Schools look for best ways to use new laptops

Laptops will be coming to St. Mary Parish Public Schools next school year, courtesy of funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The funding will be used to provide a 1:1 ratio for students in third through 12th grades and could be extended to grades kindergarten through second, too, if funding is secured, Superintendent Teresa Bagwell told school board members at Thursday’s monthly meeting.
The move is to prepare the district for an extended absence of school because of COVID-19, as happened this year, or even for regular classroom usage while school is in session, Bagwell said.
To help with this, Bagwell proposed that the district hire a third technology facilitator to help train educators.
“As we move into 2020-2021, we have to be prepared again to leave school for an extended period of time and to educate students in an online environment,” Bagwell said. “We’re not ready for that yet.
“We have to train our teachers to instruct via an online environment and to use the Microsoft applications that the district has in place but just frankly have not been utilized to the extent that they’re going to need to be if we are to close” or for even in daily classroom use.
Bagwell said that by hiring the third facilitator, it will enable one facilitator apiece to focus on training elementary, junior high and high school teachers.
“One person to train all of those teachers is just an overwhelming and probably impossible job,” Bagwell said.
Also Thursday, Bagwell proposed eliminating the positions of Title 1 supervisor and special education supervisor and combining the two jobs into a director of federal programs position.
“It will direct all federal programs for the Special ED and the federal title programs,” Bagwell said of the new position. “That person would in turn replace two supervisors, so by replacing two supervisory positions, it would account for a savings of a partial salary that currently comes out the general fund.”
Board member Alaina Black said she has heard from concerned employees “about maintaining the integrity of these programs and not losing money in the long run if it’s too much” for one person. Black explained these are large funding sources for programs that affect so many different students.
“If it’s too much of a job for one person, we could end up losing more than we would end up saving in the long run,” she said.
Black said that she works with the programs daily and it is a huge undertaking for one person.
“I would agree that it is a massive undertaking,” Bagwell said, “but I also would contend that it’s an undertaking that for one person to coordinate all of those services … to make sure that we are maximizing every dollar.
“More money needs to be in the classroom and less money in the orchestration involved.”
The board approved the agenda item adding the third technology facilitator and the director of federal programs to the district’s organizational chart in a 10-1 vote, with Black voting against it.
In other action, the board approved renewal of the district’s Student Accident Insurance, beginning Aug. 1 through Frank’s Agency in Patterson, at a reduction of more than $21,000 in premiums.
While there were no changes in the coverages, terms or conditions, the school district received a 15% decrease in premiums equating to more than $10,700 in reductions in its All Sports Plan blanket. Last year the board paid $71,584, while this year’s quote was $60,846.
“That is all because of your good claim history for the last couple years,” Carmel Breaux of Norris Insurance Consultants Inc. told the board.
Additionally, a COVID 19 credit of 15% or $10,738 will be applied to the renewal, decreasing that $60,846 price tag to $50,108.
Breaux said the additional 15% is money the board received from last year from its premiums because it didn’t have any sports or activities in the last nine-weeks of the school year.
In other action, the board:
—Directed Supervisor of Maintenance Brad Wiese to rebid unused property at Wyandotte Elementary in Morgan City. No bids were received for the work on June 3, but Chief Financial Officer Alton Perry noted that someone had interest in the property. However, they missed the bid deadline. The property will be rebid at the minimum acceptable amount of $111,100.
—Approved an emergency declaration to cover any storm-associated damage from Tropical Storm Cristobal. Bagwell said there was some roof leakage in school facilities.