EPSB receives audit report, hears from school principals

The Evangeline Parish School Board received a good audit report at Wednesday’s meeting on November 18. The end of the year’s (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020) total assets are $21.1 million, up around $700,000 from the last fiscal year. The General Fund’s restricted balance is $2.2 million, assigned balance of $926,000, and unassigned balance is $6.4 million, which computes to 13% of General Fund revenues. CPA Casey Ardoin with Kolder, Slaven & Company said of the General Fund revenues, “Anytime you’re at 7.5% or above, the Department of Education considers that an excellent unassigned fund balance. So, you guys are above and beyond what they consider excellent. Pretty good job.”
When it comes to the income statement, Ardoin said, taking revenues, expenditures, and all funds into account, there is a surplus of about $274,000, district-wide. The General Fund revenues are at $48.1 million, up around $600,000. Total expenditures are $46.2 million. Factoring everything, the General Fund ran a surplus of $932,000. “That’s an excellent figure,” said Ardoin. “You guys had a very good year, financially.” He commended CFO Amy LaFleur and her staff, as well as Superintendent Darwan Lazard and staff, for providing all the information for a smooth audit. Lazard also commended LaFleur and her staff.
Also at the meeting, three Evangeline Parish school principals, representing elementary, middle school, and high school, made short presentations to the board about how they have been handling the pandemic using virtual technology. “With COVID, it’s easy just to focus on COVID, but we also have to remember that our primary function is the education of our students,” said Lazard.
Principals Katrina Ardoin of Ville Platte Elementary, Debbie Soileau of Vidrine Elementary, and Alice LeJeune of Pine Prairie High said academics is the priority, despite all the obstacles schools have been facing. They said teachers are using various platforms to do everything from virtual lessons to keeping in touch with students and other teachers. Even though there is distance learning, small group intervention is also provided in the form of face-to-face intervention. Ardoin said even though this is a new learning experience, the students and teachers have embraced it. She also said the parents have been helpful and active in their children’s education.
School board member Sheila Joseph asked if the majority of students are learning with virtual lessons. LeJeune said, “I think they’re learning with new opportunities. It’s a different way of learning. Is it traditional? No. But the generation coming up is not traditional. They don’t learn the way you and I learned.” Students struggling with distance learning are asked to go to school four days a week because they perform better with in-person instruction.
All three principals said teachers find Wednesdays to be “an asset” for preparation. Since the district has been subject to a pandemic schedule, Wednesdays have been set aside to sanitize schools and for teachers to have office hours with students and parent/teacher conferences. Wednesdays have proven a much-needed day for teachers in order to catch their breath and plan for the rest of the week, and to record their virtual lessons. Those days are also used for professional development and maintenance. Also teachers have been helping each other with problem-solving and practicing. “Our Wednesdays are valuable to us, and we embrace them,” said Ardoin.
Lazard commended the principals and teachers for working hard to ensure students get the best education. He also thanked the board for their support in getting materials, technology, and supplies needed to help further education.
Lazard said all of Evangeline Parish is seeing a spike of COVID-19 cases, going from 3.4% to 10.5%, with much of it attributed to community spread. He encouraged the public to wear face coverings and social distance and practice good hygiene.