Superintendent contract renewal on School Board’s agenda tonight

District 8 School Board member Don Duplantis has two motions on tonight’s school board revisit the extension of Superintendent Ed Richard’s contract.

Nearly three weeks ago, Duplantis motioned for the board to renew Richard’s contract. The superintendent, whose current contract expires June 30, needed at least five votes to keep his job with the parish school system, but he only received four, with one of the board members not present at the meeting.

According to Robert’s Rules of Order, a majority vote is required to pass certain recommendations, including the superintendent’s contract renewal. The 4-4 split vote signified that Richard’s contract as head of the Terrebonne Parish public school system would not be extended beyond this school year.

Voting against keeping Richard onboard for three more years were District 2 member Gregory Harding, Board Vice President Hayes Badeaux, Board President Bonvillain and District 4 member Rickie Pitre. Members in favor included Duplantis, District 6’s L.P. Bordelon, District 1’s Roosevelt Thomas and District 3’s Richard “Dicky” Jackson.

District 7 board member Roger DeHart was absent.

At tonight’s meeting, Duplantis said he hopes to muster up a mandatory two-thirds vote from the nine-panel board. His first motion is to reconsider the previous board’s action denying the renewal of Richard’s contract. The second motion, which hinges on the passage of the first measure, would reappoint Richard as superintendent.

Duplantis said getting the two-thirds vote will not be easy. He said he doesn’t know how the board members will vote.

“I know that if the first motion doesn’t pass I can’t make the second motion. There is a 30-day probation from bringing back a previous motion and that’s why I need a two-thirds vote because the 30 days are not up,” Duplantis explained. “If I had surpassed the 30 days I wouldn’t need the first motion.”

When asked about all board members being present at Tuesday’s meeting, Duplantis replied, “We have had board meetings in the past where all board members were not present, it didn’t stop the actions of the board meeting then, and why should it stop it now.”