TPSB, chamber to ID district needs

The Terrebonne Parish School Board approved a partnership with the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce at a recent meeting, and the alliance will form a Blue Ribbon panel to pinpoint the future and current needs of the school district and how those needs will be met.

“No one can deny the critical bond shared by education and business in Terrebonne Parish, this state and this nation,” said Jennifer Armand, 2013 chairman of the board of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of Armand Creative, an advertising and public relations agency in Houma. “It is, after all, hard-working educators and schools that prepare our young people to successfully perform in the jobs created by business and industry, and our school system benefits from the vibrant economy and tax revenue that these jobs and business investments create in our community.

“Clearly, the education and business relationship is not only mutually beneficial but sets the foundation for a thriving society.”

Several weeks before the school board’s failed millage vote in May, the chamber issued a statement in opposition of the tax, citing a lack of specifics regarding how money generated by the mill increase would be spent, but Armand acknowledged that the board and the chamber must work hand in hand to secure the future of Terrebonne Parish.

“Like you, we share an appreciation for the tremendous role that a quality education system plays in a community and thank you for all that you do to provide buildings, books and buses for 19,000 elementary, middle and high school students in this parish,” Armand said. “Like you, we also recognize the tremendous responsibility of this school district to ensure that students receive the best education possible by hiring the best and brightest teachers, implementing a rigorous curriculum and advanced instructional programs and providing a safe learning environment, all in the face of challenges such as mandates from federal and state government and increased costs of doing business.

“Your challenges are our community’s challenges, and your success is our success.”

About 20-30 chamber members were seated in the crowd as Armand spoke during the meeting’s concerned citizen’s portion.

“The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce offers to partner with you to develop a Terrebonne Parish Blue Ribbon Community Panel focused on strengthening our public school system,” Armand said. “Please consider this invitation to partner on the development of this Blue Ribbon panel as an exciting new chapter in the relationship between the Chamber and the School Board, but also as an exciting step forward in our responsibility to the children of this parish.”

The Blue Ribbon panel will be made up of at least one individual from each school district, and that person will be a member of the school system, business community, a property owner, a parent or a parish resident. The group will look at the current and future needs of the school district, including enrollment and population trends, staffing, facilities, student and school performance and state and federal mandates.

After looking at these factors, the panel will work with the school board to form a plan of suggestions for developing a better school system and enhancing student performance with instructional programs, making staffing and building improvements and ascertaining the financial needs of the plan.

“Finally, the panel would recommend reasonable funding options for addressing near-term and long-term revenue deficiencies that can garner wide-spread community support,” Armand said. “It is this support that will be key to the passage of future propositions brought before the voters of Terrebonne Parish.

“We stand ready to hit the ground running when you say go. Together, we can do this, and our community stands to reap the rewards of this renewed cooperation.”

The chamber also plans to hire a consultant, someone from outside the area who has experience with community panels, to assist the group.

Prior to the vote, several members of the school board had questions and suggestions for Armand regarding the panel and the possible short- and long-term plans for the school system.

Board member L.P. Bordelon was the first to make a recommendation concerning the panel.

“We are happy you are here and that the chamber is willing to work with us to plan for the future and carry the ball to civic groups and other interest groups,” Bordelon said. “A Blue Ribbon panel is fine, but it has to be comprehensive of the people in the parish. It needs to include parents of the children who will be affected by what comes of this panel. The plan needs to be relevant to all people in the parish.”

“This is a step in the right direction,” said board member Gregory Harding. “I am concerned about size of the panel. There may be too many opinions, and it might not get a thing done.”

Harding would also like to see results from the panel before the 2014-2015 school year, and fellow board member Debi Benoit asked that the board be provided with a plan for selecting the panel’s members by next month.

Board president Roger Dehart, who met with Armand and Terrebonne Parish School District superintendent Philip Martin a few times prior to the meeting, commented positively on the proposed partnership.

“I feel really blessed to hear those kind words,” Dehart said. “As president of the board, I really believe this is encouraging for Terrebonne Parish. We will keep our eyes focused on the future. This is a new day and a new beginning.”

The board approved the partnership with the Chamber, and it also approved the 12-month lease of the old Houma Elementary School to the Terrebonne Revitalization Company at a rate of $1,000 per month. The company will likely move into the building within the next six months, after school board employees have been moved to new offices at West Park Elementary.

Board members Benoit and Brenda Leroux Babin, who voted against the previous action to authorize the lease or sale of the building, voted against the recommendation. According to Martin, the company is interested in eventually purchasing the building but is awaiting funding approval on grants that may be used to purchase the building.

“The building will eventually be a liability if we hang on to it,” Martin said. “We lose nothing if we lease the building. I am protecting the financials of the board.”

The board also approved a $30 insurance rate for students who play sports or participate in extracurricular activities including dance and band. The fee was previously paid by the school system but was eliminated due to the board’s budget shortfall this year.