School Board accepts low bid to construct new tech building

At Wednesday night’s Evangeline Parish School Board meeting, the board accepted the low bid for the construction of a brand new technology building for the district.
The lowest bid received came from Bayou Rapides Corporation out of Alexandria and was for $418,698.
This new building, according to Superintendent Toni Hamlin, is one that principals are anxious for the district to get.
Hamlin said, “Principals are excited that we will now be able to offer teachers a training center, because we will have the capability to have training sessions in this building.”
The former technology building is one that has been too hazardous for people to utilize.
Board President Wayne Dardeau said, “Someone sent me a picture today because they had fell through a hole in the floor.”
To fund this project, the school district will use $253,553.80 from the technology funds which has already been dedicated solely for the purpose of building this particular facility, and $165,144.20 will come out of the parish-wide maintenance fund.
According to Chief Financial Officer Amy LaFleur, using the money from the maintenance fund should not have a negative affect on this fund.
LaFleur said, “This fund has a surplus of $1.489 million right now, so I do not believe that this $165,000 will put it in any disarray or impact us from doing anything else that we may need to.”
No money from the general fund will pay for the construction of the new technology building.
Also discussed at the September 21, 2016 meeting was advertising for a new superintendent.
The board learned that they would need to begin looking for a new superintendent after Hamlin announced that she would be retiring when her contract was up in December at the board’s August 17th meeting.
The board will begin advertising to fill this position on September 29th until October 28, 2016.
At this time, the board is hoping to appoint a new superintendent sometime around late November and early December.
Other items approved at the meeting were:
• Minutes of previous meeting dated September 7, 2016.
• The renewal of general liability insurance, school leaders errors and omissions liability insurance, and automobile liability and physical damage insurance using general fund.
• Changing of the 8th grade graduation date at Basile High School from Monday, May 22, 2017, to Thursday, May 25, 2017.
• The ratification of Shell fleet in the amount of $7,165.90 for regular education bus and maintenance department fuel using the general fund.
• The payment of $9,862.95 to Farmer’s Gas Company for Bayou Chicot and Pine Prairie High fuel using the general fund.
• The payment of $7,000 to Social Studies School Services for active classroom licenses for 6th-8th grade social studies teachers using educational excellence funds.
• The payment of $133,611.06 to Louisiana School Employee’s Retirement System (LSERS) for July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016 privatization bill for three retired bus drivers using the general fund.
• The payment of $248,815.20 to First Student for August transportation services using the general fund.