School Board OKs cutting 16 para positions

The Evangeline Parish School Board has officially made a decision on where cuts will be made in the district to climb out of the $1.2 million deficit that the district faces.
Last week at an executive committee meeting, the committee approved cutting 12 paraprofessionals (para) from the regular schools in the district plus an additional four paras from James Stephens Montessori.
When the full board assembled on Wednesday the decision was made without hesitation to approve what the executive committee recommended.
During Superintendent Toni Hamlin’s comments, she informed the board that the cutting of 16 of the 104 paras will save the district $371,874.00, while not re-hiring uncertified teachers and not filling the positions of employees that have retired will save the district an additional $769,719.00.
The district will look at the qualification, evaluation, and longevity of each para to determine who will be let go.
Hamlin closed out the meeting by stating, “We will begin working on this tomorrow so that we can start notifying people.”
Other items discussed and approved were:
•Payment of $24,820.96 to Teaching Strategies for curriculum for preschool classrooms using Title I and special education EIS funds
•Payment of $7,684.60 to Sayes Office Supply for student handbooks using general fund.
•Payment of $16,401.60 to Modern Technologies for Education for replacement of outdated cafeteria computers using Child Nutrition Program funds.
•Payment of $36,893.00 to Teacher’s Pet for desks for all schools using Parish-wide Maintenance fund.
•Payment of $5,262.00 to Teacher’s Pet for desk for the computer lab at Ville Platte Elementary School using Idea funds.
•Payment of $8,620.00 to Evangeline Construction & Trucking, LLC for dirt and gravel for Mamou High School parking Lot using Parish-wide Maintenance funds.