Theotine "Theo" Ulysse Dardar
June 23, 2009
Diana Benoit Toms
June 25, 2009
Terrebonne Parish Schools Superintendent Philip Martin will begin meeting this week with a study group to determine a priority list of school construction projects.
Martin said the group is composed of business and civic leaders, representatives of government entities, parents, teachers and his staff members.
The study group was formed in response to concerns from the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce.
Martin and school district
Finance Director Harris Henry met with the chamber’s Education Committee on May 27 seeking their support for an October ballot initiative to
rededicate a portion of the 1-cent sales tax to fund school construction projects.
At last Tuesday’s school board meeting, the chamber’s Education Committee chairman Lee Steil read a letter addressing those concerns.
“The chamber appreciates your efforts to reinvest in the district’s aging facilities,” he said. “However, the board of directors is hesitant to commit in supporting this rededication without seeing a plan of action or a priority list for how the money would be spent.
“Additionally, the chamber is requesting that the business community be included in the development of such a plan,” he added.
Martin hopes to have list of three or four most immediately-needed repair and construction projects for the public and the school board by the end of July.
“The board will make the ultimate decision, but I want to get a lot of input and use this as a guiding point,” Martin said. “Although October seems very far away, it’s relatively right around the corner.”
School board members backed the study group and understood the chamber’s logic.
“What they are requesting is reasonable,” said L. P. Bordelon. “I think any citizen and taxpayer would ask for the same before voting on such a measure.”
Rickie Pitre suggested the board consider a sunset to the sales tax once it has served its purpose.
“We got taxpayers’ money being spent on issues that I think go way beyond the call that the electorate voted on years ago,” he said.
Martin told the board that the rededication would be perpetual, not a one-time shift of money.
“There will be a phase one, a phase two, a phase three, and so on,” he said. “Probably by that time, most of us won’t be around.”
In other school board news, the Finance, Insurance and Section 16 Lands Committee unanimously approved Martin’s $197 million proposed budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year last Monday.
The full board will vote on the budget at its July 7 meeting.
The budget is about $3.5 million less than last year due to state cuts in education spending.
The district plans to purge over 80 positions by not replacing retirees, filling vacant jobs or renewing one-year contracts of non-certified teachers.
The district also projects having about 300 fewer students come August, bringing the total to just under 18,000.
“We will be able to absorb these cuts without layoffs to certified and high-qualified teachers or loss in instructional materials,” Martin insisted.
