Breaux Bridge – The St. Martin Parish School Board voted to have the school district staff look into other options for school security officers after the proposed contract with St. Martin Parish Sheriff Becket Breaux’s office for School Resource Officers increased by nearly 43 percent.
School Superintendent Frederick Wiltz said the sheriff is requesting a 67-33 percent split instead of the 50-50 split the parish and sheriff had previously.
Part of the increase was due to the sheriff increasing pension pay by 7.25 percent this year rather than giving raises, the board was told. The other part of the increase was because the school board will now pay for eight months of the SRO contract with the sheriff paying for four months, instead of the previous 50-50 split.
District 10 Board Member Mark Hebert said he’d like to have the school district staff look into other alternatives for the SRO program.
“I personally made a phone call to a person that has a security company,” Hebert said. “They have one that’s right here in Breaux Bridge, but there’s multiple (companies), and I’d like to have staff look into it and see other options that we have because this is probably getting out of our price range right here.
“And for the most part, all we need is an individual at school. Right here we’re paying for a vehicle. We’re paying for a lot of different things. If we sub-contract, if we contract out to a security company, we may have a better offer. And then again, we may not. But I think we have to at least look into it because this is a drastic increase in price.”
The current contract with the sheriff’s office runs out on July 1. The council voted to hold off on voting for the contract with the sheriff’s office while staff looks into other options.
Hebert said, in answer to questions from the public, that if a private security firm is used, they would probably have to call 911 in the case of someone who needs to be detained, since Sheriff’s deputies could handcuff those people themselves.
The school board also would have to put into policy whether private security officers could have handguns on campus.
The board also tabled action on budget cuts as it looks into where those cuts can be made.
A special meeting was held about the budget last month but Hebert asked for the board to postpone a decision while it looks into different ways to cut costs, including possibly reducing supervisory staff the way Lafayette Parish recently did.
Board
Chief Financial Officer Casey Broussard said the proposed budget cuts would not result in loss of jobs for anyone other than through retirement.
Some people may have to move from their current positions.
Hebert said his concern is to not overburden teachers with larger classrooms.
“There’s so many different ways we can look at before we attack the studentteacher ratio,” Hebert said.
Broussard said the school system is making cuts where it can.
“We spend $10 million on everything else we do,” she said. “We spend $85 million in salaries. Where are you going to cut to really, truly get back what you’re losing? And it’s going to be, unfortunately, through salaries.”
Wiltz said that comparing St. Martin Parish to Lafayette’s school system is not possible because of the vast difference in the tax bases for the two parishes.
The board has until Sept. 1 to pass its budget.
The board voted to table the issue and to also discuss transportation issues, which are currently on hold as a new transportation computer program is installed to streamline bus routes.
Finance committee The board approved a Student Accident Insurance optional a lower rate than last year’s rate.
Human Resources Supervisor Julie Laviolette told the board that the school system got a quote for $16,000 less than last year from the same company that provided insurance last year.
“I sent it back to them and I’m hoping to even get a little bit better because I noticed the number of students they had quoted us for our population had gone down,” she said.
The board also considered vesting employees with the health insurance program, if they work with the school district for a period of time.
Laviolette said the board should consider the idea because some employees are hired one year before retiring, and are then on the school board health insurance program for life after retiring. Neighboring parishes like Iberia and Lafayette require up to 20 years or more with the school system before vesting employees in the health insurance program.
Laviolette suggested having teachers have to be in the health insurance program for 10 years before they are vested in the insurance program.
The board voted to table the matter while staff comes up with a tiered system for becoming vested in the health insurance program.
The board approved a staffing formula to provide the number of custodians and secretaries for each school in an attempt to make staffing equitable.
Each school will have at least a secretary, with additional employees if warranted by school size.
The board approved an increase in its June sales tax supplement after Broussard recommended that action.
Renewal costs for worker’s compensation were reduced based on a lower number of employees and approved by the board.
New business
The board adopted a resolution to canvass the results of the May 3 election that saw voters approve a $30 million capital improvements bond, and a resolution to advertise for bids for $10 million in bonds to start the improvements projects. The first projects would begin Sept. 4.
A third resolution passed authorizing the incurring of debt via the General Obligation School Bonds.
Voters passed the issue with a 60-40 approval.
The board also approved making May 15 a professional development day for teachers and staff because of graduation days.
The board also voted to modify work hours for central office staff on a 90-day trial basis, allowing staff to work from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. with the front office open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The board also considered allowing the American Legion Post 419 to lease the old School Board Building at 305 Washington St. in St. Martinville.
