Board considers land purchase

• By VIC COUVILLION
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Nov 22, 2008 - Page: 4B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LIVINGSTON — The Livingston Parish School Board has taken the first step in what could be a long-range project to build a new Springfield High School.

The board has authorized interim Superintendent Bill Spear to begin negotiating the purchase of land in the Springfield area.

Spear will conduct a final title search on the land, get appraisals and begin an environmental survey of the property, school officials said. The board authorized Spears’ action Thursday night.

School Board President Keith Martin said the board had sought a 40- to 50-acre tract, but the owners of the land offered to sell the board 82 acres.

The land is about a mile west of the heart of Springfield, Martin said.

Martin said a special committee worked for more than a year to locate land.

In a related matter, the board accepted as complete classroom additions to Levi Milton Elementary School near Walker. The project was supposed to have been completed in mid-August.

At the same meeting, the board again failed to fill the position of substitute supervisor of Child Nutrition Programs and chose, without discussion, to defer action until Dec. 11.

Selection of a candidate for the post split the board Nov. 6. The board had to postpone acting on the matter after three candidates nominated by Spear failed in factional voting.

Two of those candidates are related to board members. Livingston Parish teacher Stephanie Kinchen is the wife of School Board member Sid Kinchen. School system accountant Leah Smith is the granddaughter of School Board member Louis “Loody” Carlisle.

On Thursday, Kinchen asked that the minutes of the Nov. 6 meeting be changed to reflect that he recused himself from voting on motions to table filling the child nutrition post, on Smith and on the third nominee, Mack Williams.

At the meeting Nov. 6, Kinchen had voted against Smith and Williams and voted for tabling action on the post. Kinchen had recused himself on his wife’s nomination.

School Board attorney Carey Tom Jones said that under Robert’s Rules of Order, board members can “rescind and amend” their vote before final approval of a meeting’s minutes, if the changed vote has no effect on the eventual outcome of the motion placed on the floor.