School Board rejects cuts
OPELOUSAS — Before a crowd of more than 200 people packing a meeting room Thursday night as the St. Landry Parish School Board grappled with a $4 million budget deficit, the board declined to cut employee medical insurance supplements and to reduce the number of substitute teachers.
And under the threat of court action by representatives of several teachers organizations, the board took no action on proposed furloughs of the district’s 2,000 employees.
All that while security guards posted at the front door of the Resource Center, adjacent to the district’s central office, turned away others who attempted to attend the meeting but could not do so because of a lack of seating.
During the four-hour meeting, the board deadlocked 6-6 on the issue of the medical insurance supplements and the substitutes, meaning those proposals were defeated.
Prior to that vote, representatives of the teacher organizations threatened to file for a court injunction against the school district if the board voted to approve the cost-cutting measures.
Roxson Welch said she and teacher organization leaders would meet sometime Thursday night to discuss what legal action to take regarding the possibility of having the matter of furloughs brought up at another board meeting.
Eliminating the $42.88 monthly insurance premiums paid by the district to assist employees with their health-care costs and instituting furloughs on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 would have saved the district about $1.5 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, officials have said.
A large number of school employees spoke about the issue for nearly two hours before the board took a vote.
Acting Superintendent Donnie Perron said the system has been looking for ways to save money for the past several months.
Perron said the school district has been guilty of mismanaging its finances in the recent past.
“Do we have wasted spending? Sure we do. Just as with any large company, can we do better? Certainly we can do better,” he said.
Perron said state school officials predict the district will “be broke by April” unless cuts such as furloughs and insurance supplements are made now.
He also told the board the district needs to reduce the workforce before the 2012-13 school session begins in August, because the deficit could rise to as much as $10 million.
Voting against cutting the supplemental insurance payments and the reduction in substitutes were Anthony Standberry, Quincy Richard, Charles Ross, Josie Frank, Raymond Cassimere and John Miller.
Those voting for the proposals were Scott Richard, Huey Wyble, Candace Gerace, Harry Fruge, Roger Young and board President Kyle Boss.