Acadia School Board approves extra pay for support workers

• By BOB ARDOIN
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Nov 3, 2009 - Page: 2BA

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CROWLEY — Four supplementary employee paychecks totaling about $3.7 million were approved on Monday by the Acadia Parish School Board.

Superintendent Johnny Bourque said the first of the supplements will be given to about 624 support workers on Nov. 16 at a cost of $377,500.

Bourque said the remainder of the checks scheduled for Dec. 10, Jan. 10 and June 10, will include professional employees and support personnel.

Each of those three checks will cost the district about $1 million and include about 803 employees, Bourque said.

Professional employees include teachers and administrators. Support staff are workers such as custodians, cafeteria employees and secretaries.

Bourque said the revenue source for the checks will be the district’s general fund budget. He said the January check will come from parishwide sales taxes dedicated for employee pay increases.

The sales tax collections are ultimately deposited into the general fund, Bourque said.

In another matter, the board unanimously agreed to have board president Lynn Shamsie and board attorney Gerard Caswell negotiate the renewal of Bourque’s contract which is set to expire March 5.

Caswell said Bourque’s three-year contract requires the board to act on the renewal no later than the first meeting in November prior to the scheduled expiration.

Although no official vote was taken Monday, board members indicated during a brief discussion that they want Bourque to remain as Acadia’s superintendent.

Prior to the end of the meeting, Bourque was recognized by the board for being named 2010 Louisiana Association of School Executives superintendent of the year.

The board also passed a resolution which allows the district to borrow $3 million of low-interest bonds from the Bank of Commerce & Trust Co. in Crowley for maintenance projects that will be determined at a later date.

Bond attorney David Henderson said the district will have 15 years to pay off the bonds at an interest rate of 0.85 percent.