001And if you look on the next page, which is the dashboard, district vacancy statistics. Total vacancies at the college and career is four is five, and that's a 4% decrease from last month to 89% and then for teachers those are the same five vacancies, which is a 7% decrease. At the Arts and Technology Academy there's actually no change. It's still at 97%. That was a over uh oversight. And then uh we have zero vacancies for teachers at this time. So we're 100% staffed with teachers at the Arts and Technology Academy. At the Early Learning Center, we still have the same vacancy, which is no change in the percentage. We're still at 97% staffed school wide. And then we have one vacancy, which is the same from last month, which is no change. However, we are
00294% staffed at the Early Learning Center. Overall in the district, we are 94% staffed, which is a 1% decrease. And then um for the teachers, we are 91% staffed district wide, which is a 3% decrease. So we're still uh in the 90 90th percentile for staffing for our teachers. Some of the highlights we have coming up and just what we uh So we do have we're still continuing with our alternative certification meeting. This year our teachers are going to be um participating virtually. They made some changes back in 2020 during COVID, they made some changes that allowed teachers to enroll virtually into the program without taking the practice two exam. Now some of those changes are reverting back to their old uh standards and requirements. So they're going to be uh virtually to meet with
003our teachers on the 21st to provide all that detailed information with them. This past month we also honored our uh our learners, our principal of the year and as well as our support staff, a teacher and new teacher of the year. It was a very nice event um at Lawtell Cook on March 26th. And then we are currently celebrating our assistant principals this week in honor week. And then finally the 2026-2027 staffing is meeting. It was conducted on March 19th and we are moving forward preparing for advertisement and for the upcoming school year. Do you have any questions about that? >> [snorts] >> Any questions? Okay. Okay, that concludes the personnel committee. Our budget and finance will come to order. Roll call. Ms. Courtney Bell? Present. Ms. Evette Chaney? Ms. Lolita Porter? Dr. Kelly Dotson?
004Here. Ms. Evelyn Calhoun? >> [snorts] >> Ms. Tracy Womack? Present. Okay, uh could I get two volunteers to receive Ms. Chaney and Ms. Porter. Okay, Ms. Porter's going to do it. And uh Mr. Hughes. It's good. Okay. A quorum has been established. Okay. First item is to receive and consider for approval of the 2026-2027 >> [snorts] >> salary schedule. Um yes, committee, I'm asking that we table this [clears throat] item for this month because there are some other um items other that I need to include in the salary schedule and I also need to meet with the uh union president to make sure that all of the language is correct and you know, we're doing what we need to do. So I'd like to table it for next month. Okay, could I get a motion
005to table that item? I so move. Motion by Ms. Porter. >> [snorts] >> Seconded by Mr. Hughes to table that item. All in favor? Okay. Roll call. Okay, roll call, please. Ms. Bell? Yes. Ms. Joyce Porter? Yes. Mr. George Hughes? Yes. 3-0 motion carried, referred to the full board to vote. Okay, next item receive receive and consider for approval of food service bid awards for the 2026-2027 school year. Ms. Womack. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening, board, committee, and community. I'm asking the board approval for the 2026-2027 food service bids in the following category: processed food, frozen food bread, fresh fruit and vegetables pest controls. These bids are issued annual exception for the fresh fruit and vegetables, which these are quarterly bids. Uh these bids that's quarterly we want to make sure that it have
006come headed. The pricing but um Also, we have a new vendor and that's called uh Pest Master and that's uh for our termite and pest control. They're from out of Baton Rouge. I don't know anything about them. So we're going to hope that we have a very successful um service with them. As well as we had three partial bids. Frozen and processed was split between S&W Whole Foods and Gold Star Foods. The same as processed, the two vendors. And our paper and chemical was uh was a split we split bid with Syntox. As you all are aware of, our milk and our waste bid was a one-year extended bid for the 2026-2027 school year. Both parties agreed on the terms as well as pricing. So it's the same pricing as last year. Approving tonight's bid
007will allow us to move forward and secure the vendors and ensure that there's no interruption for food service or the district by new school year. Any questions? Committee any questions? Okay, no questions. Can I get a motion to accept the bids? And you said you only had one new vendor out of all of this. Yes, ma'am. All right, and that was the best Yes, ma'am. Okay, so it sounds like you're going to work with these vendors. Yes, ma'am. Okay, so can I get a motion, please? I so move. I have a motion by Mr. Porter. Second. Seconded by Mr. Hughes. Thank you very much. Thank you. Ms. Virginia Bell? >> Yes. Ms. Joyce Porter? Yes. Mr. George Hughes? Present. >> [clears throat] >> 3-0 motion carried referred to the full board to vote. Okay, next
008item receive March financial dashboard. Ms. I've texted Ms. Castle. She's on her way. She had some issues with finding her keys. So, can we just table that until and come back to it when she comes in? Okay. Okay, we're just going to hold that and maybe she'll be in before we finish. Yes. Okay, next item receive 2024-2025 financial audit statement. Same with her. It's her report. Oh, okay. So, Same with her. She's not >> Yes, ma'am. Okay. Well, that's going to conclude the budget and finance committee. Okay, policy committee Mr. Alton Warren. Mr. Alton [laughter] Travis? Here. Ms. Joyce Porter? Present. Ms. Linda Chaney? Present. Dr. Kelly Joseph? >> Here. All members are present. Uh only item of business is receive and consider for approval addition of new policy ABCA. Board members are required to
009be present at duly scheduled board meetings in order to qualify for their monthly stipend. Failure to attend a scheduled board meeting will result in forfeiture of the stipend for that month. Exceptions may be granted in cases of family emergencies or work-related obligations provided that the appropriate notification is given in accordance with board procedures. Okay, um we just recently had our uh school board um annual conference and um this is a concern that not only myself uh had, but other board members as well um about board members attending the required um scheduled board meetings along with if you sign up for something you should attend because we have to pay a registration fee uh for it along with um travel uh and meal reimbursement. So, if you don't attend, then it's costing the board unnecessary money.
010And we all know that in St. Helena Parish, money is an issue. So, I would like to see um this policy um move forward. And I'm not saying the whole entire stipend for the board meetings um I think it should be a amount a certain amount that we subtract from the board members if they do not attend board meetings. Or if they register for a conference and they do not attend, then they should have to reimburse the board because that costs. And we do not have money to waste. Any other comments, board members? Need to get y'all feedback as well. Dr., you want this effective effective this month? But we got to put a amount to it um for board meetings. We we need our amount and then um conference, how do you want to
011handle that? I suggest that if you register for a conference and you do not attend, then that you reimburse the board that total cost. Because you know well in advance, we know dates in advance when we're attending things. Um so we have to plan accordingly. So, if we say we're going to go, we're going to go. If we're not, we're not. Unless it's like an emergency, sickness, or illness. Right. >> can't can't That's in the policy. >> We schedule that. I didn't understand what she said. Sickness or illness. It's it's clearly stated there. Mhm. Well, like if they uh don't come to board meeting and they're required to come to board meeting I suggest that we at least dock them >> [clears throat] >> $50. That's that's me. Because I feel like I have a
012illness and I can be at board meetings. I just don't understand why everybody else can't make it. And out of the out of the 16 years I've been on the board, I think I didn't miss maybe one or two times. Even when I was ill, I was on the uh what they call the What did you say? No. I would attend board meeting over the phone [clears throat] or Zoom or something like that. I would always try to get in to get to the meeting whether I'm there or not. [clears throat] And I I guess what I'm asking the board members now is to give us feedback. We talked about it. I mean, it wasn't just me. It wasn't just Ms. Porter uh that discussed it. If you wanted to move forward, we can get
013a motion and move forward with it. If not, we could table it to a later date. We're not going to take uh a tremendous amount of time to discuss this because we sort of mentioned it. Uh so, we need to know what we want to do moving forward. I just me personally, I just don't see paying registration and stuff for someone to attend something and they do not attend it. That's a waste of money. And if that's be the case, then that individual moving forward should be uh responsible for reimbursing the board. I agree with the with the creating the policy. But I think we need to [clears throat] re-revisit once we get numbers and figures together. And then maybe set it and then come back and vote for it. All right. What did she
014say? Yeah, once we get some numbers. Yeah, that's I agree. Yeah, get some So, can I get a motion? This is where we need a motion. Can I get a motion? Yes. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, we need >> This is where we need a motion. I'll make the motion. What is the motion going to read? That um Table it. >> [clears throat] >> We'll table it once we get the numbers and figures. >> [cough] [clears throat] >> I ain't I ain't I ain't going to Or somebody else make a motion. Cuz I'm going to do it right. What's the pleasure of the committee? So, we're not going to get a motion? No motion? Hold on. Can I >> I move that we get a motion. I move that we table this until we get the
015correct figures and bring it back to the board. >> has been made to table this item. I second. Seconded by Ms. Porter. Any further discussion? Vote. Mr. Alton Travis? Yes. Ms. Joyce Porter? Yes. Ms. Linda Chaney? Yes. 3-0 motion carried referred to the full board to vote. Okay. This concludes the policy committee. Okay, the education committee will come to order. Roll call. Ms. Olivia Porter? Present. >> [cough] >> Virginia Bell? >> Present. Ms. Linda Chaney? Present. Dr. Kelly Joseph? >> Here. All members are present. First item is to receive and consider for approval 2026-2027 district calendar. Yes, committee, we do have um the calendar that was approved by the calendar committee for the 2026-2027 school year. And I just like to go over some of the highlights. Before you begin, Ms. Porter, Dr. Joseph did
016LAE did the faculty have an input on this calendar because I did get some feedback uh from from a few people who uh that had So, they they were they involved as well. The calendar committee consists uh the principals and representatives and people who and it's So, the teachers didn't have an option. No, we only had one calendar this year. >> So for the month of July, there are four professional learning days. We call it our professional learning week. That is July 27th through the 30th. Then we start school August 3rd. That's the first day for all of our learners. Uh and we will be on a 5-day school week for that month. For September, we are off uh September 7th for Labor Day. There is a professional learning day at the end of the
017month on the 28th and there's no school on [clears throat] Mondays. For October, same thing, no school on Mondays. Homecoming will be October 16th. Um and there will be no school, of course, for all of our learners, but it is a considered a professional learning day for our teachers and staff. November, we are off for Thanksgiving uh November 23rd through the 27th. And that month is a 5-day school week along with December. Uh we are off December 21st through the 31st for the Christmas and New Year holiday. For January, uh the learners will come back on Tuesday, January 5th. Uh we have Martin Luther King holiday on the 18th and there are no school on Monday in January. For February, we're off uh the kids are off on the 1st. That would be a professional
018learning day. Um Mardi Gras falls on February 9th of 2027. We'll be off the week from the 8th through the 12th. And then we'll start our spring break Fridays from that point until Good Friday, which is March 26th. And Easter is on the 28th that year. Um and we'll be off that Monday and Tuesday. In April, we have another professional learning day on the 9th, which is a Friday. And then we will be off on those Fridays with leap testing uh window that month. And in May, we have our last day of school, which will be May 20th and the 21st will be records day. So in all, we are required to have uh 63,720 instructional minutes. The total minutes that we have for this calendar is 66,420 minutes, which leaves a difference of 2,700
019instructional minutes, which equals out to seven embedded days that we will have in event of any uh school emergencies. The school hours will be from 8:00 to 3:30. Uh that equals to 410 instructional minutes per day. And that's it. Any questions? No questions. So can I get a motion to Is this When we have the Friday, the spring break Friday That's a holiday. That's not That is pretty common. More special on Mondays. I don't know what to say to you. So we have Mondays and no school. All. And Fridays when we have spring break. Yeah. Okay. What's on my mind? >> [laughter] >> Okay. Okay. There's no other So I'm asking for approval. I'm sorry. Okay. So can I get a motion to approve the 2026-27 district calendar? We have a question in the audience.
020Question? Can you come to the podium? I'm sorry. I just wanted to get the dates for Mardi Gras again. Is it So it's going to be a week? Is that a week? >> Yeah, that that's the major difference from last year to this year because I see that, you know, other districts are going off for the week and Okay. >> Yeah. So that is February the 8th through the 12th. Okay. Yeah, February 8th through the 12th. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions, comments? Okay. Can I get a motion to approve the 2026-27 district calendar? I have a motion. >> I motion. I motion. >> Motion. Can I get a second? Second. Okay. Next item. Roll call. Ms. Olivier Porter? Yes. Ms. Linda Chaney? Yes. Three zero motion referred to the full board for vote. Okay.
021Next item, receive and consider for approval grade configurations as follows. St. Helena Early Learning Center through pre-K through third. St. Helena Arts and Technology Academy, fourth through seventh. St. Helena College and Career Academy, eighth through 12th. All right. So as a part of our continued commitment to improving outcomes for all of our learners, uh we are planning we planned a thoughtful reconfiguration of our school grade structure. This decision is grounded in research, aligned with best practices, and designed to better support our learners academically, socially, and emotionally. So we are proposing, beginning with this upcoming school year, that we change the grade configuration for our Early Learning Center from pre-K 2 to pre-K 3. For our Arts and Technology Academy, uh which is currently third through sixth grade, change that to fourth through seventh. And at
022our College and Career Academy, which is currently 7-12, change it to 8 uh through 12. This shift is about more than moving grade levels. It's about creating a stronger, more stable educational experience for our learners and improving school culture and climate. Um each school will now serve a more develop- developmentally appropriate age group. So early learners, pre-K 3, will benefit from a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy. Upper elementary and middle grades, fourth through seventh, will focus on mastering core content. And high school, eighth through 12th, will emphasize college and career readiness. This alignment ensures that instruction, support, and expectations are tailored to where our learners are in their growth. This reconfiguration also intentionally aligns with Louisiana's new accountability system, which places a stronger emphasis on growth, thriving, and achieving. By shifting to an 8-12
023high school model, we are positioning our learners to access advanced coursework, dual enrollment opportunities, internships, and workforce pathways earlier. This directly supports the state's focus on preparing our learners for success beyond beyond high school. I've had conversations with our school principals and our um district staff and they support the change [snorts] um as stated. Any questions? >> [clears throat] >> What about the logistics and which buildings did y'all y'all have to do the thing like that? Yes, we've had that conversation. There is room at each one of the schools. Actually, there's more room at the at the A&T. So if in the future they would like to take eighth grade and and keep that at the A&T, that's also a viable option. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> I'm for it. I motion. A motion? Mhm.
024Can I get a second? Second. Second. Any other questions? Question? Can I get a roll call? Ms. Olivier Porter? Yes. Ms. Linda Bell? >> Yes. Ms. Linda Chaney? Yes. Three zero motion referred to the full board for vote. Okay. That concludes our education committee. Okay, we can come back to our budget and finance now. Uh our financial person has arrived. Hello. Good evening, board and community members. I'm Ms. Castle, the director of finance. Um they'll be passing out our papers to you all. Please excuse the budget adjustment column. Right now, we are in the middle of trying to create a budget um a budget adjustment to present to you preparing for the 2026-27 to all. So please and uh excuse that column. But the year to date will be March 2026. That is the most
025accurate data that we have. This is all of our funds broken down. Our general fund is not broken down. I will have that for you next month so you all can see where we are. Right now, our district is in a good financial standing. We are not in debt. >> [laughter] >> We are We currently We our We currently are on a steady pace to remain laid out correct this moment. And we still have some public investment lamp. Yes, and we still have our lamp funds that are in our investment just in case for our cushion to make sure our district stays above water. So, that is always something to have in the back of your mind and it is still gaining interest. as well. Regions as well. Regions So, that is a breakdown of
026where we are currently at the moment. [snorts] I'm sorry. Any questions? >> a good point. Um these funds are not reoccurring funds that are in our regions and lamp accounts. These These are funds that are in our general fund [clears throat] balance. And so, instead of it just sitting there, we take it and just try to make, you know, some type of investment off of it. And so, the investment isn't enough to generate any type of revenue that is going to be able to do anything except kind of, you know, pad our and our uh our fund balance and just maintain where we are. Correct. So, we're solid financially. We're solid financially, but we don't have enough to say, "Okay, we have enough in our fund balance or in our general fund budget to say
027we can give everybody a raise or we can >> or a stipend. purchase a single thing. >> Correct. Just want to make that clear. All righty. Okay, and second, I am here to talk about our audit. So, as I previously presented to the board, we assumed that we would be done with our audit. Unfortunately, we have had hiccups with our internal auditor and it has pushed us back to where we had to request an extension to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Firm. Our extension currently has been accepted and we have been extended to June 30th, 2026. Yes, that is very much so bringing it close to our new fiscal year. We do apologize. We have kicked things up in gear. We are standing firm and pushing the gas on our internal auditors so we can get
028this taken care of. I do apologize for the mixed up and the inconvenience. And to let you all know, if we do not meet the extension, the state will freeze our funds. And with the state freezing our funds, of course, we will still have the MFP, but additional funds that help keep us afloat in our district flowing, it will be frozen. So, we are trying to at our very best meet that deadline before the deadline so we do not have to as a district fall or have to use our emergency funds to keep afloat. So, I will keep you all informed on what's going on. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but we will go ahead and make it happen. Are there any questions regarding the audit? All righty. I take full responsibility for everything
029that has happened and I will keep you all informed and try to keep us moving. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Okay, that concludes the budget and finance report. >> [cough] >> Okay, we're going to move on to our regular board meeting. I ask Reverend Philip Lee to come to the podium and give us a prayer, please. He's outside. There's one right there. She can do it. She'll cancel it. Ms. Felder, can you come Can you come and give us a prayer, please? Your wife won't do it. Yeah. Father God, as we bow our head, Lord God, we thank you for this assembly and we thank you for each and every person that is under the sound of my voice. Lord God, I pray that you will bless our board, bless our community, and bless the
030students that attend to these schools. Lord God, let your will be done and we and everything that we know that you're in charge of, it is blessed. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. >> [clears throat] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic stands. under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. dedication in the um in the district. Um we on In addition, we had our ag class where they're actually starting to raise chickens now, which is really interesting. Um and it's really like a fun hands-on learning experience for the kids. Um but there are so many more things that are going on in on our campus, but for the sake of time, I just wanted to highlight a few different things. Um but
031I just wanted to say that we are growing and improving and just continuing to make making a difference in our in our school community. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Cassie. Please give another round of APPLAUSE FOR CASSIE. SO, IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE. IT TAKES A LOT of guts to stand up in front and speak in front of a lot of people. And so, you know, she's doing a fantastic job along with all of our other members on our Superintendent's Advisory Council. I just like to recognize Michael Starks. He's also in the audience. Let's give a a round of applause for him. He organized a wonderful junior brunch a couple weeks ago, which was very very very nice. Do you want to come up and say a few words about it, Michael?
032Maybe later. >> [laughter] >> BUT HE DID a a fantastic job, so thank you for that. Uh next up, we're going to recognize our science and social studies fair winners. So, we have Dr. John Paul and Ms. Nettles. Good evening, board members, superintendent, parents, learners, and community members. I'm here to give you the update of the science fair that was held on December 10th and 11th of last year and also the regional science fair that was held at Southeastern Louisiana University on February 6th. And also the details of the winners. 2025-2026 science fair has been a remarkable success. We had nearly 120 projects and I would like to recognize nearly 40 projects the high school until the science fair They was remarkable. I truly appreciate appreciate all the learners and the parents especially those who
033really really helped them and encouraged them and also helped learners to complete the projects. And as we move on to the award ceremony, it is not awards but also the Let me start with grade three. If they did not participate at the regional level, we we really wanted to start the process right from third grade level so they can be aware of this process when they move on to the next grade level. First, I would like to call upon Jade McNight. Third grade, first place in chemistry. >> [applause] >> The project title was growing gummy bears. What was the title? Growing gummy bears. Yep. Next elementary division, grade four through six. The overall district winners from fifth grade Zaria Overton, Diamond Jones, Elisha Lee. They won the first place. >> [applause] >> They also received
034the honorable mention at the regional science fair. Their category was energy chemical and physical. The project title was walking water. Next Carolyn Cozart and Phoebe Cozart, they received the first place also and they received third place at the regional science fair. Their category was biochemistry. The title was how does toothpaste project enamel on teeth on teeth. Protect the enamel on teeth. Honorable mention from sixth grade Cadence Muse, Morgan Burns, London Lee. They received the honorable mention at the district level and their category was chemistry. And their project title was gummy bear chemistry. And from fourth grade Christian Tillery, honorable mention at the district level. The category was energy chemical and physical. The title was good versus bad energy. I would like to give a special recognition to a teacher Miss Teresa Brumfield. I believe she
035is here. Yeah. Please come forward. Um The reason is that she alone helped the learners to complete nearly 38 to 40 projects out of 80 projects. So 50% of the projects came from Miss Teresa Brumfield's class. So truly appreciate you. Right from the beginning she was on, you know, in touch with the parents and myself and also the learners. And thank you so much for your commitment and dedication. It is truly appreciated. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, let's take a picture and then we can call upon the high school. Good job. Good job. All right, let me start off with seventh and eighth grade. First place Terrelisha Lee, category biomedical and health health science. The project title was light colors and heartbeats. Terrelisha Lee first place. Alise Kitchen, second place. Alise Kitchen also received the honorable
036mention at the regional regional science fair. Her category was chemistry. The project title was salty charge. Yeah, that that project was quite different. I've never heard that before. How the increase of salt will increase the energy and how we can make the car move. So it was phenomenal. Alani Garden, third place at the district level. At the regional level honorable mention. The category was engineering mechanics. The the topic was my mechanical robot arm. Alani Garden? She's not here. Okay. All right, let's move on to the next division, senior division nine through 12. Kimil Holiday, first place and she received the third place at the regional science fair. >> [applause] >> Category was chemistry. The topic was the effects of common beverages on tooth enamel. Second place Martin Villager, Janaya Janaya Jones, Micah Starks. They won
037the second place at the district level and then they received the honorable mention at the regional science fair. Their category was animal science. The topic was how does water temperature affect the time it takes on egg white to coagulate. Honorable mention from the high school Baker Tuan, Tuan Taiwan, Givens Jamaria, Perry Christopher, Alexis Tillery, honorable mention at the district level in the category of chemistry. The topic is the chemistry of rust prevention. Anybody here? Baker Baker Taiwan? Givens Jamaria, Perry Christopher, Alexis Tillery. Thank you all once again. >> [clears throat] [applause] [snorts] >> Good evening board, community members, staff and learners. The St. Helena Parish School District proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements of our learners who participated in the district social studies fair. These exceptional projects reflect a deep understanding of the unit aligned content
038showcasing the learners' ability to think critically, conduct research and communicate their knowledge of history, civics and the world around them. Now for our winners. The winner of division one with the project entitled The Black Death, Christopher Holmes Atkins. Christopher also represented St. Helena at the Region 8 Social Studies Fair and received third place for his project. Christopher is a fifth grader at St. Helena Arts and Technology Academy. He did a wonderful job. The winner of our division two with the project entitled The Effects of Hurricane Katrina on our region, Jeron Cook. Jeron is an eighth grader at St. Helena College and Career Academy. >> [applause] >> The winner of our division three with a group project entitled The Impact of the Great Depression on US History, Serenity London, Janaya Jones and Micah Starks. These learners
039are 11th graders at St. Helena College and Career Academy. I would also like to add that this project and these learners won second place at the Region 8 Social Studies Fair and they will be representing St. Helena Parish School District at the state social studies fair in Lake Charles on And I would also like to recognize and commend the teachers who guided and supported our learners throughout this process. Through their support, learners were able to explore meaningful topics, engage in research and produce projects that were aligned to their classroom learning. First, I would like to recognize Mrs. Angela Torrence, our US history teacher. Next, I would like to recognize Mrs. Teresa Brumfield who is our fifth grade social studies teacher. And last, I would like to recognize Mrs. Faith Holmes, our seventh and eighth grade
040social studies teacher. The success of our social studies fair is a direct reflection of the strong partnership between our educators and our learners. Congrat- Congrat- Congratulations to all of our learners and teachers for representing St. Helena Parish School District with excellence. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we are going to recognize our learners and and employees of the year. Miss Watson and Miss Jackson. Um the principals will be doing the recognition this evening. Good evening board, superintendent, and community. I have the privilege and honor of recognizing our learners and teachers of and staff of the year for the Early Learning Center and it definitely is an honor. Uh I will start with our learner of the year, Jamariana Brumfield, who is not only an academic learner, but she's also a model learner to her
041peers. >> [applause] >> Our new teacher of the year, Miss Iasia Smith, jumped right on in and she was ready to roll. Uh we appreciate her hard work, her dedication. Um she moved very quickly and her learners are growing very swiftly. >> [applause] >> Our teacher of the year, none other than Miss Denise Holland. >> [applause] >> There are not enough words I can say about Mrs. Denise Holland. So we all I think we all know Yes. that this is an honor and a privilege and we're so happy to have you. And uh not on not last but not least, our outstanding support staff of the year, who is Miss Yasmin Lee, our cafeteria manager. >> [applause] >> She goes above and beyond to make sure everything moves swiftly in the cafeteria and we appreciate
042all you do. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Smith. Mr. McPherson, principal for St. Helena Arts and Technology Academy. Good evening, members of the board. Can I get all learners and faculty of St. Helena St. Helena Arts Technology Academy to stand, please? Please stand, please stand, please stand, please stand, please stand, please stand, please stand. And I would just like to recognize everyone who is in the loveliness or everyone who works at uh Shadow or everyone who goes to Shadow just because we're celebrating this, but this is truly a team effort. So I celebrate you all. Can we clap it up for our Shadow team? You all can sit down. And I liken them to shining stars. We're glad to celebrate our shining stars because I learned in one of our science classes that the energy
043inside of a star helps it shine so bright. So today we don't celebrate achievement, rather we celebrate alignment with people using the gifts and the talents that God gave them and aligning their energy to meet the three pillars of our district vision. So without further ado, I would like to recognize this shining star, Miss Zaria Overton, our learner of the year. Zaria is she she truly truly exemplifies what we all always call hashtag hashtag St. Helena winning. She is star both in the book uh a super in outside of the four walls of the class classroom. And we celebrate you and we know that the sky the limit for you. I would like to also celebrate in her absence our new teacher of the year, Miss Dominic Nick Sims. She is a a trooper. She
044was teach She got open 24/7, day and night you can call her, people see her in the store and she is a stellar example of what dedication looks like and what perseverance looks like. She started here in the parish and she has just grown leaps and bounds and I'm so glad to present our support staff member of the year, the the legend, the one and only Mrs. Angela Wright, OUR DISCIPLINARIAN AT SHADOW. THANK YOU, BOARD, OUR SUPERINTENDENT, OUR community for the opportunity to work with these fine individuals and allowing us to truly fulfill our district vision. Now I present to you our principal of St. Helena College and Career Academy, the Miss Neja Wilson. >> [laughter] >> How are you doing? Thank you. Um esteemed board members, I'd like to present our great and welcoming
045but our great and awesome learners and faculty of the year. We have Jacob Franklin, our eighth grade learner of the year. A leader among his own kind. He's always in class, always on time, always engaged in whatever the lesson is. We have Miss Cassidy Kehoe. Miss Cassidy Kehoe is our senior learner of the year. Miss Cassidy Kehoe leads by faith and it's awesome to see that every day because it's 2026 defining a lady leading by faith. She's an awesome thing. She's a always pleasant, she's always always welcoming. We have our support support staff staff of the year, Miss Vanessa Travis. >> [laughter] >> She was out of the bed first faith I met, she said I know you can do it. I believe believe in you. So I really appreciate some of the people every
046day who feed it to me and sow into me and I just want to tell you all thank you as well as uh how you say all of our St. Helena College and Career Academy who's here, parents who are here who will one day be at the school, thank y'all as well and that's it. Thank you all so much. Tonight I am standing in place to recognize uh an amazing school uh administrator, our 2026 principal of the year uh from St. Helena Early Learning Center, Miss Tempest Smith, uh is an amazing educator. Um and so Miss Smith, thank you for all you do for our tiny people and for our district. I would like to congratulate all the learners, teachers, parents >> community from St. John tonight as we recognize the individual individual in St.
047Helena Helena Parish. Parish. for Are we We are happy hashtag St. Helena wins. actually won something and I'm very proud of that. So we'd like to take a moment now to show you the video. This was all created by our learners from the exceptional services department who is in the opportunity now project create program. So this is all done by them. >> [clears throat] >> We're the St. Helena Parish Schools and this is what it has offered to me. We show leadership You hit the lights down. We compete with pride and grace. We learn discipline and teamwork and hard work. We're preparing for college and careers. We take our education seriously. community We design and solve problems. Helena Parish Yeah, that's the baby. We get to do what we need to do. We're building strong
048communities and confident learners. We challenge ourselves and our wise too. We gain real-world experiences. We serve our community. We explore careers and responsibilities. We grow leadership, teamwork, and hard and know our teachers see the best in us. We tell our own stories. We believe we create possibilities. And we create with purpose. This video production was led by St. Helena Parish ESS students. The St. Helena Parish School We have no limits. Because we we define the word success. We all stand tall. So we're very proud of the work that they did do and as a result you see the check down there. They won a check for a thousand dollars and so yeah, so we'll figure out what we're going to do with it. We'll get with the teacher and everybody and and and work on
049that, but we're so very proud of the work that they put into this video. So Okay. All right, next up on my list is the 2026 literacy bash. We have over 430 learners who qualified for the literacy bash and today it was you know crunch time right now just preparing and getting everything ready for tomorrow. And it's been a whole lot. The kids will have the opportunity to get on the the big blow-up water slides. We have video games and stuff for them. We have rides, lots of food, candy, and all kinds of other um things for them to experience tomorrow. It is tomorrow starts at 9:00 and we'll have a bus that will bring the kids to the Fifth Ward Rec Center. Well, they'll spend the day with us just enjoying and celebrating their
050success. So we're recognizing all the kids who completed their summer reading program and also [clears throat] who earned mastery or advanced on the leap assessments. So please give them a round of applause our over 430 learners who will be there tomorrow having fun. >> [clears throat] >> And I just have to say too they will receive a bag, you know, like the string bag. They can put their wet clothes in. But in that bag we were sitting there at central office like doing an assembly line just like putting all the candies and stuff in there. So what did they have? They have blow pops, sour punch, um ring pops, Skittles. I mean it's just just a lot of stuff for them and I was telling the staff that you know the bag itself is a
051gift, but now they're having all of the candy inside of it and um then when they get there there's all of the food and the rides and the games. So yeah, we like to celebrate them and just say thank you for uh the hard work that they put in. The next thing is the literacy lab ribbon cutting ceremony which will be on May 6th, 2026 at 10:00 at the Early Learning Center. So here at the high school we have a makerspace. And in the makerspace there are a lot of STEM-related activities that kids can um uh experience. And it is designed to be a an in-house uh field trip. So all of the kids across the district are able to go there and you know and experiment and do all of the things there. Now
052we will have a literacy lab where all of the kids will be able to go and do things that are literacy based. Uh and this is a partnership through the Louisiana Resource Foundation um and we also partner with them and we get the Kids Scoop newsletter that's that comes out every month. So it's the same organization and we've been working really closely with uh Ms. Terry Hodges who is the director of community outreach and partnerships. And that space is going to be the best literacy lab in the state of Louisiana. Hands down. So we invite you to come in and for the ribbon cutting and see for yourself the awesome space that we'll have for our learners. I won't give anything away because they want us to be hush about you know the decorations and
053everything that's in there. We want you to come in and see for yourself. So that will be May 6th at 10:00 at the Early Learning Center. Same day we will have our partnership recognition luncheon. This is our second annual luncheon where we will recognize over 20 of our uh school partners just to recognize them and to thank them for their partnership in helping us advance our district vision. And the last thing I want to share with you all last year we started our summer i-Ready program. And in talking with our staff and planning for the summer and the next school year we looked at a different way to approach this to make sure that all of our learners have access and opportunity to complete the program. And Ms. Davis if you'll come up and kind
054of help piggyback with me as we go over this. So um we look at the last benchmark assessment and we identified all of the learners who did not meet meet benchmark, right? Did not meet the gains. These are the same kids typically who are not passing the leap test every year. And as you know we have got to do something to get everyone to understand the importance of our learners passing this test. We have to get our parents to be more engaged and active with what their learners are doing every day in school. And so this i-Ready program is the online platform that tracks our learners' progress. And it is designed to help support and increase their their skills in ELA and also in math. So if a kid was not successful on the on
055either benchmark, either ELA or math or both, they will be required to complete a certain number of lessons. It's passing 20 lessons. Mhm. Which is different from last year. Right. Because it was the hours and we it was too difficult to track. So this year with the passing of 20 lessons um it's going to provide the learners the ability to go into their dashboard and actually see how many lessons they passed. So it's a they have a tracking sheet. They're going to get a tracking sheet. Um so it's going to be streamlined. Last year we were trying to you know keep track of the hours, but now we'll we're able to keep track of the lessons that they passed and it's we have a report for that. Before we didn't with the hours. So, it's
056going to be a little easier, but we're also doing something different this year. You want me to talk about how we're starting? >> Go ahead. >> Okay. So, we are starting our program the week of April 14th, which is next week. This is going to provide our learners um the opportunity to have that instructional assistance from teachers and interventionists. So, they're going to start the program. They haven't to June 4th to pass pass the 20 new lessons. again. They can go in my progress. And it tells them you passed uh however many lessons. And I'm going to you know, of course like talk to the learners about you know, help them track it. But I think that this way it's going to hold the learners accountable accountable for for the work that they do because
057they're they're going to be tracking it as well as administrators and myself. You know, with the third benchmark for being a cumulative assessment where all sta standards are tested. If they scored below basic we know that they did not master those grade levels. So, this this program right here here is going to help to to you know, remediate those skills and standards that they need to prepared for the next grade level. I have a question. Yes. So, how are you going to communicate communicate this to the parents? Okay. So, um we we have the the notification. So, they're going to get the letter letter mailed home. I I'm going to personally deliver each letter to the learners on Monday. Monday. one one delivered to them. one mailed. We're going to have the social media media,
058but I also have a I also have a guide that shows them how how to get on I-Ready in case on June or May 16th, some of our they're they're going to finish it at home. home. I'm Okay. Cuz I hear these parents and I I see them social media. Why didn't give didn't know the Johnny he didn't have any of these books at at And little Johnny never got got a letter. So, how are you going Cuz that's what you're going to get. Yeah. That is that isn't going to do anything to help consistently failing the test. I mean, that is how we receive our letter grade. And the accountability system has changed again. And this time it is uh more rigorous. And we have to step up to the plate. So, we've got
059to get our parents to be more involved in helping us improve the success of our kids. >> And and and and again, I'm going to say it. No matter how or what we do they're still going to blame the school system. So, I'm telling you I want to hold the parents accountable for signing something, some kind of documentation. Because guess what? We take the blame too many times when we're doing everything in our willpower to try to make this community successful. And without without the community being involved of dysfunctional school system. Text message, social media, uh always always putting it in the backpack, making [clears throat] a phone call, mails. Yeah. Thank you. But the biggest thing I think is giving the kids the opportunity to to at least start it while they're in school.
060Um at the same time holding parents accountable for kids, you know doing what they need to do. Um and we've done this board, we all teach everybody, we've done everything. We've done everything. The final thing is get the test scores up. And we did a lot of work this year partnering with the Kirkland Group, partnering with the Department of Education, having all these partners to come in and provide that assistance that kids need in the classroom. I'll tell you this and and and then I'll be finished. I had the opportunity to go on LSU's campus and visit their high school, University High. That is one of the top high schools in the state. They have two teachers in every classroom. Two. And so, I immediately made a phone call saying, how can we get two
061teachers in the classroom with the teachers that we have? How can we make that happen? Well, in partnering with the Kirkland Group you know, we did change up some things where they were pulling out kids [laughter] who needed supports, they started pushing in. And so, for a several months, we did have two teachers in the classroom in our core subject areas. So, we did, you know, the best that we could with the resources that we have. And I know that we provided lots of training, lots of supports for our teachers. Dr. John Paul and Ms. Nettles, we did this three-week observation cycle process where the teachers got some job embedded, some quality job embedded professional development. We went in the classrooms, did the observations, provided the feedback, did the training, did the coaching, did all
062of those things. Pushed to get the kids to understand the value and importance of passing this test. I spoke directly with the state superintendent and told him the the needs that we had in the district. And whatever it is that we needed, he provided. We had Department of Education people to come in on a regular and go in and support what's happening in the classroom. Teaching, providing support with the teachers, all of that. So, we are looking to see, you know, to have some improvement this year. I can't tell you by how much, but based on our recent benchmark assessments, we saw some gains. And so, with all of that work, that effort is put in, we're doing what we need to do. We need our parents to [clears throat] get on board with what
063we're trying to do here. And so, it is critical that It's called accountability. It's accountability. If you want to see a quality school system, if you want to see us be an A-rated school district, it requires the community to come in and support >> [cough and clears throat] >> Support the kids. Support your future. So, we're just asking again for support from our parents and support from this community. And if you have questions or concerns or if you feel apprehensive about something you know, you heard something or Whatever it may be. Our doors are open. Come in and talk to us. Let us know what the issue is or we'll tell you, you know, the truth. facts behind it. So, We say, you know, there's three sides to every story. Your Your side, my side,
064their side, but and the truth. And so, we're about finding the truth. And we're about and tell telling the truth. So, if there any ques- questions, concerns, Whatever it is it may be. Please come and let us know, and we will have that discussion. We'll have the conversation. Because we need We need parents. We need the community to support support this school system. And with With that, I conclude concludes my report. Item C, approval of the agenda for March 12th, 2026 committee meeting minutes It's March March 12th, 2026 regular board meeting minutes. Can Can I get a motion to approve those two to the last effective and Motion by Ms. Joyce Board Seconded by Ms. Joyce Hughes. Any question? No question. Shall pass by general consent. Item D, approve the committee reports from April of
065the 9th, 26. And Can I So, second motion by Ms. Joyce Hughes, seconded by Ms. Joyce Joyce was ordered. No question. Question. Questions? Shall pass pass by general consent. Item E, executive executive session. Can I get a motion to Move into the executive session. We're going into executive session. by Ms. Alvin Travis, seconded by Ms. Bales. That We go into the executive executive executive session. session. No questions? No question. Shall pass by consent. We shall which are adjourned. >> Mhm.