Harlan Kirgan
Randy Wagley, an Opelousas attorney, was selected president of the St. Landry Parish School Board, but board members stalled on picking a vice president.
Wagley was elected on a unanimous vote at Thursday’s board meeting in Opelousas.
After board members Candace Gerace, Huey Wyble and Mary Ellen Donatto were nominated for vice president, the board decided to discuss whether the position should be filled by a rotation system or by election.
The selection process is to go before the board’s Executive Committee.
The presidency is limited to one term, but several members noted in the past they had served consecutive terms as president.
Roger Young, a Eunice area board member was of those who served more than once as president and vice president.
The rotation system was disrupted when a new member was elected president.
“Today, if it is the rotation I would be the person to rotate to the vice presidency,” Young said.
But Young did not express a desire to serve as vice president during Thursday’s meeting. He did explain that if he declined to be vice president, then Wyble would be next in line for the job.
After Wagley was elected, he said the board has a new beginning.
“We have a new superintendent. We are free from deseg. We have a new energy in the community, which reached out to try to help us and that is something that we need to keep going. We need to keep moving forward,” he said.
“We need to be more accessible and accountable and transparent to you all, and we are going to look at how to do that,” Wagley said.
In other business, Superintendent Patrick Jenkins introduced new principals, which include Dwanetta Scott at Eunice Junior High School and Gina LaGrange at East Elementary.
Scott had been principal at East Elementary. Scott said she spent most of her teaching career at the junior high school before becoming East Elementary principal.
LaGrange had been an assistant principal at Northwest High School. LaGrange said her children attended East Elementary.
The School Board approved holding a retreat from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Resource Center in Opelousas.
The board also accepted its audit from Kolder, Champagne, Slaven & Co.
The School Board’s general fund beginning general fund balance was $17.7 million and by the end of the year the balance was $17 million.
Total general fund expenditures were $119. 2 million and revenues were $117.5 million.
Total revenues were $141.8 million and expenses were $146 million.
However, total fund balances rose from $19.2 million at the beginning of the year to $25.5 million at the end of the year.
There were no major findings by auditors for the report on the fiscal year that ended June 20, 2016.
However, audits did cite the system for lack of adequate oversight on school activity funds, a misappropriation of $445 by cafeteria manager, $505 that was unaccounted for as result of a bookkeeper not following proper procedures and policies, $1,610 was stolen from a classroom on May 5, 2016 and in June 2016 numerous assets were found missing.
A former employee was arrested in connection with the June missing assets. In the May incident, $75 was recovered, but an employee faced disciplinary action.