Guillory takes oath as St. Mary School Board member

CENTERVILLE — Lawrence Guillory’s swearing in Thursday was a family affair.
The newly appointed interim St. Mary Parish School Board member was sworn in Thursday by his daughter, Morgan Guillory, an assistant district attorney, while daughter Sarra held the Bible and wife Stacey stood by.
Also at its Thursday meeting, the board recognized teachers who have excelled in the Value Added Model 4 assessment program and heard a presentation on a proposed property tax for Hospital Service District No. 2.
Centerville resident Guillory was appointed by the board to fill the District VII seat left vacant by the resignation of Murphy Pontiff last month.
Pontiff, elected in November 2022, told the board that his connection with local education included his graduation from Franklin Senior High in 1962. He said hearing problems prevent him from participating in council discussion.
“I hope I can live up to your reputation,” Guillory told Pontiff.
Hospital tax
Hospital Service District counsel Bill Bourgeois told the board about the district’s proposed 9-mill property tax, which appears on the Dec. 7 ballot in eastern St. Mary.
Most of the $3.4 million expected to be raised by the tax is earmarked for building maintenance and upgrades on Ochsner St. Mary, which is owned by the district and operated under lease by Ochsner Health. (See related election story.)
But the dedication leaves room for another plan: funding scholarships for local people entering health care fields.
“We want to have physicians in our community who grew up here, “ Bourgeois said.
VAM
The board recognized teachers involved in the Value Added Model 4 program, which “measures students’ success compared to similar peers year to year. Value-added is a statistical model that uses student characteristics to determine anticipated student performance in the current year.”
Teachers who meet the goals are each eligible for a $3,000 stipend.
Recognized Thursday were:
—Nicole Boudreaux
—Shannon Jaet
—Alyssa Rhodes
—Janine Hoang
—Lani McElroy
—Shantay Womble
—Heather Crappell
—Maybelle Klein
—Megan Vinning
—Angela Kulka
—Jennifer Ross
—Renata Colar
—Mary Gilmore
—Leah Becnel
—Rekeisha Triggs
—Shannon Duplantis
—Nicole Pellerin
—Chaquilla Coleman
—Crystal Knope
Monthly honors
The School Board’s Students of the Month are fourth-grader Aaleyah Allen of Hattie Watts Elementary; eighth-grader Isaac Watts of Morgan City Junior High; and senior Kelsey August of West St. Mary High.
The Employees of the Month are fourth-grade teacher Nicole Boudreaux, Hattie Watts; head custodian James Naverre, Morgan City Junior High; and bookkeeper Trinity Weber, West St. Mary High.