The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 10

Area News TownOXlk A-10 FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1999 Foster ffigMs for teacluers Says he will call special session to discuss higher pay i -n After Picard's speech, Mrs. Lee said she was happy that Foster committed himself to remedying the pay problem, but that the Rapides board needs to take action also. "I think that we have to examine every avenue and look at any way we can to help our teachers out," stiG Sciid Mrs. Lee said board members are working on the problem, talking to different leaders throughout the parish for ideas. Picard touted results released Thursday that showed fourth-graders in the state had among the most improved reading scores in the country.

The 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Report Card did show that Louisiana fourth-graders were performing below the regional and national averages, but that they made "significant growth" since 1994. The convention continues through Saturday. During today's luncheon, attendees will hear entertainment from the Bolton High School Choir and remarks from state Treasurer Ken Duncan and National School Boards Association President-elect Mary Ellen Maxwell. ability plan must work or residents won't be able to recognize the public education system in four years, he said. Foster received a round of applause when he said he still had "every intention" of fully funding the Minimum Foundation Program by this year.

The program funnels state money to school districts based on the number of children in the systems. He cautioned that the state may be a little shy of reaching that goal this year because of the slump in the oil industry and the $270 million deficit generated by that depression. Cecil Picard, state superintendent of education, followed Foster and echoed many of his statements. He said board members should contact their legislators and urge them to "shuffle the budget" to find $38 million to fully fund the MFP. Audience members applauded Picard for those comments.

He said the state's school boards should support Foster in his efforts to raise teacher pay. Rapides Parish School Board member Bonnie Lee led the applause for those comments. By Melissa Gregory Staff reporter Gov. Mike Foster repeated his vow Thursday to call a special session of the Louisiana Legislature to raise the pay of state teachers if he is re-elected Foster spoke to members of the Louisiana School Boards Association, which is in Alexandria through Saturday for its 62nd annual convention. Foster said low teacher pay in Louisiana has "been eating at me." Recently, he told the state's police jurors that teacher pay was an important issue for him.

"No matter what I did, I could not seem to find the ability to do what every other southern state has been able to do get our teachers up to the southern regional average," he said. Foster did acknowledge that the pay situation is better than he thought it was, but that yearly raises of $1,000 were not going to remedy the problem. He said the only solution he sees is to ask every person running for public office to commit themselves to teacher raises. Also, the governor said Louisiana is ahead of the nation with its accountability plan. He Vernon sheriff lolls senate dream LEESVILLE Vernon Parish Sheriff Frank Howard announced Thursday he will not run for state senator, as he has indicated in the past Howard said in a news release he has decided to serve out his term as sheriff rather than run for another political office.

"I have a commitment and obligation to the people of Vernon Parish to serve out my term as sheriff," he said. "Seeking another political office at this time would most definitely interfere with my obligation to responsibly serve as sheriff." The impact the race would have on hisfamily also influenced his decision, Howard said. Howard never officially announced his intentions to run against state Sen. James David Cain, D-Dry-Creek. However, the longtime sheriff had made no secret over the past year that he was considering challenging Cain.

Another key factor in his decision not the enter the race was the fact that Howard will become president of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association this summer. That position would require a "considerable amount of time and effort in attending to the interests of all the sheriffs of the state of Louisiana," he said. "My interests at this time in my life need to be devoted to my family, my department and to the other sheriffs in the state of Louisiana." Melissa Gregory Gov. Mike Foster tells member of the Louisiana School Boards Association that he wants a special session of the Legislature to raise the pay of teachers. it.

He said education in Louisiana is at a crossroads. The account said other states are only talking about such a program while Louisiana is ready to implement 'No fighting or cursing in school board meetings' board acts as a court of appeals. Hammonds stressed that board members should never become the parent's advocate because they feel sorry for that parent. He said he's seen this happen "time and time again." Hammonds told the board members that, as an individual member, they have absolutely no authority. But as a board, the collective members do have authority.

He also cautioned them to think outside their own districts. He said board members need to be visible throughout their parish to let all citizens know "that they are just as important to you as the citizens in your election district." sions, said Hammonds. The proceedings that occur during an executive session must remain confidential or the whole purpose of such a meeting is defeated. "It is critical, critical, to your operations to maintain the confidentiality of what goes on back there," he said. Hammonds also cautioned school board members not to get into any brawls over the state's open meetings law.

Boards or board members who do almost always end up the loser, he said. "When you get sued for open meetings violations, you've already lost," said Hammonds. "Think headlines." Hammonds said a school board's attorney can be helpful, especially on the issue of open meetings. He said getting legal advice from their attorney can insulate them personally from fines for violating the open meetings law. "If you act on legal advice you cannot be found guilty of knowingly, willfully, violating the law," he said.

"It can't happen, legally. This is one of those areas where you are going to want to take advantage of legal counsel." Hammonds said the same applies to the state's public records law. The fourth thing school board members should never do is to become a parent's advocate during expulsion appeals. He said when a parent appeals such an action, the instances and just about everything else one could imagine during the 21 years he has represented school boards throughout the state. Hammonds gave a list of four things never to do during board meetings, with fist fights and cursing leading the list.

Most people realize this, but said he attended a meeting in which two school board members got into a shouting match, obscenities included. "Sitting all the way across the front row of the audience was Girl Scout Troop 401, which was there to see good government in action," he said. Thirdly, tape recorders should never be taken into executive ses By Melissa Gregory Staff reporter Fist fights and cursing have no place in a public school board meeting. That nugget of advice amused several hundred school board members attending the first session of the 62nd annual Louisiana School Boards Association, being held in Alexandria for the next few days. Rapides Parish School Board members Paul Dauzat, Steve Furr, Bonnie Lee, Rodessa Metoyer, John Sams and Randy Tannehill attended some of the first meeting.

However, as the laughter died down, attorney Bob Hammonds told the group he had seen such a r7nrnrrr rrW7 rrn re rrx PETITE CASUAL SPORTSWEAR ICSSY CAREER SPORTSWEAR xd) OFF ORIGINAL PRICE mem R2SSY CASUAL OUTERWEAR SAVE WHiS OFF ORIGINAL PRICE OFF SAVE QUIP TTSD ORIGINAL PRICE missy lingerie DILLARD'S WOT.TAN CASUAL SPORTSWEAR to MEN'S KOT WOVEN SPORT SHIRTS SAVE OFF ORIGINAL PRICE jCPJ OFF hi 1 1 SAVE SAVE OFF ORIGINAL PRICE ORIGINAL PRICE MEN'S BETTER COLLECTORS LADIES' HANDBAGS SAME 2JJW OFF ORIGINAL PRICE IttSSY ACTIVEWEAR SAVE OFF ORIGINAL PRICE OFF SAVE i ORIGINAL PRICE DRESSES SAVE OFF ORIGINAL PRICE jumoa SPORTSWEAR SAVE UJ OFF ORIGINAL PRICE CHILDREN'S SPORTSWEAR sSJ OFF ORIGINAL PRICE LADIES' SHOES BOOTS MEN'S SWEATERS or El' "31 KEN'S MISSY GLOVES MUFFLERS SAVE m) OFF ORIGINAL PRICE I OFF OFF SAVE SAVE ORIGINAL PRICE ORIGINAL PRICE JUNIOR SWEATERS MEN'S OUTERWEAR CHILDREN'S OUTERWEAR SWEATERS 3) OFF ORIGINAL PRICE Dillaid's SAVE Q) OFF SAVE OFF 0RN3NAL PRICE ORIGINAL PRICE Styles Selections May Vary By Store 445-9992 QPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 10 A.M. 9 P.M.. OPEN SUNDAY 1 2:00 P.M 6 P.M. Dillords wekorne's Dillords Charge, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner' iKlub Discover, ALEXANDRIA MAIL.