By Pat Culverhouse

By a 10-1 vote with one abstention, Webster Parish School Board members agreed Monday to convert transactions to credit and debit cards rather than cash in all parish schools.

Board members agreed to contract with KEV School Solutions and allocate $58,195 for the cashless online payment systems. Money to support the move will come from district funds of each of the 15 schools.

Going cashless has already been in effect for up to three years in selected schools, and reports have been favorable according to information from school principals where the program has been implemented.

Purchases such as school clothing items like T-shirts and tickets to athletic events can be made on cards. Cashless system devices will be provided for all schools. Cash will still be accepted while schools transition to cashless.

Director of Finance Crevonne Odom said an annual fee to KEV of just over $39,000 will be paid through the various school maintenance funds.

Board members also passed a resolution calling for special elections in five districts for renewal of sale and use taxes.

Districts include the parish school district, Consolidated School District 3, Cotton Valley School District 12, Sarepta School District 35 and the District 6 sales tax.

“We want to emphasize that all these are renewals, not new taxes, and they’re at the lowest rates,” Rowland said.

Also during Monday’s meeting, school board members:

• Named Samantha Lewis, teacher at North Webster Jr. High, Employee of the Month for March; recognized Stephanie Pitman, teacher at Central Elementary, as Employee of the Month for April. Both teach special education.

• Approved $224,892.19 for Homeland Safety Systems in parish schools; to be paid from the various system maintenance and sales tax funds.

• Approved budget revisions for fiscal year 2024-25.

• Approved trip to Logoly State Park on Friday, April 11 for all students from North Webster Lower Elementary who meet PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support)  requirements. Funded by fundraisers.

• Approved trip to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX on April 25-27 for North Webster High Talented Art students to visit various parks and museums. Funding source fundraiser and donations.

• Approved trip to Dallas, TX on April 17 by Webster Jr. High sixth grade students to visit Aquarium, Medieval Times and the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Funding source Title I.

• Gave approval for Special Education Dept. employees Kassidy Alexander and Jill Hunter to attend LRP (Long Range Planning) National Institute on Issues of Educating Individuals with Disabilities in Phoenix. AZ April 27. Funding source IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

• Approved trip to Dallas, TX by Ursula Hullaby on May 19-22 for 2025 Conference on Crimes Against Women. Funding source Title IV.

• Granted approval for Jr. and Sr. high school students plus district employees to attend 2025 Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando, FL June 26-29. Funding source Title IV.

Board members also approved, in globo, invoice payments for individual schools totaling $519,864.27 to be paid by the four school district maintenance funds plus the sales tax fund . Those included:

• Consolidated Dist. 3 Maintenance Fund — $107,940.95: Major expenditures were $79,500 to install seven mini-split systems on fifth grade wing of Central Elementary; $11,659.96 to purchase 40 football helmets for Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $8,070 for computer lab check-out unit at Central Elementary; $5,601 for two desktop computers and one 16-inch notebook for teacher use at Lakeside Jr/Sr High.

• Doyline Maintenance Fund — $102,127.03: Expenditures included $46,305.20 to replace the fire alarm system at Doyline High; $41,890 to purchase two sets of walk-through metal detectors at Doyline High; $9,470 to repair refrigerant leak in principal’s office at Doyline High.

• District Six and One-Half cent Sales Tax Fund —  $204,555.07: Top payments were $75,000 to paint Minden High gymnasium and hallways of A wing; $25,000 to hire company to clean out drains beneath football/track field at Minden High to prevent flooding; $14,600 to prep concrete, repair existing cracks and apply base and top coat at front and side entrances at J.A. Phillips Elementary; $14,305 to install mesh fence screens at J.A. Phillips Elementary; $14,140 to install six heat exchangers, two induced draft kits at J.A. Phillips; $8,800 to prep concrete, repair existing cracks and apply base and top coat industrial texture coating to front porch at Richardson Elementary; $8,680 to install heat exchangers (2), blower combustion motors and fuses at J.A. Phillips Elementary.

• Springhill Maintenance Fund — $10,909: Expenses include $3,920 for delivery of heat exchanger for Brown Upper Elementary; $2,359 to purchase wet/dry vacuum and buffer machine for Browning Elementary.

• Sarepta Maintenance Fund — $88,782.22: Only three items submitted for approval. Those were $37,786.22 to replace windows in cafeteria at North Webster Jr. High; $28,500 to prep and paint gymnasium at North Webster Jr. High; $22,496 to purchase portal metal detector at North Webster Jr. High.

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