PARISH OF DESOTO

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Mansfield, Louisiana

January 7, 2021

The DeSoto Parish School Board met in regular session at the DeSoto Parish School Board Instructional Materials Center, 523 Oxford Road, Mansfield, Louisiana, on Thursday, January 7, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. with the following members present:

Dudley M. Glenn, Dr. Neil Henderson, Jeffrey Dillard, Donald B. Dufour, Alice Thomas, Coday Johnston, Dale Morvan, Bobby Boyd, Rosie Mayweather., and Clay Corley, Superintendent.

            Absent: Thomas Craig, Jr., and Mark Ross

            Judge Amy Burford McCartney, of the Forty-Second Judicial District Court, administered the Oath of Office to District 11 Board Member Rosie Mayweather preceding the Board meeting.

            Prior to the Board meeting, Dr. Gwile Freeman of Taylor and Sons Insurance, presented Superintendent Corley with a plaque for being named 2021 Region VII Superintendent of the Year.

            Item 1:  Call to order

            President Boyd called the meeting to order.  Mr. Corley and Board Members asked to please remember those with health issues, along with families who have lost loved ones.  Ms. Thomas led the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

            Item 2:  Revisions to the agenda.

            There were no revisions to the agenda. 

            Item 3:  Approve minutes from the regular Board meeting of December 3, 2020.

Motion was made by Mr.Glenn, seconded by Dr. Henderson, to approve the minutes of the December 3, 2020, Board meeting as presented.  The vote was taken and the President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9, No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0.

Item 4:  President Boyd announced that the floor was open for nominations for President for the calendar year 2021.  Mr. Johnston nominated Mr. Dale Morvan as 2021 President, seconded by Mr. Glenn.  There were no other nominations and Mr. Morvan was elected by acclamation.

Mr. Boyd thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve as President for the past two years and expressed his belief that the Board would continue to accomplish great things under Mr. Morvan’s leadership.

Superintendent Corley expressed gratitude to Mr. Boyd for serving as Board President for two years on behalf of himself and Board Members, who voiced their own appreciation to Mr. Boyd as well.    

Item 5:   Election of Vice-President for the calendar year 2021.

President Morvan announced that the floor was open for nominations for Vice-President for the calendar year 2021 and nominated Mr. Dudley Glenn as Vice-President, seconded by Mr. Dillard.  There were no other nominations and Mr. Glenn was elected by acclamation.

Item 6:  Appointment of the Finance Committee for the calendar year 2021.

Mr. Morvan appointed the following members to serve on the Finance & Operations Committee for the calendar year 2021:  Mr. Donald Dufour as Chairman, Ms. Alice Thomas and Ms. Rosie Mayweather.

Item 7:  Set the day, time and place for the regular and committee meetings of the Board for the calendar year 2021. 

Mr. Corley explained there were no changes in the day of the week to hold regular Board meetings and Finance & Operation Committee meetings, with the exceptions as listed:

2021 REGULAR BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Indicates this day is different from the normal day of the month for that particular meeting.

            Motion was made by Mr. Johnston, seconded by Ms. Thomas, to approve the meeting schedule as presented.  The vote was taken and the President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9, No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0.

            Item 8:  Certify that Board Members received the minimum of six hours of training and instruction as required by ACT 705 during calendar year 2020.

Mr. Corley presented the names of Board Members that have completed the requirements of Act 705 as mandated by the Legislature of Louisiana during the calendar year 2020 for professional development and Ethics training.  Names listed for public record: Dudley M. Glenn, Dr. Neil Henderson, Jeffrey Dillard, Donald B. Dufour, Alice Thomas, Coday Johnston, Dale Morvan, Mark Ross, Thomas Craig, Jr., Bobby Boyd, and Rosie Mayweather. 

Mr. Glenn, seconded by Dr. Henderson, made the motion to receive the report of certification of Board Member training as presented by the Superintendent.  The President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9, No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0.  

Item 9:  Resolution for Louisiana School Board Recognition Month

Mr. Corley recognized the Board Members and presented a resolution honoring them for Board Member Appreciation Month – January 2021. 

Motion was made by Dr. Henderson, seconded by Mr. Johnston, to receive the resolution as presented.  The vote was taken and the President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9,

   No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0. 

            Item 10:  Report of the Budget/Finance Committee meeting held on December 17, 2020.

Motion was made by Mr. Glenn, seconded by Mr. Boyd, to approve the minutes of the December 17, 2020, Finance Committee meeting as presented.  The vote was taken and the President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9, No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0. 

Motion was made by Mr. Glenn, seconded by Dr. Henderson, to approve the following action from the December 17, 2020, Budget/Finance Committee meeting:

·        Approve budget revisions to the Debt Service Funds

·        Approve 2021-2022 purchasing schedule

The vote was taken and the President stated the motion carried with the following votes – Yes = 9, No = 0, Absent = 2, and Abstentions = 0. 

                        Item 11:  Board policies for review

                        Board policies were presented for review.

·        BD – School Board Policy

·        JD – Discipline

·        JDD – Suspension

·        JDE – Expulsion

Item 12:   Comments

Mr. Morvan thanked the Board for allowing him the opportunity to serve as president for 2021.

Superintendent Corley made the Board and the public aware of the most recent COVID vaccination information as it relates to staff and facilities.  He reminded Board Members that he would like to offer our school facilities as vaccination sites if they are needed.

Snow is in our forecast for the next few days and we are watching the weather closely.  We have been conferencing with the National Weather Service.

Mr. Glenn commented on our local Sales Tax office and how important it is that we keep sales tax collections in DeSoto Parish, as it is working very well.

Item 13: Adjournment 

On a motion by Mr. Johnston, seconded by Mr. Dufour, the Board voted to adjourn at 6:27 p.m.

Dale Morvan, President                                                                           Clay Corley, Secretary

DeSoto Parish School Board                                                                   DeSoto Parish School Board