WE COME BACK TO THE PUBLIC ON THE ITEM AND UH, SEE THAT WE HAVE MS. EVELYN WEAR JACKSON.
WAS HE NICE ON THE SUBSTITUTE? 'CAUSE HE DID A SUBSTITUTE.
'CAUSE NOBODY NEVER MADE A MOTION.
SO HE MADE THE ORIGINAL MOTION AND HE MADE THE SECOND.
SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A SUBSTITUTE, YOU CAN.
IT'S THE FLOOR IS STILL OPEN TO DO SO AT THIS TIME, NOW WE'RE GOING TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
MS. EVELYN, WE, JACKSON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
IT SOMEHOW DOESN'T SURPRISE ME, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REALLY KNOW THE, UM, THE LEVITY OF ALL OF THIS.
UM, YOU HAVE SOMETHING BEFORE YOU, AN OFFER THAT SIMPLY SAYS EITHER, YOU KNOW, ACCEPT THAT 11 MEMBER, WHICH WE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DO NOT WANT.
UM, PERSONALLY, IF I HAD HAD THAT NINE MEMBER PLAN THAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU ALL AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING IN TIME TO PRESENT IT TO THE BOARD, I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY DONE THAT.
BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY, THE, THE ONLY PLAN THAT WAS ON THE TABLE THAT DIDN'T SPLIT PRECINCTS OR BREAK THE LAW WAS THAT, THAT 11.
AND UM, YOU KNOW, I KNEW PERSONALLY THAT THAT WAS NOT GOING TO FLY.
BUT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE AVAILABLE HAD WE HAD THAT NINE MEMBER THAT YOU ALL HAVE IN YOUR HANDS.
NOW, THAT DOES NOT BREAK THE LAW.
THAT REFLECTS THE DISTRICT THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD BE REFLECTS THE SEATS THE WAY THAT THEY SHOULD BE ON THE BOARD.
NOTHING ELSE BUT ABOUT GOVERNMENT AND PROPER REPRESENTATION.
ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS DATA, THE PLAN THAT YOU WOULD BE PUSHING FORWARD, THAT ILLEGAL PLAN 22, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY JUST KEEP FLYING FORWARD AND, UH, JUST KEEP SPENDING ATTORNEY FEES.
WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN YOUR HANDS THAT PROVES THAT YOU CAN DO THE RIGHT THING, THAT YOU CAN OBEY THE LAW.
I SEE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER IN PUSHING THIS DOWN THE ROAD.
NO ACTION WOULD BE TO SAY, WELL WE, WE WANNA FIGHT FOR THIS PLAN 22.
THAT IS TOTALLY, THAT TOTALLY MISREPRESENTS THE PEOPLE IN THIS DISTRICT.
SO I URGE YOU NOT TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
PLEASE ACCEPT THE, ACCEPT THE OFFER AND GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO A NINE MEMBER, TAKE MY NAME OFF IT, MAKE IT YOUR OWN.
UM, SEEING NO OTHER COMMENT COST AT THIS TIME, WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
MR. SHONEY STEWART, I WANNA DO A, I WANNA, I'M SORRY.
WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE JUST WALKED IN.
I DID HAVE YOUR CARD, BUT I PUT IT IN HERE WHEN YOU GAVE IT TO ME.
AGAIN, BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE A PARISH AS A WHOLE THAT IS MORE THAN MAJORITY AFRICAN AMERICAN.
WE HAVE A CITY THAT THIS SCHOOL BOARD SERVICES, 'CAUSE YOU DON'T SERVE AS ZACHARY CENTRAL AND BAKER, YOU SERVE SERVICE MAJORITY.
THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE OUTSIDE OF WHERE THE STUDENTS FROM NORTHEAST COMES FROM THAT IS MORE THAN 80% AFRICAN AMERICAN.
WE SHOULD HAVE A BOARD THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS.
WE HAVE A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT IS MORE THAN 80% AFRICAN AMERICAN.
THAT'S HOW, THAT'S THAT, THAT, THAT'S OUR BABIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WE SHOULD HAVE A SCHOOL BOARD THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THOSE NUMBERS.
WE SHOULD NOT HAVE WHEN, WHEN WE RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD SEATS.
YOU, YOU ALL KNOW THE HASSLE OF HOW BIG THESE
[03:55:01]
DISTRICTS ARE.YOU CANNOT SERVICE SO MANY CHILDREN AND DO IT WITH FIDELITY.
NEXT WE HAVE MS. KATHY CARMICHAEL, FOLLOWED BY MS. HANNAH ROSO, FOLLOWED BY MS. MARIA HARMON.
KATHY CARMICHAEL, A RESIDENT OF E B R SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT SEVEN.
I HAVE THREE CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, CONCUR WITH MY COLLEAGUE EVELYN WARE.
LET'S NOT DELAY, LET'S SETTLE.
LET'S NOT ADOPT AN ILLEGAL MAP.
HOW MANY MEETINGS ARE WE GOING TO WASTE OUR PRECIOUS TIME AND OUR TAXPAYERS ON THIS TOPIC? WHY WOULD WE DELAY TO AN UNKNOWN DATE? LET'S FIND A MAP THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
LET'S SET A WHOLE MEETING AND DO THAT.
BUT I'M TIRED OF TALKING ABOUT IT AND THERE'S REALLY NO REASON FOR YOU TO DELAY IT.
SO I WOULD PROPOSE THAT QUESTION.
I KNOW WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS, BUT WHY WOULD WE DELAY? WHAT'S THE REASON? THAT'S MY QUESTION.
THIS IS A VERY, VERY SERIOUS MATTER.
HI, UH, HANNAH MOROSO, ALSO A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
UM, I AM HERE ASKING YOU TO NOT DELAY THIS VOTE.
WE NEED A, WE NEED A MAP THAT'S REFLECTIVE AND FAIR, PERIOD.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.
UH, PLEASE DO NOT, PLEASE DO NOT DELAY.
UH, MARIA HARMON REPRESENTING STEP UP, LOUISIANA IN THE BATON ROUGE AND AACP.
AND I'M A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT SIX.
AND, UH, JUST ENCOURAGING Y'ALL TO NOT KICK THIS DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, MAKE A DECISION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
PLEASE HANDLE THE BUSINESS THAT WE NEED AND ENTRUST Y'ALL TO DO AS THIS BOARD.
UH, FOR FAR TOO LONG, BLACK VOTERS HAVE BEEN DISENFRANCHISED, HAVE HAD THEIR VOICES LIMITED, UH, DUE TO CONSTRAINTS, UH, AND REMNANTS OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT ANYBODY SERVING ON THIS BOARD IS A RACIST OR A WHITE SUPREMACIST.
WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS A POWER STRUCTURE AND A CONCEPT THAT WE HAVE TO BE HONEST, THAT WE LIVE WITH EVERY DAY IN OUR SOCIETY.
AND HOW THESE LINES ARE DRAWN IS A CLEAR INDICATION OF THAT IT'S TIME TO HANDLE BUSINESS.
IT'S TIME BECAUSE OUR CONSTITUENTS DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO WAIT.
WE HAVE BEEN WAITING LONG ENOUGH.
I MEAN, WE'RE DEALING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT HAS HAD THE LONGEST DESEG ORDER IN THE COUNTRY.
SO IT'S TIME TO HANDLE BUSINESS.
UH, NEXT WE HAVE MS. FAIRY JACKSON.
I APOLOGIZE FOR THE, UM, MARKER, UH, WRITTEN ON THE, ON THE COMMENT CARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M HERE AGAIN.
UM, AND THIS IS JUST GONNA KEEP GOING.
AND LAST TIME I DEFINITELY SUPPORTED Y'ALL DEFERRING THIS, BUT, UM, IT'S JUST GETTING TO A POINT WHERE WE'RE PAYING AN ATTORNEY TO SIT HERE FOR HOURS ON END.
UM, THAT'S HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS.
SO WE NEED TO STOP DOING THAT.
AND WE NEED TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GIVEN AWAY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TONIGHT.
LET'S STOP GIVING IT TO ATTORNEYS.
THE BUSINESS OF THIS BOARD IS TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FAIR MAP, DEAL WITH IT.
PLEASE, YOU HAVE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE THIS.
UM, SEEING NO OTHER CUE CARDS AT THIS TIME, WE WILL NOW COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
MR. SHONEY STEWART, YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE.
Q UM, I WOULD LIKE TO DO A SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THE SETTLEMENT OFFER ON THIS LITIGATION.
CAN I OFFER A FRIENDLY, YEAH, A FRIENDLY I WOULD OFFER THE FRIENDLY WOULD BE, UH, THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS.
CAN'T WE GOTTA GET A SECOND THAT, THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE MOTION A SECOND.
AND OVER THE BOARD, RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE HAVE A SECOND ON THE FLOOR.
THE MOTION WAS MADE BY MR. SHONEY STEWART.
LEWIS, VICE PRESIDENT CARLA POWELL LEWIS.
SO, ALRIGHT, SO, UH, WE COME BACK TO OUR BOARD FOR COMMENT,
[04:00:01]
SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME WE WILL GO TO THE PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.IS THERE ANYONE SPEAK ON IT? YOU CAN COME ON.
SO LOOK, EVEN AS LONG AS WE GET THE CARDS BEFORE YOU LEAVE OR BEFORE WE GET OFF THE ITEM, YOU'RE FINE.
SO MR. ROBINSON, THIS IS TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE MATTER.
BOARD PRESIDENT LANE IS FOR, UM, THE FRIENDLY MOTION THAT YOU MAKE.
FIRST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR MOTION BECAUSE WE, YOU GUYS CANNOT CONTINUE TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT THE VOTER RIGHTS ACT, YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THIS IS WRONG, RIGHT? IS RIGHT WRONG IS STILL WRONG.
SO THANK YOU, UH, BOARD MEMBER STEWART AND THANK YOU PRESIDENT ELIS FOR OFFERING TO TAKE THIS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS HAVE, HOPEFULLY THIS PASSES AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS HAVE A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION WHERE YOU ACTUALLY SEEK TO LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER AND EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WELL.
YOU'RE NOT LISTENING JUST TO REBUTTAL, BUT LISTENING TO WHERE THERE'S A SOLUTION THAT IS RIGHT.
JUST AND FAIR AND DON'T, DON'T JUST THINK OF THIS AS A MORAL THING.
THINK OF IT AS YOU'RE DOING WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES YOU TO DO.
UM, MS. FARLEY JACKSON, YOU CAN COME UP FOLLOWED BY MS. KATHY CARMICHAEL, MS. ARM, OMAROSA, YOU SPEAKING AGAIN? OKAY.
AND THAT'LL BE MS. UH, MAD MISS, UH, ME, UH, PATTY, POINT OF ORDER.
I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WE'RE ON A NINE 30 CLOCK.
SO IF WE DON'T GET THIS, THERE IS NO VOTE THAT HAPPENS AT NINE 30.
RIGHT? AND WE'RE AWARE YOU DIDN'T WANNA DEAL WITH IT ANYWAY.
SO, UM, I THINK ABSOLUTELY GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, BUT I THINK YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I MEAN THIS IS KIND OF, I THINK THERE'S A MOTION ON THE TABLE.
SO I JUST WANT TO CAUTION THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE CHANGED AGENDAS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WITHOUT PUBLIC COMMENTS.
SO I JUST REALLY WANT US TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING THE LAW AND THE RULES HERE, WHICH WE DIDN'T DO WITH THE MAP.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE WILL HAVE, UH, COUNSEL IN EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH US TO ENSURE THAT ALL LEGAL MATTERS ARE HANDLED IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER AND PROPER MANNER.
UH, MS. CAPTAIN CARMICHAEL, YOU'RE NEXT, FOLLOWED BY MS. UH PATTY.
I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BOARD AND YOU WERE NOT HERE DURING THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS, BUT UH, IT WAS VERY LENGTHY.
THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU CAN GO BACK AND WATCH THE YOUTUBE.
ALL OF THE MAPS, ALL 14 OF THEM WERE ON DISPLAY AT THE LIBRARY.
ALL 14 OF THEM WERE PUBLISHED IN THE NEWSPAPER.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE GOT UP AT THE MICROPHONE.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MADE PUBLIC COMMENT AGAINST AN UNFAIR OR FOR A FAIR MAP.
AND FIVE PEOPLE VOTED FOR THAT MAP.
22 AND FOUR PEOPLE DIDN'T FROM THE OLD SCHOOL BOARD.
SO I'M JUST GIVING EVERYBODY A REMINDER OF HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, YOUR VOTERS SPENT TRYING TO VOICE THE NEED FOR A FAIR MAP REPRESENTING OUR DISTRICTS.
I LIKE TO SAY WHAT YOU SAID IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THANK YOU FOR THIS.
LEGALLY WE NEED TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE FOR LEGALLY AND YOU NEED TO LEGALLY REPRESENT THESE STUDENTS.
AND THAT DOES NOT MEAN TO GO BACK TO GERRYMANDERING.
GERRYMANDERING IS USED WHEN PEOPLE CAN OUTCAST WHO THEY WANT TO AND DRAW A LINE WHERE THEY WANT TO DRAW A LINE TO ELIMINATE PEOPLE THAT THEY WANT TO ELIMINATE.
AND IT IS UNFAIR TO HAVE A DISTRICT THAT CONSISTS OF ONE RACE.
NOW WE MUST TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT REDISTRICTING IS ABOUT.
LET'S DO WHAT IT IS CALLED FOR.
LET'S MAKE E B R BETTER THAN WHAT IT IS.
YOU'VE BEEN WORKING TO DO A LOT OF THINGS.
LET'S CONTINUE TO WORK LIKE YOU ARE UNIFIED FOR THE SYSTEM AND FOR THESE STUDENTS.
AND IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO IT, YOU NEED TO GET OFF THE BOARD.
SEEING NO OTHER Q CAUSE AT THIS TIME WE WILL NOW COME BACK TO OUR BOARD.
GIVE ANY BOARD MEMBER A MOMENT IF THEY WANTED TO SPEAK ON THIS MATTER BEFORE WE VOTE ON IT.
SEEING NO NAMES IN THE QUEUE MATTER.
SECRETARY BEFORE YOU, BEFORE I CALL FOR THE VOTE, I'M JUST GONNA REMIND US THIS IS TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I WILL MARK THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR FIVE MINUTES TOPS.
'CAUSE WE'D HAVE TO GET BACK OUT HERE AND HAVE THE DISCUSSION AND THEN VOTE ON IT AGAIN.
THIS IS NOT TO, UH, TO VOTE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ONLY TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AMONGST THE BOARD.
SO THAT'S WHO WE'RE VOTING ON.
MADAME SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE PLEASE VOTE.
[04:05:14]
MOTION CARRIES.[Additional Item 2]
OKAY.WE'RE GONNA ENTER INTO A FIVE MINUTE EXECUTIVE SESSION WHERE WE'LL BE OUT SHORTLY.
THE TIME WILL BE, UH, 9 23 WHEN WE COME BACK.
[I.4. Litigation (Part 2 of 2)]
WAS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WAS PUT INTO MOTION BY MR. SHONEY STEWART.WE HAVE NOW CONCLUDED THAT WE COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
THE ORIGINAL MOTION IS ON THE FLOOR TO, UH, WE, WE ACTUALLY NEED, I BELIEVE WE NEED AN ORIGINAL MO.
WE NEED THE NEW MOTION BECAUSE SUBSTITUTE MOTION REPLACED THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
SO WE NEED SOMEONE TO MAKE A NEW MOTION AS TO THE STEP, RIGHT, AS TO THE ITEM ITSELF.
WAS THAT THE MOTION YOU WAS TELLING ME THE MOTIONS? YES.
SO, UM, YOU SAID IT I DON'T REMEMBER LIKE, SO NO.
OKAY, SO I CAN'T GO INTO DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE SESSION, BUT I WILL SAY, I WAS TRYING TO NOT SAY IT, BUT IT'S OKAY IF YOU DEFER OR IF YOU OFFER A MOTION TO DEFER THIS ITEM WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION AND THE BOARD ACCEPTS IT, SOMEONE CAN BRING AN ITEM AT THE NEXT MONTH'S BOARD MEETING TO ADDRESS THIS, UH, TO ADDRESS THIS PARTICULAR ACTION IN A NEW FASHION.
SO THAT'S ABOUT ALL I CAN SAY.
I CAN COUNSEL PLEASE
MR. MARTIN HAS MADE A MOTION TO THAT'S CORRECT.
DEFER THE ITEM TO AN UNDETERMINED TIME.
AND YOU NEED A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION.
AND THAT'S ON THE CURRENT LITIGATION? THAT IS ON THE FLOOR.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THE CURRENT ITEM ON THAT'S CORRECT.
YOU MIGHT AN UNDETERMINED TIME.
TO DEFER TO AN UNDE UNDETERMINED.
AND WE HAVE A SECOND BY MR. MICHAEL GODDE.
NOW FOR THE RECORD, LEMME SAY THIS AGAIN FOR JUST FOR ABSOLUTE CLARITY.
THIS IS FOR THE LITIGATION THAT IS CURRENTLY ON THE FLOOR TO MOVE WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION TO A DATE UNCERTAIN.
HOWEVER, IF ANY BOARD MEMBER SEES FIT TO BRING THE MOTION OR BRING A NEW MOTION TO ADDRESS REDISTRICTING, THEY CAN NEXT MONTH AT THE COW.
SO THAT'S MAKE, SO THAT'S CLEAR.
THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS TO MOVE THE ITEM THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LITIGATION TO, UH, TO MOVE IT WITHOUT A VOTE, TO A DATE UNCERTAIN.
HOWEVER, ANY BOARD MEMBER CAN BRING A NEW ACTION ITEM TO ADDRESS REDISTRICTING WITH FULL BOARD SUPPORT.
OKAY THEN TIME IS NOW NINE 30.
MADAM SECRETARY, I'M SORRY, WE HAVE TO GO TO THE BOARD FOR, UH, FOR BOARD COMMENT.
MR. NATHAN RUSH SAID HE'S GOOD.
UH, WE COME BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS? OKAY.
AND ANYBODY B, B B COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
THERE'S NO BOARD NAMES INSIDE OF THE QUEUE.
ANYONE THAT WANTS TO DISCUSS THIS WITH BOARD MEMBERS AFTER THE MEETING, YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY HAVE THAT OPTION.
I PROMISE IT'LL BE FULLY EXPLAINED TO YOU.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE, PLEASE VOTE.
[J.1. Announcement of Meetings]
ITEM UP IS ITEM J.ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS NUMBER ONE, ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN AND LEARN TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 24TH, 2023 FROM FIVE 30 TO SEVEN.
PETE, 7:00 PM I'M SORRY, MISS SHALAN, YOU SUPPOSED TO READ THIS.
SEE THAT? JUST SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU.
UH, AT UH, BEL AIR HIGH SCHOOL TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN AND LEARN TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 1ST, 2023 AT FIVE 30 UNTIL 7:00 PM AT WILLAN HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 2ND, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN CENTRAL OFFICE TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN AND LEARN TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 6TH, 2023.
UH, FIVE 30 TO 7:00 PM AT GLASGOW MIDDLE SCHOOL TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN AND LEARN TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 9TH, 2023 FROM FIVE 30 TO 7:00 PM AT CAPITAL MIDDLE SCHOOL TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN AND LEARN TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023.
FIVE 30 TO 7:00 PM AT JEFFERSON TERRACE ACADEMY TOWN HALL MEETING.
LISTEN TO LEARN TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 15TH FROM FIVE 30 TO 7:00 PM AT SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, REGULAR BOARD MEETING TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 16TH, 2023 AT 5:00 PM IN A CENTRAL OFFICE.