By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board awarded a contract for redistricting services to Data Center LLC Thursday evening but not before an extended argument brought some concern out into the open.

School board member Russ Wise was the first to get the debate ball rolling as he voiced concerns over seeming improprieties in the selection process. He said his concerns arose because the references for the company had not been checked and the company had changed its bid to just below that of South Central Planning just four minutes before the proposal window closed.

“I’m concerned that someone somewhere dropped the ball,” said Wise.

Answering the charges, School Board President Patrick Sanders said the Executive Committee had directed the administration entering into the proposal process, so he did not feel it was necessary for the committee to review all the proposals.

Superintendent Courtney Millet, who Wise accused of directing Purchasing Agent Peter Montz to not check the company’s references, said, “I did not speak to Peter Montz about this.”

She said her recommendation was to just follow the Parish Council’s redistricting plan, eliminate four board members and save the money, but her recommendation went unheeded.

As for the last-minute change, Montz explained that when companies submit proposals, they have 24 hours to review other proposals and change their own if they see fit to do so.

Another concern Wise mentioned was one of the company’s principals, Cedric Floyd, was involved in a lawsuit filed against the school board the last time redistricting occurred, an incident Wise said cost the district $10,000.

“I’ve been doing redistricting as long as anybody in the state. Never had a plan rejected in federal court,” said Floyd. “I guarantee my work. It won’t cost you a dime if it is challenged in court.”

His words must have sufficed for most on the board as Data Center’s proposal for $24,000 was then approved.

More debate followed as an item added to the agenda by Sanders asked for the school board to approve a five-year contract extension with the St. John Association of Educators. He reasoned it would provide a certain level of stability in the system given the changes that recently sailed through the Legislature.

Other board members, however, felt five years was too long of an extension and offered motions to extend the contract for three years and one year. The administration, on the advice of legal counsel, recommended a one-year extension.

Michael Walker-Jones, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Educators, advised that a public meeting is not the place for such talks and that any decision the board came to would also have to be approved by the union.

“In terms of the motion, the negotiation process ends with a tentative agreement,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re negotiating in public.”

He continued, “This is a matter of collective bargaining. It’s not just a matter of the board making a motion. Ultimately, the two bodies have to come to a meeting of the minds.”

Board member Gerald Keller voiced several concerns about the process that led up to this point.

“I want to file a grievance against the board,” he said.

Walker-Jones said the union will take full responsibility for the perceived improprieties but said the talks were kept informal to stay within the bounds of the law, which states that a majority of school board members cannot gather for a meeting without proper notification to the public.

“This was not a negotiating session,” he said.

Ultimately, the board decided to table the matter pending further discussion.