Superintendent Kent Reed reported to the Allen Parish School Board when students would return to school and what damages the district had suffered due to Hurricane Laura at Monday’s meeting, September 14.
Schools in Elizabeth, Oakdale, Kinder and Oberlin reopened Wednesday, September 16. Teachers had returned on Monday, September 14.
Both Reeves and Fairview were supposed to have electricity returned earlier that day. Teachers in Reeves would return Monday, September 21, and students on Thursday, September 24.
Fairview, the hardest hit, would welcome teachers back to campus Monday, September 28, and students on Thursday, October 1. Fairview would welcome pre-K everyday and hopefully kindergarten students. Other elementary students would attend Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Sixth to 12th grade will attend class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Reed gave a list of damages at each campus to the board beginning with Elizabeth where the main building was in good shape. The gym had a piece of metal blown off the roof and had water inside the gym. Several trees were down in the school yard including one on top of the dugout at the baseball field.
In Oakdale, the elementary building had a few small water leaks and several trees down on the playground area. Some water reached the cafeteria through the leak in the atrium where the turtles are located. The outside storage building was blown from its original position at the middle school. The high school had some live power lines down that had to be corrected. Windows were blown open on the second floor which allowed water to penetrate the building.
In Oberlin, an air condition unit on the roof was flipped. There also was water damage in the area. They are replacing the unit and see if the other one can be salvaged. There were some leaks in the gym and adjoining classrooms. The visitor’s dressing room, scoreboard and fence around the stadium had to be repaired. The carpet in the Home Ec kitchen had to be removed due to water damage. At the elementary building, the structural engineer had to inspect the area and deemed it was safe for use.
At the Kinder Elementary and Kinder Middle School campuses, the canopy at the elementary site where cars line up for students was damaged. The roof was damaged, and the library had water damage. The school’s internet, fire alarm and intercom lines were knocked down. The gym roof near the entrance was damaged, and siding was lost on the building. The high school also had damage to the roof. Ceiling tiles had to be replaced in several areas. The dugouts at the baseball and softball fields and the fence at the baseball stadium were severely damaged.
Reeves’ gym floor and the roof will have to be replaced. There were about 100 evacuees inside the gym when the winds pulled back the roof. Evacuees had to move into the hallway. Some of the classes on the high school received water damage. This was the only gym floor damaged in the district.
The structural engineer said all buildings were sound and ready to be occupied.
Fairview received the most damage to the roofs of the cafeteria, auditorium, high school building and middle school building . The Home Ec building will probably be used as a makeshift cafeteria until the cafeteria can be repaired.
Reed said they allowed virtual students to return to face-to-face instruction and asked students to register. Reed said 21 students wanted to return to face-to-face at Elizabeth. Oakdale Elementary has 74 including four displaced students from Calcasieu/Cameron parishes; 54 from Oakdale Middle; 14 from Oakdale High including three displaced students; 47 from Oberlin Elementary; 19 from Oberlin High and one displaced student; 33 from Kinder Elementary and 12 displaced; 28 from Kinder Middle and 11 displaced; and 17 from Kinder High including 33 displaced students.
Reed reported LHSAA would allow football to restart. Scrimmages begin September 25, and games begin October 2.
The board conducted a hearing on its budget for 2020-21. Tammi Ritchie, finance director, explained the sales tax was doing well despite her predicting a slight decrease due to COVID-19. She also thought the MFP funding would see a deficit of at least $1 million, but she said the numbers were holding. “I don’t think we are going to lose as much as I thought, but I was very conservative,” she said in regards to the numbers she used.
Ritchie said the district’s expenditures were mostly salaries and benefits, and the numbers were close. She also said the district has had two to three years with surplus funding. She didn’t expect any big surprises but said they would continue to watch the spending and other things they could control.
“It might be better,” she said when outlining the budget. She admitted there was some wiggle room in it. “We had a good year, and we made some wise decisions.” She expected a deficit of $519,000 due to the COVID-19 and Hurricane Laura issues. However, she said she was hoping for good news at the end.
In other business, the board:
•Approved budget revisions for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
•Approved the early childhood supervisor position.
•Authorized the superintendent to advertise for an early childhood supervisor; two pre-K paras for Oakdale Elementary; a pre-K para for Fairview High; custodian for Kinder Elementary; full-day lunchroom technician for Fairview High; and part-day lunchroom technician for Oberlin.
•Gave the superintendent permission to sign the required Louisiana Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist form.
•Approved a change order for an increase of $2,923 at Kinder Elementary/Middle School for insulation in the cafeteria.
•Declared a Public Emergency so the superintendent can dispense with meeting requirements of the Public Bid Law to repair and restore any damage to the facilities or property associated with Hurricane Laura.
•Approved minutes from August 10, meeting and payment of bills.
