By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John the Baptist Parish School School Board is in the midst of the final day of its retreat this morning at the Riverside Hilton in New Orleans.
The two-day retreat began Tuesday morning, with an agenda full of meaninful items focused on topics such as curriculum, the union-board relationship, disaster recovery and professional development.
Interestingly, Superintendent of Schools Kevin George said Scott Richard, executive director of the Lousiana School Board Association, will provide board members with an outline of their roles and duties as school board members, an item George said is crucial to fulfilling the district’s new mission statement.
“I just thought that was an important piece for them to understand,” said George on Tuesday. “My expetation is for this school board to set an example to our employees, our community and our students by conducting ourselves in a professional maanner and working as one entity to improve our schools.”
In addition to reviewing the language in RFPs and RFQs for the entire disaster recovery management contract, George said board members will also use the retreat to sift through architect proposals for the Lake Pontchartrain Elementary temporary campus, as discussed during its Aug. 15 meeting. After narrowing down the options, a final selection will be made during the Sept. 19 board meeting.