The Vernon Parish School Board met in regular session Thursday, November 9, at 10 a.m. in the Central Office on Belview Road. Regular business included approving new Head Start policies/procedures, authorizing personnel changes, and paying Board bills.
The public is invited to Leesville High’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) building Thursday, November 16, at 11 a.m. for the ribbon cutting on the new Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program (DCIP). This will be the realization of a Department of Defense grant for 7.5 million announced by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards in September of 2020.
The grant will eventually develop five enhanced technology learning centers at five Vernon Parish schools that serve thousands of families and students at Ft. Johnson. These centers will provide military and civilian children state-of-the-art wireless communications, digital displays, and interactive learning tools. The five schools to get these centers are Leesville High School, Leesville Junior High, Vernon Middle School, Pickering High School, and Pickering Elementary.
In other Board business, members heard from LSU Ag Center Nutritionist Lori Marteau, who gave an update on her work in Vernon and Allen Parishes. Mr. Raymond Jones reported a 10-percent increase in school food service meals served in the school district, which could translate into nearly a million-dollar increase in federal funding.
Rod Taylor with Taylor & Sons Insurance presented the November School Board Employee of the Month award to Ms. Jamie Bjornberg, Rosepine High Counselor. Board members praised her for an always sunny disposition.
The meeting concluded with a Zoom conference call with Simbli Board Management Software of Georgia. They showcased their management software that could be used in multiple applications for the Board and school district.
