By CALEB FREY

Staff Reporter 

RESERVE – The St. John School Board agenda was quite full for their Thursday May 4 meeting but issues about the status of Fifth Ward Elementary and hiring a food service consultant stood out, drawing much talk from the school board and the public in attendance alike.

The School Board voted in favor of hiring Dr. David Lerch to work as a consultant for obtaining a grant to transform Fifth Ward Elementary into a magnet school. Lerch’s cost for his services will be $25,000.

Board Member Russ Wise spoke up first on the issue, and said he would support it but wanted an assurance that there would be a magnet high school or vocational high school for children to graduate to in St. John Parish. At the current time there are no such programs in any of the St. John public high schools.

Board member Patrick Sanders was in agreement with Wise, and said that some long-term planning was needed if the board planned on applying for another elementary magnet school. St. John parish currently has two: John L. Ory and Garyville/Mt. Airy.

St. John Schools are seeking to hire a food consultant to come up with some new ideas and new concepts for the children’s meal program,

according to School Board Superintendent Michael Coburn. The same lunch program will be under review.

The school board choice for the consultant position is Vivian Landry who has previously worked with the State Department of Education and has been a food service consultant for Ascension School Board for the past two years.

The cost for obtaining Landry’s service will be about $50,000 for 90 out of 180 days of school service.

&#8220It’s $50,000 for 90 days?” was the question of Iona Holloway, a community member in attendance for the meeting. She thought the price was much too high for the amount of service Landry would be putting in.

Coburn attempted to assure her and the rest of the board but there was much discussion to be had on the issue.

&#8220I’m totally comfortable that in 90 days, we can get what we need accomplished,” Coburn said. 

Wise was in favor of the program after sampling some of the food St. John children are being served daily.

&#8220I have a great deal of faith in the Superintendent on this,” Wise said. &#8220I have eaten at three schools in the last week and, folks, we need to do something to make these more palatable.”

Sanders felt that hiring a consultant at $50,000 when he feels a fulltime director is what should be sought.

Ann Laborde, School Board Executive Director of Personnel, said one of the reasons they wanted to hire Landry is for her to evaluate the current food service staff objectively since she will not be seeking the job after her initial 90 days.

The board eventually voted in favor of hiring Landry as part of a pilot program.

Landry will only serve for ninety days and will not seek out the job permanently.