PARISH OF DESOTO

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Mansfield, Louisiana

 

February 3, 2022    

 

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, February 3, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. with the following members present:

 

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

 

            Absent: Thomas Craig, Jr. and Dr. Neil Henderson

 

            Item 1:  Call to order

           

            President Thomas 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.  Mr. Glenn 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 of the regular Board meeting held on January 6, 2022 

 

Motion was made by Mr. Glenn seconded by Mrs. Mayweather, to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2022, 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:  Great News

 

            Mr. Corley expressed his appreciation to the Board for their cooperation and collaboration  as they work together to develop a required reapportionment plan for the district.  Work is going smoothly and it should be ready for approval later this year. 

 

            Mr. Corley reminded everyone that our district recently began a new contest, or challenge, between all schools, to emphasize and reward the importance of teacher attendance.  Each month, the school with the highest average percentage of teacher attendance receives a banner to hang in their school for a month; lunch is provided for the faculty; and faculty, staff and students are allowed to wear jeans for a week.  Dr. Neil Henderson and Pine Ridge Veterinary Clinic will provide lunch for the winning school on Friday, February 4.  Mr. Corley then introduced Mrs. Janice Lingle to make the presentation.  Mrs. Lingle announced that North DeSoto Upper Elementary School was the winner of the challenge for the challenging month of January 2022.

 

The banner was presented to North DeSoto Upper Elementary School Principal Brandon Burback.  Mrs. Lingle also announced that school with the most growth in attendance was Mansfield Middle School.  Mr. Corley and Mrs. Lingle expressed their appreciation to all the schools for working diligently to keep staff attendance as high as possible throughout these trying times.

           

            Item 5:  Report of the Finance & Operations Committee meeting held on January 20, 2022

 

            Mr. Dufour presented the minutes from the January 20, 2022, meeting for approval.

Motion was made by Mr. Ross, seconded by Mr. Glenn, to approve the minutes of the January 20, 2022, Finance & Operations 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. 

 

Mr. Dufour stated there were no action items from the meeting.

 

            Item 6:  Review and approve bid for turf for football field synthetic turf replacement for Logansport and Mansfield High Schools

 

            Mr. Corley presented information about the bid for turf replacement.  The recommendation of district staff and the architect is to award the base bid to Sprinturf, LLC, who submitted a bid of $1,160,100.00, for both fields.  This will be paid from reserve Capital Projects funds.

 

Motion was made by Mr. Glenn, seconded by Mrs. Mayweather, to approve the bid 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 7:   Review and approve bid for gymnasium floor and bleacher replacement at North DeSoto High School

 

Mr. Corley presented information about the bid for gymnasium floor and bleacher replacement at North DeSoto High School.  The recommendation of district staff and the architect is to award the base bid to Gentry & Holder Floors, Inc., who submitted a bid of $283,935.00.

 

 Motion was made by Mr. Boyd, seconded by Mr. Morvan, to approve the bid 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:  Comments

 

Superintendent Corley made Board Members and the public aware of the following:

 

We are watching the weather reports closely and are planning at this time for our schools and offices to remain open tomorrow.  However, we will re-evaluate at 9:00 p.m. tonight and again at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow to confirm.  Winter weather is moving in tonight, so we will be monitoring it closely as well as communicating with DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Hopefully, the worst of it will be north of DeSoto Parish.

 

We are currently trying to develop student intern opportunities in our parish.  We hope to have something in place very soon and will report back to you within the near future.

 

Item 9: Adjournment 

 

On a motion by Mr. Johnston, seconded by Mrs. Mayweather, the Board voted to adjourn at 6:20 p.m.

 

Alice Thomas, President                                                             ClayCorley, Secretary

            DeSoto Parish School Board                                                       DeSoto Parish School Board