St. John the Baptist Parish School Board approves multiple policy updates, insurance award and contracting actions

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board on Sept. 19, 2024 in Reserve approved a package of revised policies, authorized advertisements and procurement steps, and awarded a general liability contract to Gallagher for $313,695.91. The meeting included a district operations update from Superintendent Perry and multiple votes on policy and contract items.

The items approved included revised policy GBRID (Military Leave), JBCE (Public School Choice), JGCE (Child Abuse reporting), LEH (Patriotic Organizations), IDCJ (Continuous Learning), the 2024–25 Pupil Progression Plan, the Differentiated Compensation Stipend, and the 2025 Medicare Advantage renewal. The board also authorized the architect to advertise construction bids for the West St. John High Fieldhouse and approved several procurement steps: an RFP for workers’ compensation third‑party administration, advertising for disaster management services, and advertising for property insurance. The board awarded the general liability insurance contract to Gallagher for $313,695.91.

Superintendent Perry presented district updates that covered hurricane recovery lessons, academics, transportation and staffing. Of particular note, the district reported $1,449,243 in HVAC equipment ordered via ESSER funds across several campuses and said it is seeking about $5,000 in FEMA reimbursement for recent maintenance work.

Votes at a glance
• Minutes (Aug. 22, 2024): Approved (Motion: Mamou; Roll call: 9 yeas, 2 absent).
• Executive session convened for two legal matters: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent). After reconvening, the board granted settlement authority to Attorney Patrick Amadee in the tax appeal (Roll call: 8 yeas, 3 absent).
• GBRID — Military Leave: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• JBCE — Public School Choice: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• JGCE — Child Abuse reporting: Approved (Roll call: 9 yeas, 2 absent).
• LEH — Patriotic Organizations: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• IDCJ — Continuous Learning: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Pupil Progression Plan 2024–25: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Authorize architect to advertise for West St. John High Fieldhouse bids: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Advertise RFP — workers’ compensation third‑party administrator: Approved (Roll call on substitute: 6 yeas, 4 nays, 1 absent).
• Advertise for Disaster Management Services: Approved after substitute to extend contract failed (final: 6 yeas, 4 nays, 1 absent).
• Advertise for property insurance: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Award general liability insurance to Gallagher ($313,695.91): Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Extend grounds maintenance at Old Lucy School property (BLBC Enterprise) for one year: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Differentiated Compensation Stipend: Approved (Roll call: 10 yeas, 1 absent).
• Medicare Advantage renewal 2025: Approved (Roll call: 9 yeas, 1 nay, 1 absent).

Why it matters
The meeting combined routine governance (policy updates, budgets, insurance procurement) with operational decisions that affect facilities, insurance costs and emergency-management contracts. Approvals related to ESSER-funded HVAC equipment and disaster-management procurement connect directly to recovery from past storms and future emergency readiness. The board also chose to send a proposed censure policy to counsel rather than adopt it at this meeting, postponing a governance change that would set standards for reprimanding members.

The board scheduled a public hearing on millages for Oct. 28 and announced additional committee and workshop dates. The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m.