Lemoine contract on review

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Oct 1, 2008 - Page: 1BA - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board is expected to extend Superintendent Burnell Lemoine’s contract and increase his salary by about $10,000 at today’s board meeting.

Lemoine was appointed superintendent in 2007, after the board terminated the contract of then-Superintendent James Easton. Earlier this year, the board opted to forgo a search for a new leader at a savings of about $44,000.

Lemoine had served as interim superintendent in the past and had been the system’s chief academic officer.

His original contract was set to expire Jan. 31, 2009. The contract has been amended to expire Dec. 31, 2010, and also offers a 6.1 percent salary increase from $139,498 to $149,026.

The salary adjustment includes a $1,019 state increase for a total 6.8 percent salary increase.

The board will meet at 5:30 p.m. today and will also be introduced to proposed changes in the system’s discipline matrix to include more parental involvement.

The changes in the matrix also incorporate visits with mental health professionals to address the root of behavior problems.

“Many times we have consequences, but are they working?” asked Katherine Landry, deputy superintendent of academic and instructional services. “We see students doing the same things. This is aimed at getting them to mental health professionals to target behavior. There will still be consequences, but that’s a major part that wasn’t there before.”

Parents will be required to meet with the student’s principal and administrators before their child returns to school after a suspension.

Landry said some principals had required the parent conference before the student was readmitted, but now it will be a universal requirement.

The matrix changes provide for more consistent consequences across the system.

It’s now also mandatory that parents with a student sent to Saturday intervention attend, as well.

“We’ll have a parents session with agencies that can help the parent address the behavior or the problem,” Landry said.