St. Helena board reaches settlement for school fire

• By MARILYN GOFF
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Aug 15, 2009 - Page: 3B

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

GREENSBURG — The St. Helena Parish School Board agreed to an $892,000 insurance settlement for damage inflicted by the Nov. 3, 2008, fire that destroyed St. Helena Central High School’s main classroom building.

Superintendent Daisy Slan told the board during its meeting Thursday that the property loss settlement was negotiated by Goodman, Gable, Gould Adjusters of Florida.

In other business, the board approved annual property tax rates of 5.0 mills, 9.48 mills and 3.38 mills.

Business Services Supervisor Amy Holland said expected revenue from the millages are: $183,000; $360,000; and $130,000, respectively.

Slan also said that $113,461 in tobacco grant money the School Board received from the state’s tobacco lawsuit settlement has been invested in the state treasury.

On another matter, board members approved administrative, staff, teaching and support service personnel for the 2009-10 school year.

However, Linda Saucier, principal of St. Helena Elementary School, resigned, the superintendent said.

Slan explained that teachers and principals sometimes commit to a job with the school system, but before classes begin in the fall, they get a better-paying job and leave.
Slan said this is an example of one of the problems faced by lower-paying school districts such as St. Helena’s.

Following a 50-minute executive session, the board voted in favor of committee recommendations on lawsuits filed against the School Board.

The recommendations:
n To reject payment of attorney fees in the suit filed by L. Jerry Kinchen Inc.
n To pay reasonable attorney fees in a suit filed by Veronica Scott and Joshua Scott.
n To have the board attorney negotiate settlements in separate suits filed by Canon Financial Services Inc. and Paul W. Thompson as well as a third suit titled Heather Colona et al. versus the School Board and Jerry O. Payne.  Payne is a former superintendent of the parish school system.