School Board delays decision on Richard’s contract extension

At Tuesday night’s highly anticipated meeting, the Terrebonne Parish School Board rejected one board’s request to reconsider Superintendent Ed Richard’s contract.

Very similar to the scenario a month earlier, the board, in a 4-4 vote, rejected a motion to revisit extending the school chief’s contract, which will expire June 30. District 8 board member Don Duplantis presented the measure. However, for it to pass a two-thirds vote was required.

Richard’s fate will have to wait until the board’s next meeting, which is set for Feb. 27.

The question of Richard’s contract renewal was first raised at the Jan. 16 meeting. With board member Roger Dale DeHart absent because of illness, the measure failed in a 4-4 vote at that meeting.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, board member Rickie Pitre was absent because of business out of town. Pitre opposed keeping Richard onboard at the Jan. 16 meeting.

Prior to the vote, a number of citizens in the packed housenincluding a contention looking to recall the four school board members that oppose the superintendent’s releasenvoiced their support of Richard.

Education advocate Christine Price, a Houma resident who is circulating a recall petition, shared her concerns about the board’s direction.

“I feel that Terrebonne Parish has a wonderful school system with a lot of wonderful educators. But the parish has a long way to go, and if we want our kids to progress academically in this school system then we have to work harder to bring the school system where it needs to be,” she said. “I don’t want the school system to go down to ground zero.”

Montegut resident Russell Felio Jr., who is also circulating a recall petition, urged the board to propone the measure until all board members were present. Houma resident Monica Marcell, who was interrupted by one board member when she addressed the officials, tearfully urged the board to reconsider the contract.

Just as the residents were given an opportunity to speak, each board member was given the opportunity to voice their opinions.

District 6 representative L.P. Bordelon agreed with the majority of the residents. “Just because someone else is absent from a meeting doesn’t mean that the meeting stops. We have something to do and we need to take care of it,” he said.

District 1 board member Roosevelt Thomas countered, arguing that the board should postpone the action until all board members were present at the meeting. “We made the mistake of voting with one member absent the first time, let’s not make the same mistake again,” he said.

Before voting on Duplantis’ motion to reconsider Richard’s contract renewal, Board President Clark Bonvillain reminded the board that at least six votes were needed for the measure to pass.

District 2’s Gregory Harding, Bonvillain, Thomas and Board Vice President Hayes Badeaux voted against the motion to reconsider. Bordelon, Duplantis, District 3’s Dicky Jackson and District 7 representative Roger DeHart voted to reconsider Richard’s contract.

Duplantis said he intends to bring Richard’s contract renewal before the board again in three weeks. According to board policy, members can revisit a failed measure with a simple majority after 30 days, which could pave the way for Duplantis’ reconsideration request to pass.

The next board meeting was initially set for Feb. 20. Bonvillain sought to have the meeting date pushed up to Feb. 13 because of the Mardi Gras holiday. After some discussion, Thomas presented the board with a substitute motion to reschedule the board meeting for Feb. 27. The motion passed unanimously.