The Jackson Parish School Board held its regular scheduled meeting on Monday, August 4th, in the Conference Room of the Jackson Parish School District Central Office located at 315 Pershing Hwy in Jonesboro.
To open the session, board members Gerry Mims, Mary Saulters, Paulette Belton, Rick Barlow, Wade McBride, Dennis Clary, and Calvin Waggoner unanimously agreed through a roll call vote to adopt the 2025 Milage Rate of 28.18 mils, broken down as:
| GENERAL FUND | 2025 LEVY |
| Constitutional Tax | 5.45 mils |
| Parishwide Additional Support | 8.42 mils |
| Parishwide Additional Mainenance & Operation Tax | 8.33 mils |
| Parishwide Additional Maintenance & Operation Tax | 5.96 mils |
Additional business handled included:
(1) Approve the Guidelines and Procedures for Crisis Intervention and Implementing Seclusion/Restraint Techniques required by Louisiana Act 479.
(2) Approve the teaching of the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe program (30-minute instructional time frame) in 2nd and 3rd grade, as required by La. R.S. 17:282:5. The program will be taught during the first week of school in the 2025-2026 school year and each year thereafter.
(3) Approve for payment the following bills: General Fund, Federal Program, School Food Service, Sales Tax, Special Education, and District Maintenance bills.
(4) Approving to pay the Employer’s Share of Office of Group Benefits insurance premiums from the General Fund for the September 2025 sales tax distribution.
(5) Approving payment of $16,750.00 for the renewal contract with Career Compass for 12th-grade students at Jonesboro Hodge High School, Quitman High School, and Weston High School, to be paid from 2025-2026 Career Development funds.
(6) Granting permission for Superintendent Carter to sign the Cooperative Agreement between the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and Jackson Parish School Board effective July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
(7) Approving a pay increase from $100.00 to $125.00 an hour for the yearly contract with Ellen Brocato, School Psychologist, to be paid from the General Fund.
(8) Approving the distribution of Certificated and Support Staff Stipends, with a payment of $2,000.00 for Certificated and $1,000.00 for Non-Certificated personnel. In addition, consider paying the Pre-K Teachers $2,000.00 stipend, Pre-K Paraprofessionals $1,000.00 stipend, and Support Supervisors – $2,000.00 stipend. Funding Sources: Certificated and Support Staff Stipends Allocation and General Fund. (Pending LDOE approval and release of funds)
(9) Approving payment of $11,400.00 to Dyslexia Resource Center for Dyslexia Training for three (3) employees, to be paid from the General Fund.
(10) Approving payment of $12,000.00 to Bailey Education Group to provide eight (8) onsite coaching sessions to Special Education teachers district-wide, to be paid from IDEA 611 Set Aside funds.
(11) Granting permission for Superintendent Carter to sign the Sharing Agreement between the Jackson Parish School Board and the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The terms of the agreement shall be from August 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
(12) Approving payment to Louisiana Delta Community College in the amount of $20,467.68 for Jump Start Summers tuition, to be paid from 2024-2025 Supplemental Course Allocation funds and/or Education Excellence funds.
(13) Approving the Job Description for Central Office Payroll/Grants Data Coordinator.
(14) Approving payment of $62,500.00 to Culpepper Backhoe Service, LLC., as follows: $35,000.00 down payment on materials cost, $27,500.00 upon completion of the work, for water line extensions to Weston High School baseball and softball fields, to be paid from Weston District funds.
(15) Approving out-of-state travel for Weston High School Baseball to travel to Frisco, Texas, March 19-21, 2026. The travel dates are during Spring Break. All expenses to be paid by Weston Baseball. The baseball team will be competing in a two-game series against Pitkin High School.
(16) Approving to revise the following policies:
• IDDFC – Cameras in Special Education Classrooms
• JGCF – Behavioral Health Support for Students
Bonnie Buckelew presented additional information on these revisions.
Official minutes of the August 4th meeting can be viewed in the Classifieds Section of the Jackson Parish Journal