School panel saves trees, axes trash cans

Six trees were saved, but four $750 trash cans got the ax as principals in District I and III got most of what they prioritized in St. Mary Parish School Board maintenance committee workshops Thursday afternoon.
Committee recommendations must be approved by the full board when it considers the fiscal year 2014-15 budget. The District II committee will meet at 1 p.m. May 7.
Maintenance supervisor Brad Wiese said a business indicated it would like Wyandotte Elementary to remove six trees that are near where it wants to erect a structure. The unnamed business offered to pay half the cost.
Principal Barbara LeLeux asked to spare the trees.
“The children play under those trees. It is delightful to see kids playing with imagination,” LeLeux said. “I would like to keep those trees there for the kids.”
The $7,000 budgeted for the project was moved, with the addition of another $1,000, to put in solar screens on windows for the classrooms.
“We were able to save the trees and save on electric bills,” LeLeux said after the meeting.
M.E. Norman Elementary was also able to procure a recommendation to begin installing solar screens on its classroom windows by moving some funding around. Funding also was approved for a water fountain for the kindergarteners and foundation repairs in two classrooms at the school.
Morgan City High did not get approval for four $750 garbage cans, but it got most of its other requests. The committee approved $85,000 that might be used for additional room at the woodworking shop. Board member Roland Verret expressed concern that the addition to the woodworking area might hinder a return of a welding program. The committee agreed to recommend the funding with the understanding the money was not specifically earmarked for the woodworking expansion until Verret’s concern was addressed.
The committee approved funding for replacing the scoreboard on the softball field ($6,500) and a basketball scoreboard LED lighting upgrade ($12,000). The committee also approved funding $45,000 to strip and reseal the school’s window insulating material.
M.D. Shannon Elementary requested $10,500 to replace the public address system in the gym, but it was not on the original list of funded items. Principal Rebecca Harris said the system was frequently used, but it was not dependable and needed replacement. She convinced the committee to add the money to replace the system.
J. B. Maitland Elementary had the biggest ticket item on the list of improvement projects with $600,000 for work on replacing its heating and air conditioning system. Principal Tanya Verrette also got the school $25,000 for a laptop computer cart that was not on the original wish list.
Morgan City Junior High principal Kenneth Holmes convinced the committee to add $6,500 funding for a 12-foot-by-12-foot motorized projector screen in the boys’ gym that can be used for presentations. He also got $4,000 to replace the canopy at the office entrance to better protect people from getting wet during hard rain.
Holmes wants to convert the former home economics room into a computer lab at a cost of $23,000. Verret questioned if this would cause the permanent loss of home economics equipment or make it difficult to bring a home economics program back to the junior high. The conversion idea was shelved. Later in the meeting Holmes was offered the option of using the $23,000 for a laptop cart, but he said he preferred to wait on a full computer lab.
Meanwhile, District I Chairman Wayne Deslatte said District I schools are constrained by the wording of their tax assessment. The revenue from the tax must be used on maintenance and cannot be used for capital projects although the district has capital issues that need funding, he said. That could be seen in the funding priorities faced by those schools.
J.A. Hernandez Elementary already had $15,000 set aside to replace its intercom system which is integral to communicating with classrooms, especially in an emergency situation. But it needs $35,000 more to get the project done. There was no funding for the next year’s budget. Principal Sylvia Lockett said this was a safety issue that needed immediate attention.
“Some teachers in some classrooms cannot communicate with the office,” Lockett said. “This is a big issue.”
The committee decided to add the entire remaining $35,000 and have the work done this summer.
Franklin Junior High needed $50,000 for desks, chairs tables and other furniture. Board member Murphy Pontiff said the junior high needed to be allocated money for that. The committee decided to cut in half the money it was asked to fund for insulating piping, which freed $6,000 and it moved another $5,000 from a camera system upgrade; giving the school $11,000 to spend on desks and chairs.
LaGrange Elementary does not have a place students can go for recess when it is rainy. Principal Paul Godfrey requested $70,000 for a 50-foot-by-50-foot covered pavilion. Godfrey made a plea for his kids to have a place to go and the committee agreed to fund $25,000 to get the project started by pouring the foundation.
Pontiff said the Centerville football program is in its infancy and progressing but needs financial support. The committee agreed to add $50,000 in funding for the sports program.