2016-07-12

THE VERNON PARISH SCHOOL BOARD CONVENED IN REGULAR SESSION AT 10:00 A.M., 201 BELVIEW ROAD, LEESVILLE, LOUISIANA. PRESIDENT DETZ CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AND ON ROLL CALL THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS WERE PRESENT:

President Detz stated that an additional Agenda Item needed to be added to the Agenda to accept/reject low bid for stadium lighting for Pickering High School. Bids were received on July 7^th and on motion of Randy Martin, seconded by Jim Seaman, the Board unanimously voted to add this request as Agenda Item #13.

On motion of Randy Martin, seconded by Jim Seaman, the Board voted to approve the minutes of the July 7, 2016 regular meeting and dispense with the reading of the minutes.

Colonel Athey and Mr. Gene Haymon discussed the Heritage Family Association and presented copies of “1940: Last Year Home- Stories of the Heritage Families of Camp Polk and Peason Ridge” to all Vernon Parish High School libraries. Coloring/essay contest information will be sent to schools and resources given to teachers to promote awareness of the Heritage Families.

On motion of Randi Gleason, seconded by Gerald Cooley, the Board voted to adopt the following Resolution for Rapides Foundation 2016-2017 Effective Schools Grant and Healthy Behaviors School District Grant:

On the twelfth day of July, 2016, at a meeting of the School Board of Vernon Parish in the city of Leesville, a quorum of Board Members present, the following action was taken:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the School Board of Vernon Parish does hereby authorize the Superintendent, on terms and conditions he/she may deem advisable, to negotiate and execute the Effective Schools Grant and Healthy Behaviors Grant from the Rapides Foundation on behalf of the School Board named herein, and further hereby authorize the Superintendent and grant the power and authority to do all things necessary to implement, maintain, amend or renew said grants/documents.

The above Resolution was passed by a majority of those present and voting in accordance with the by-laws and policies of the said Board.

I certify that the above and foregoing constitutes a true and correct record of the resolution adopted by the Vernon Parish School Board, Leesville, Louisiana, at its regular meeting held on the twelfth day of July, 2016.

On motion of Doug Brandon, seconded by Steve Woods, the Board voted to approve the contract for the principal at Leesville High School.

On motion of Randy Martin, seconded by John Blankenbaker, the Board voted to approve the non-promotional contract for the principal at Pickering High School.

On motion of Randy Martin, seconded by Doug Brandon, the Board voted to advertise for a non-promotional administrative assistant position at Pickering High School. Randi Gleason voted Nay to this motion.

On motion of Doug Brandon, seconded by Randy Martin, the Board voted to advertise for a non-promotional administrative assistant position at Hornbeck High School. Randi Gleason voted Nay to this option.

On motion of Vernon Travis, seconded by Jim Seaman, the Board voted to advertise for a principal at West Leesville Elementary School.

On motion of Gerald Cooley, seconded by Doug Brandon, the Board voted to approve the purchase of five (5) additional buses, piggy-back on the St. Landry School Board bid for four (4) buses and Red River Parish bid for one (1) bus and adopt the following Resolution approving an Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement:

A resolution approving an Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement to be entered into by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana, in a principal amount not to exceed $475,000 for the acquisition of school buses, authorizing the execution of such Agreement and providing for other matters in connection therewith.

WHEREAS, the Parish School Board of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana (the “School Board”), urgently needs to acquire additional school buses to provide adequate transportation for the students of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, in order to pay the cost of the Project, this School Board intends to enter into an Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with a private entity; and

WHEREAS, it is the further desire of this School Board to authorize the execution of such Agreement under the parameters hereinafter set forth;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana, acting as the governing authority of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), for school purposes, that:

SECTION 1. Under the authority of the Constitution and statutes of the State of Louisiana, School Board is authorized to enter into an Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement for the purpose of acquiring school buses to provide adequate transportation for the students of the Parish, and to facilitate the timely financing thereof, the President, the Secretary and/or the Director of Finance of this School Board is authorized to enter into such Agreement with a private entity, provided that the principal amount financed does not exceed $475,000, the rate of interest on the borrowed funds does not exceed 2.75%, and the term of such Agreement does not exceed five (5) years, the borrowed amount to be payable by this School Board from the sources and in accordance with the terms of such Agreement.

SECTION 2. The President, the Secretary and/or the Director of Finance, acting for and on behalf of this School Board, are authorized to execute and provide any and all certifications and documents required in connection with such Agreement. The execution of the Agreement by one or more of the officers set forth above will signify the School Board’s acceptance of the terms of such Agreement, all of which shall be within the parameters set forth above.

SECTION 3. This School Board’s repayment obligation under the Agreement shall be subject to annual appropriation by this School Board as shall be set forth in the Agreement, and the said repayment obligation under such Agreement shall constitute neither a general obligation nor a debt of this School Board under the Constitution and statues of the State of Louisiana. In addition, such Agreement shall not contain a “no-substitution” clause.

SECTION 4. The School Board covenants and agrees that, to the extent permitted by the laws of the State of Louisiana, it will comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any amendment thereto (the “Code”) in order to establish, maintain and preserve the exclusion from “gross income” of interest on the Agreement under the Code. The School Board further covenants and agrees that it will not take any action, fail to take any action, or permit any action within its control to be taken, or permit at any time or times any of the proceeds of the Agreement or any other funds of the School Board to be used directly or indirectly in any manner, the effect of which would be to cause the Agreement to be an “arbitrage bond” or would result in the inclusion of the interest on any proceeds of the Agreement in gross income under the Code, including, without limitation, (i) the failure to comply with the limitation on investment of proceeds of the Agreement or (ii) the failure to pay any required rebate of arbitrage earnings to the United States of America or (iii) the use of the proceeds of the Agreement in a manner which would cause the Agreement to be “private activity bond”.

The President, the Secretary and/or the Director of Finance of this School Board are hereby empowered, authorized and directed to take any and all action and to execute and deliver any instrument, document or certificate necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Section.

SECTION 5. Such Agreement shall be and is hereby designated as a “qualified tax exempt obligation” within the meaning of Section 265(b)(3)(B)of the Code. In making this designation, the School Board finds and determines that:

(a) the Agreement will not be and is not a “private activity bond” within the meaning of the Code; and

(b) the reasonably anticipated amount of qualified tax exempt obligations which will be issued by this School Board and all subordinate entities in calendar year 2016 does not exceed $10,000,000.

SECTION 6. This School Board finds and determines that a real necessity exists for the employment of special counsel in connection with the Agreement, and accordingly, the employment of the law firm of Foley & Judell, L.L.P., of New Orleans, Louisiana, as special counsel to the School Board for the performance of comprehensive legal and coordinate professional work with respect to the Agreement, including rendering a legal opinion in connection therewith, is hereby ratified and approved. The fee of Foley & Judell, L.L.P., in connection therewith shall be computed at an hourly rate not exceeding the amount provided by the guidelines for such services as approved by the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana, plus out-of-pocket expenses.

SECTION 7. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.

The foregoing Resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:

Member Randi Gleason	Yea X	Nay	Absent	Abstaining
Jim Seaman	X
Robert Pynes, Jr.	X
Angie Davis			X
Steve Woods		X
Doug Brandon	X
David Detz	X
Randy Martin	X
Sandra Whitlock	X
Vernon L. Travis, Jr.		X
John Blankenbaker	X
Gerald Cooley	X

I, the undersigned Secretary of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana, do hereby certify that the foregoing four (4) pages constitute a true and correct copy of a resolution adopted by said Parish School Board on July 12, 2016 approving an Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement to be entered into by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Vernon, State of Louisiana, in a principal amount not to exceed $475,000 for the acquisition of school buses, authorizing the execution of such Agreement, and providing for other matters in connection therewith

IN FAITH WHEREOF, witness my official signature and the impress of the official seal of said School Board on this 12th day of July, 2016.

On motion of Doug Brandon, seconded by Vernon Travis, the Board voted to accept the following retirement:

On motion of Gerald Cooley, seconded by Randy Martin, the Board voted to approve budget amendments related to personnel changes.

On motion of Steve Woods, seconded by Jim Seaman, the Board voted to authorize the president and secretary to pay the claims.

On motion of Randy Martin, seconded by John Blankenbaker, the Board voted to accept the low bid from JLG Electric in the amount of $228,270.00 for lighting at Pickering High School stadium.

Superintendent Williams reminded Board Members of the annual Disclosure Statements due within thirty days of the beginning of school.

There being no further business, and on motion of David Detz, seconded by the Board, the meeting was adjourned.