SCHOOL BOARD IMPLEMENTS CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO EMPLOYEE CONCERNS

The Livingston Parish Public School Board recently voted to approve a series of recommendations by the administration to address employee concerns and burdens, including ending the school year a full week early.

The board voted to move up the end of school for this year to May 19, rather than the scheduled May 26 date, allowing teachers to work virtually during that week if deemed appropriate by their campus principals. The virtual work week will allow the teachers to meet their contractual obligations.

Other action taken by the board included:

• Limiting the scheduling of parent-teacher conferences to a teacher’s contracted hours and during that teacher’s non-instructional time;
• Giving principals the discretion to discontinue any non-essential club or activity that takes place outside the sponsor’s contracted work period for which they are not being compensated; such activity may continue if the sponsor is compensated. This action does not impact those after-school activities for which sponsors are currently receiving a stipend.
• Not requiring school employees to work outside their contracted work hours to assist with athletic events or other extracurricular events, such as manning the gate, working concessions, or performing other related activities. For the remainder of the school year, any such after-hours tasks can only be filled voluntarily by an employee, or the employee shall be compensated at the discretion of the principal.
• Contracting with a third-party consultant to perform an analysis of the district’s staffing and salary structure.

Superintendent Joe Murphy said he presented the measures for board consideration in response to concerns from school employees across the district.

“The recommendations presented are a culmination of the information we have received at the central office staff, and through the Livingston Parish Teacher’s Association (LPTA) and the Livingston Parish Principals’ Association,” Murphy said. “I believe these changes are a starting point to help us through the end of the year, but I think we all know that we must have a plan for moving forward.”

Murphy noted that the concerns have compiled over the current school year, but school leaders had hoped the approval of a March 25 ballot measure to give a 10-percent pay raise to all employees would diminish some frustrations.

However, Livingston Parish voters rejected a 1-cent sale tax proposal that would have funded the salary increases. In addition to reducing employee frustrations, the pay increases are needed to allow Livingston Parish Public Schools to compete with employee pay scales in neighboring school districts.  Currently, the district ranks last in the region.

DISTRICT’S TOP PERFORMERS RECOGNIZED

School leaders with Livingston Parish Public Schools recently held a district-wide ceremony of celebration at the Walker High School gym to honor those students, teachers, principals, and staff workers who have been recognized as top performers in their respective categories.

At the same time, those schools receiving academic achievement awards from the Louisiana Department of Education were also recognized.

“This event is always a wonderful occasion to showcase some of our district’s top-performing professionals and top-performing students.  These are the people who are leading the push for excellence in our district,” Superintendent Joe Murphy said.

Pictured below are the district’s top winners. A full listing of award recipients and school honors is available on the district’s webpage.

Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s 2023 Elementary Student of the Year Adeline Wolfe, Juban Parc Elementary; Middle School Student of the Year Sadie Foster, Southside Junior High; High School Student of the Year Sylvia White, Live Oak High School; and Superintendent Joe Murphy.

Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s Elementary Principal of the Year Lauren Kennedy, Juban Parc Elementary; Superintendent Joe Murphy; Middle School Principal of the Year Brian Gunter, Westside Junior High School; and High School Principal of the Year Jason St. Pierre, Walker High School.

Pictured, from left to right, are Livingston Parish’s Middle School Teacher of the Year Tara Hymel, North Corbin Junior High; High School Teacher of the Year Yvette Hill, Springfield High School; Superintendent Joe Murphy, and Elementary Teacher of the Year Brice Larson, Northside Elementary.

Pictured with Superintendent Joe Murphy are this year’s New Teacher of the Year winners, Phoenix LeBlanc, Albany Middle School, left, and Payton O’Nellion, Albany Lower Elementary, right.