By Rebecca Burk / L’Observateur / April 22, 1998

RESERVE – St. John the Baptist Parish School Board members may decideto pass an amendment to current school board policy that won’t allow them to vote on certain proposals until the meeting after they are discussed.

The idea, brainchild of Richard DeLong and Gerald Keller, will allow board members to do sometimes necessary research before making important decisions.

“In order for the school board to feel comfortable on all these issues they may need to do some research,” DeLong said.

“It would cut out some of the frustration that we faced at the last meeting,” Keller said, referring to the proposal to make John L. Ory aCommunication Arts Magnet School and send the seventh-graders elsewhere.

“The parish council does something similar to this,” Keller added.

The proposal, if passed, would prevent board members from making rash decisions on curriculum changes, budget adoption or revisions, student attendance zones, board member district lines or changes, teacher allotments, bond issues, tax proposals or major policy changes in board policy.

Keller and DeLong encouraged board members to put some thought into the proposal and give them their ideas before the next meeting.

Wise suggested that as things such as these are introduced, they should be referred to the appropriate committee for discussion and research before the board makes a decision.

But some board members were skeptical about the idea.

“I think it’s a great idea and it will keep order,” C.J. Watkins said. “But itwill only last a year. As soon as a board member really wants somethingthey are going to hustle to get it passed.”Felix “Pappy” LeBouef said that he thought something like this was already in place in the policy manual. “We need to check,” he said.Superintendent Cleveland Farlough is in favor of the proposal.

“I’m for anything that will help us streamline our operation and help us get through the agenda,” Farlough said.

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