Junction City students’ fate undecided

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The Claiborne Parish School Board will decide at its next meeting whether to continue its agreement with Junction City Schools or do away with them altogether.

Board members met with Junction City school board members Thursday night to discuss their agreement with Claiborne Parish that allows students from Claiborne Parish to attend Junction City schools in Union County, Arkansas.

While this agreement between the two has been in place for at least the last 70 to 80 years, it’s possible, even probable, that the agreement will end at either the end of this school year or the 2013-14 school year.

In the current agreement, there are 105 students that attend Junction City Schools and the Claiborne School Board allocates funds from the general fund, which includes the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) state monies that fund teachers’ salaries and benefits based on student population on a per pupil basis, to pay for six teachers, paraprofessionals and one bus driver.

According to school board financial records, the school board pays roughly $537,000 to Junction City to allow those students to attend school there. That amount breaks down to approximately $5,121 per student.

At Thursday’s informal discussion, Junction City Schools Superintendent Danny Thomas asked if Claiborne could raise that amount to about $6,500 per student, because like Claiborne, they are facing constraints and loss of students as well.

“It seems like it’s (the agreement) has worked out pretty good in the past,” Thomas said. “What I would like to see happen is for this agreement to last. The students in Ward 9 have been attending the Junction City school district, and this has been a generational thing. If the parish is not being hurt, and our district is not being hurt by accepting those kids, why can’t we continue this agreement?”

However, Thomas said he felt like Junction City was taking a hit by accepting Claiborne Parish students, because the amount they are receiving per student is well below what Claiborne Parish pays for its students that attend school within the parish. Thomas said Arkansas is paying roughly $6,000 per student, and it’s a loss for them to continue to accept Claiborne Parish students at $5,121.

Claiborne Parish Schools Business Manager Fred Evans spent a good amount of time breaking down the current agreement and explaining the Louisiana system and formula used, saying if Claiborne Parish decided to give Junction City $6,500 per student, then the $537,000 total would sky rocket, and Claiborne just can’t afford to do it.

But Thomas couldn’t understand why Claiborne Parish is paying so much more for its students within the parish and not paying more for the students who attend Junction City schools.

Evans said the amount they pay per student is about $13,000, but that includes federal funding, state funding, property taxes received and other funding. In other words, it includes everything but the “kitchen sink.”

Thomas suggested another one year agreement and give parents, teachers, students, etc., time to acclimate to the idea of changing the agreement or doing away with it.

There are several different factors at play in this decision because of state funding cuts in Louisiana and the difference in state law in Arkansas. In Louisiana, with MFP based on a per pupil basis, that amount goes down with the loss of each student. In other words, at the beginning of this school year, Claiborne began with approximately 1,900 students. Since then, that head count has gone down to 1,879 students. Another head count will be done in February.

Another factor is what Evans called mid-year cuts, which means the state re-evaluates where school systems stand, and in order to save money for the state, school systems’ amounts are cut again -- which means school boards have to tighten their belts again in the middle of the school year.

In Arkansas, according to Thomas, state funds for education are based on the previous year’s head count and that’s the amount they get for the upcoming school year. If there is a loss of students that current year, then the next school year’s funds are reduced to compensate for the loss of those students.

“When the state (Louisiana) got in trouble, the state started mid-year cuts, which has caused havoc for school systems,” Evans said.

Another issue is the value-added evaluation system that’s been put into place by Louisiana to evaluate its teachers. With the agreement with Junction City, it’s been difficult to evaluate the teachers in Junction City because they teach in Arkansas, even though they are employed by Claiborne Parish.

In answer to that, Joan E. Hunt, executive counsel for the Louisiana Department of Education suggested two routes: stop sending students to Arkansas and bring them back to Claiborne Parish, or Claiborne can enter into an agreement with Junction City where Claiborne “transfers MFP funds for those children to Junction City and Junction City provides the education (including the hiring of staff, textbooks and so on) to those children.”

So it boils down to the decision of the two parties agreeing to keep the amount the same for one more year or capping it at $6,000 per student. The decision would go before Claiborne’s school board at its February meeting and would then go before Junction City’s board members the following Tuesday. If both parties don’t agree to one or the other, then the agreement would be done away with altogether.

However, both sides did agree what needs to be done is what’s best for the students. Both sides agreed they had the kids’ best interest at heart, and they are what is most important.

The Claiborne Parish School Board will meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, February 7, in the board meeting room at Central Office, 600 East Main Street in Homer. The Junction City School Board met at 6:30 p.m. at the high school library on Tuesday, January 22 at 500 Elm Street in Junction City. For more information or for questions, please call the Claiborne Parish School Board at 318-927-3502 or call Junction City’s office at 870-924-4575. The next meeting of the Junction City School Board will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12.

Claiborne Relay for Life Kickoff

The kickoff for the Claiborne Relay for Life 2013 will be at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, February 7, at Nicky’s Mexican Restaurant in Homer.

This is Dutch treat.

All interested persons are invited to attend. For more information, please contact Nancy Mason at 318-927-2517 or Elbie Dickens at 318-927-2360.

New interdiction team yields arrest

The Guardian-Journal

Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey released the following statement on the activities of his newly formed Criminal Interdiction Team (CIT).

On the night of Saturday, January 19, CIT members Detectives Darren Keel and Adrian Malone were monitoring traffic in the southeast area of the parish when they observed a 1993 Chevy Caprice with extremely loud music coming from the vehicle. CIT then initiated a traffic stop and observed that this vehicle was occupied by the driver and four passengers.

Malone made contact with the driver, Dwight Ford, and advised him why he was stopped. During this contact, Malone, along with Keel and Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Heath Tingle, noticed that the front seat passenger, Roderick Bedford, was in possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage. CIT further observed the three passengers on the rear seat were all in possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage.

Keel and Tingle proceeded to obtain identification from these subjects, who were identified as Marokez McCline, Denzel Allen and David Drake. As CIT continued their investigation, Tingle observed a plastic pill bottle on the rear passenger side floorboard where David Drake was sitting.

After receiving consent from the driver, the vehicle was searched. During this search, the pill bottle on the rear passenger side floorboard was found to contain a small clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance.

This substance was field-tested and showed a positive result for the Schedule II controlled dangerous substance cocaine.

Further investigation led to Drake being charged with possession of Schedule II CDS cocaine.

The driver, Dwight Ford, was charged with loud music, issued a citation and released.

Passengers, Bedford, McCline and Allen were all charged with possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage, issued citations and released.

Drake was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage. Drake was placed under arrest and transported to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center (CPDC) and booked.

In an unrelated incident on the same date, Devinci Thornton was stopped for a vehicle equipment violation south of Homer on Highway 79 at Harris Road by CIT. Upon identifying the driver as Thornton, CIT members conducted a warrant check. This resulted in the arrest of Thornton on two warrants for failure to pay child support. Thornton was placed under arrest by Malone and transported to the CPDC where he was booked.

Sheriff Bailey closed by urging the public  to report any and all suspicious or illegal activity to CNET at 318-927-9800, the DEA/Louisiana State Police at 318-676-4080, the Homer Police Department at 318-927-4000, the Haynesville Police Department at 318-624-1355, or the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-927-2011.

Any and all information is considered confidential and is greatly appreciated.

Fire destroys Pinehill home

The Guardian-Journal photo/Jenni Williams

A fire, reported by passing motorists, destroyed the home of Tommy Evans on Highway 79 in Haynesville Monday afternoon. According to Homer Fire Chief Dennis Butcher, the home was a total loss and the cause is yet undetermined. He said there were a few “anxious moments” concerning exposure to other structures nearby, but none were damaged. No injuries were reported and no other structures suffered any damage. The Homer Fire Department received the initial call, but the Haynesville Fire Department and Fire District #4 firefighters were called in to extinguish the blaze.

CASA seeking volunteers

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children are seeking volunteers, and there are a few training dates coming up.

Classes will be taught at the Arcadia CASA office, 1968 N. Railroad, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 23, and Saturday, March 2.

Volunteers must complete 15 hours of training in the classroom. If you cannot make it to both sessions, you have the opportunity to make the time up one on one.

Please call Victoria Ricord at 318-425-4413 or email at Vickie.richard@vyjla.org for more information. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and dress is casual.

Orientation will be held at the Arcadia office from noon until 1 p.m. or 6 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 7.

Chamber Banquet set for this Monday

The Guardian-Journal

The 48th annual Claiborne Chamber of Commerce Banquet is slated for 6:30 p.m., Monday, January 28.

The banquet will be at Homer City Hall with the meal provided by Upper Crust Catering. Reservations are available for $35 per person, and all reservations must be paid in advance to confirm seating.

Reservations will NOT be available at the door the night of the event. Business dress is appropriate for the evening.

This year’s speaker will be Robert Barham, secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Barham, originally of Oak Ridge, is the former senator for District 33, which encompasses Morehouse, Union, East Carroll, West Carroll and parts of Claiborne and Ouachita Parishes. In the Senate, he has served as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and was a member of the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development Committee, the Senate Natural Resources Committee, the Senate Retirement Committee and served as a member of the Legislative Rural Task Force.

With many other accolades under his belt, Barham’s education afforded him a bachelor’s of science degree from LSU, a master’s degree from Northeast Louisiana University and is a graduate of LSU’s Ag Leadership School.

To get a reservation card, please contact the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce at 318-927-3271 and check the appropriate box if interested in being a banquet sponsor and list the individuals who will be attending. All sponsors will be recognized at the banquet and will be listed in the event program.

CPSB audit report gets top praise

MICHELLE BATES, Editor

The Claiborne Parish School Board got good news from its auditors, who said they have had no findings in its financial reports for the last two years.

According to Margie Williamson, of Allen, Green and Williamson LLP, the school board received an unqualified opinion, which is the best opinion a governmental entity can receive, and no findings, which means everything is as it should be concerning financial practices.

The audit report was for the year ending June 30, 2012.

“We did issue an unqualified opinion, which means that all financial statements are stated fairly without any qualifications,” she said.

Williamson went through the report, highlighting some of the losses and increases in the budget for all funds.

She went through the major funds, which included the general fund, showing board members the net change of fund balance.

“That’s whether the fund balance increased or decreased for the year, and you actually did have an increase of about $898,465, and I do want you to understand that the general fund column includes the sales tax funds,” she said. “The general fund itself is $2.7 million. The rest of that is sales tax.”

Title 1 is a zero balance fund, which means all monies in that fund are spent each year. She also went over the maintenance funds. Most of those funds increased for the year, Williamson said. Only Pineview and Summerfield decreased, she added.

Another fund she mentioned was the school lunch fund, which has a small balance, which was just enough transferred to keep it from going into a deficit. Another fund she went over was the special education fund, which is also a cost reimbursement fund (zero balance each fiscal year).

She also covered the non-major funds, which is mostly debt service, including funds left over from District 13 (the Pineview School district).

The fund balance section of the report breaks down the balances of all funds, which includes the restricted amount of $100,000 for workers compensation. She said $643,000 is half of one of the ‘96 sales tax. The contingency fund has $519,000, and the rest of the sales taxes are listed. $3.3 million is unreserved.

School balances were also covered as well, broken down by each school.

“Overall, those balances decreased a little bit,” Williamson said.

District 10 School Board Member Stewart Griffin inquired about the money still left from the Athens School District and what would be done with it. Claiborne Schools Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams said the funds in that account are still there, but it will be distributed among the Homer schools, based on the student count.

She then moved to the single audit report, which is the report on all the federal programs. In the schedule of expenditures, she noted there was $3.2 million total in federal grants.

Each year, the auditing firm “tests” two funds, of which they look for anything out of place. Special Education and Title II funds were tested this year and Williamson issued no findings.

The school board approved the audit report unanimously. The audit report is a public document, and can be viewed at the school board office upon request.

In other news, the school board elected officers, electing School Board President Will Maddox and Vice President Vera Meadors to another year in their respective positions.

Also, the date and time of the monthly meetings will remain on the first Thursday following the first Sunday of each month at 6 p.m.

Becky Lowe, art teacher for Haynesville Schools, was also approved for out of state travel to an art exhibit in California, which was on January 17-18. She used her professional days to attend the exhibition. No expenses were to be paid by the school board.

Also approved were 19 revisions to the school board policies that were issued by the state.

“There are probably more to come,” said Bob Bond, of Central Office.

In personnel actions, Claiborne Parish Schools hired two teachers, one at Homer High School and one at Homer Junior High School. Katrina Harris will fill a vacant position at Homer High as a science teacher. Michelle Hogan will replace Denise Baugh at Homer Junior High as a science teacher.

Also, Sycrece Banks was hired as a bus driver to fill a vacant position.

Two resignations were also listed. John Sampson, a math teacher and football coach at Homer High School, resigned, effective December 10, 2012. Baugh resigned, effective December 21, 2012.

Jack Bays, a bus driver and custodian, retired from the Claiborne Parish School System, effective December 21, 2012.

In the superintendent’s report, Dr. Williams reminded school board members they must keep up with their continuing education in ethics training. In February, she will send Bob Bond for training as an ethics liaison, which means he will be certified to provide board members with their ethics training every year.

She also updated board members on the ongoing litigation regarding Acts I and II, saying some parts of Act I have been ruled unconstitutional, which deals with superintendent contracts and the superintendent’s authority to hire, Reduction In Force and “other matters.”

“Until all the kinks have been worked out, we’ve been advised to continue as the Acts have been written,” she said.

Regarding Act 2, Williams said the courts did not rule that public dollars couldn’t be spent for private programs, saying only MFP (Minimum Foundation Program) money could not be spent on private programs.

She also commended Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students for attending the school board meeting, stating that Mr. David Robinson, FBLA sponsor, will be in and out of the classroom from now until the end of the school year dealing with FBLA competitions.

“I commend him, because he has worked diligently with those students so that they are participating at every level,” she said.

The next school board meeting will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, February 7, in the school board meeting room at Central Office, 600 East Main Street in Homer. For more information, or for questions, please call their office at 318-927-3502.

Claiborne Parish NAACP celebrates MLK Day

Photo and article by Andrew Smith

The Claiborne Parish chapter of the NAACP led the community in a truly moving  celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Monday night at Lane Chapel CME Church in Homer. Among the crowd were speakers which included the Rev. Albert J. Crew, the Rev. Cleon Warren,  Joe Merrit and Terry Willis of Homer.  Among the topics of the night were prayers for local and national government officials, schools and children.  The message of the night was very clear, “We have come a long way since the day of Dr. King, but there is still a long road ahead of us.”   Willis asked the community to rise up and lead by example as well as live with a renewed sense of responsibility to one another and our fellow citizens. Pictured above, from left are: Joseph Merritt, the Rev. Albert James Crew, Mark Crowder, Terry Willis and the Rev. Cleon Warren.

Claiborne Parish tourism initiative is underway

JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer

The Claiborne Chamber of Commerce has put together an assortment of materials to highlight where to go and what to do and see in Claiborne Parish. “Whether you’re a visitor or a local resident, Claiborne Parish has a driving tour CD set that you will find interesting,” says John Watson, Executive Director of the Chamber.

“The CD is one part of a major initiative aimed at helping others see and appreciate what is wonderful about Claiborne Parish,” Watson notes.

Asked what else is a part of the initiative, Watson explains that a colorful tourism brochure has been prepared. In addition,  there is a new website www.claiborneparishtourism.org.

Also, a cemetery brochure includes a map of the parish with the locations of 156 cemeteries in the parish or within a few miles of the parish line.

Finally, television ads have appeared describing Claiborne Parish as a desirable tourist destination.

Describing the tourism brochure, Watson says it highlights points of interest in Homer, Haynesville, Athens, Lisbon, Summerfield, and other areas of Claiborne Parish. It points out that 10 buildings in the parish are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The brochure includes pictures of the Claiborne Parish Courthouse, Herbert S. Ford Museum, Lisbon’s Killgore House, the mural on the west wall of Haynesville’s Killgore Pharmacy,  Homer’s Old Town Cemetery, the Hill Farm, Summerfield’s Alberry Wasson House, and Lake Claiborne.

The cover of the “Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Cemetery Guide” notes that it is intended to be “A guide to finding the resting places of your ancestors.” A brief description gives directions for each of the 156 cemeteries There is also a map in the brochure marking the approximate location of each.

The new tourism website, www.claiborneparishtourism.org, describes Lake Claiborne State Park and lists local lodging such as Panther Creek Bed and Breakfast at Summerfield and Lake Claiborne Vacation Cottage on Harmon Loop.

The website describes “eateries” such as the Rebel Stop and Moon’s toward Summerfield, Port-au-Prince on Lake Claiborne, Sunrise Bakery and Restaurant and Homer Seafood and Pizza as well as Yesterday’s Grill in Haynesville.

Highlights related to Homer, Haynesville, Lisbon, Athens, Summerfield, and the parish’s historic cemeteries are all mentioned on the website.

Some parish events are plugged including the Butterfly Festival, the Claiborne Jubilee, the 4th of July Fireworks and Boat Parade, Lake Claiborne Antique Auto and Bike Show, and the Christmas Festival.

The set consists of two CDs with 41 tracks of information highlighting areas of interest around the parish. For only $3 visitors or local residents can learn things about Claiborne Parish that’s not in the history books, stories passed down from grandparents to grandchildren that has become the stuff of local legend and lore.

Of course, the internet website is free as is the tourism brochure. With the cemetery guide available for $1 and the driving CD sets for $3, the whole tourism package is available for $4, a token cost to cover expenses of production.

Many local citizens donated many hours to the brochures, the cemetery guide, the driving CDs, and the website.

Brochures and CD sets are available at the following locations:

* The Grapevine

* Port-au-Prince Restaurant

* Killgore's Pharmacy & Gift Shop

* The Rebel Stop

* Claiborne Parish Library

* Delta Interiors

* The Chamber Office at Ford Museum

Brochures only are available at the following:

* Courtyard Florist

* Lake Claiborne State Park

* Haynesville City Hall

* The Guardian-Journal

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