BOARD BRIEFS: Aug. 11 Meeting

The Ouachita Parish School Board received an economic development report from the Grow NELA organization during Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

Rob Cleveland, CEO of Grow NELA, updated the School Board on the progress of Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI), who are building an operations site adjacent to Ouachita High. FTI has made a 20-year commitment to operate a facility in Ouachita Parish and anticipate bringing 500-1,000 new jobs to the area. 

Ouachita Parish Schools and FTI are partnering to introduce career opportunities to students at Ouachita High and on strategies to alleviate traffic flow on Highway 594. 

 Property Purchases

The School Board agreed to purchase the properties at 1505, 1507, 1509 North 3rd Street and 400 Travis Street adjacent to West Monroe High. The properties must be purchased at or below their appraised value. 

Policy Updates

The School Board approved updates to the following policies: DIC (Capital Assets), GBRIB (Sick Leave), IHC (Class Rankings) and KF (Use of School Facilities). The updated policies and the policy manual are available at opsb.net. 

Architect Selected for Construction Projects

The School Board approved the selection of architects for the following construction projects: 

• George Welch Elementary Roof Replacement, The Architect Alliance Group
• Jack Hayes Elementary PreK Hallway Addition, Brian McGuire

Change Order

The School Board approved a change order for the front office renovation project at Lakeshore Elementary. The $74,271.36 change order will be paid from Eastside Bond funds and will cover costs to reinsulate a water line and repair roof damage. 

Compliance Questionnaire 

The School Board approved the submission of the Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire for Ouachita Parish Schools to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Submission of the questionnaire is required as part of the regular, end-of-fiscal-year audit. 

Ouachita Parish Schools has received a near-perfect audit for three consecutive years. 

Meal Prices

The School Board agreed to adjust meal prices for Ouachita Parish Schools employees beginning with the 2026-2027 school years. The cost of breakfast for district employees will increase from $1.50 to $2 and lunch costs will increase from $3 to $4. These costs reflect the increase in food prices and the average cost per meal.

Special Recognitions

The School Board recognized Tracee Wickham, a senior at West Ouachita High, for her appointment as Louisiana FFA State President for the 2026-2027 school year. Wickham was interviewed alongside 27 other applicants for 10 state officer positions. She is the fifth West Ouachita student to receive a state officer appointment and the first Louisiana FFA State President from Ouachita Parish. 

Bid Item                         Funding Source           Budget Amount
Drew Elementary WS Fern Damage                           Insurance/FEMA                       $1,118,000

The School Board granted permission to bid on the following items: 

Bid Item                         Funding Source         Budget Amount
Copy Paper Bid                                                               Various                                      Various 
George Welch Roof Replacement                               M&O                                         $500,000
Richwood Upper Elementary School                          ES Bond                                    $19,000,000
Jack Hayes PreK Hallway Addition                              ES Bond                                    NA