Livingston Parish School Board authorizes multiple bid advertisements, ratifies trash contract and approves personnel contracts

The Livingston Parish School Board on Feb. 24, 2025, approved a slate of procurement actions for the 2025–26 school year, ratified a two-year trash-collection agreement with Waste Management (with options for two one-year extensions), adopted budget revisions through committee reports and approved several personnel contracts including a performance-based assistant principal contract at Denham Springs High School.

The actions, taken during a regularly scheduled meeting that opened with roll call and moved through routine business, included authority to advertise bids for child nutrition categories (disposable products, fresh produce, ice cream products, milk and milk products and purchased foods), renewals of a branded pizza bid, fuel for parish fuel stations, equipment for Doyle High School’s ProStart kitchen, custodial and food-service warehouse stock, and weight-room equipment for Denham Springs High School. The board also ratified RFQ 25-02 for trash-collection services and approved the renewal of administrators’ performance-based contracts effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.

Why it matters: The procurement and contract approvals set purchasing and service arrangements that affect day-to-day school operations, food services, transportation fuel, maintenance supplies and athletic facilities for schools across Livingston Parish. The personnel approvals determine leadership assignments at specific schools for the coming school years.

Most significant actions and details

- Procurement authorizations: The board granted the superintendent authority to advertise multiple bids for the 2025–26 school year, including child nutrition categories (disposables, fresh produce, ice cream, milk and milk products, purchased foods), branded pizza renewal, fuel for Livingston Parish Public Schools fuel stations (Bid 25-05), ProStart kitchen equipment for Doyle High School (Bid 25-10), custodial supplies for warehouse stock (Bid 25-11), food-service disposables for warehouse stock (Bid 25-12) and weight-room equipment for Denham Springs High School (Bid 25-13).

- Trash collection: The board ratified RFQ 25-02 and accepted a two-year contract recommendation with Waste Management, including options for two additional one-year extensions under the same terms. A Waste Management representative thanked the board for the business and the working relationship: “thank y’all for the service that y’all provide for us,” the representative said.

- Personnel contracts: The board approved renewal of administrators’ performance-based contracts effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The board also approved a performance-based contract for Alyssa Farmer as assistant principal at Denham Springs High School, effective Feb. 11, 2025, through June 30, 2027; the superintendent said Farmer was already serving in the role on a temporary basis and recommended conversion to a performance-based contract.

- Committee reports and budget revision: The board accepted reports from the Budget and Goals Committee and the Curriculum Policy Committee (both met Feb. 18, 2025). The Budget and Goals Committee presented an audit summary for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and recommended adoption of budget revisions for 2024–25 across multiple funds (general fund, sales tax fund, school food service fund, federal and state funds, disaster fund, construction fund and others). The Curriculum Policy Committee presented nine policies (listed in committee materials) and the committee voted to forward them for full-board approval.

Votes at a glance (motions, movers/second when recorded, outcome)

- Approve minutes of Feb. 6, 2025 meeting — Motion: Mister Brad Harris; Second: Doctor McMorris; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise child nutrition bids (disposables, produce, ice cream, milk, purchased foods) for 2025–26 — Motion: Doctor McMorris (recorded); Second: not specified; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to renew prior-year branded pizza bid — Motion: Miss Jeff Cox; Second: Mister Bob Seals; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise Bid 25-05 (fuel for LPPS fuel stations) — Motion: Miss Caitlin Cochran; Second: Mister Jeff Cox; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise Bid 25-10 (ProStart kitchen equipment for Doyle High School) — Motion/Second: not specified on record; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise Bid 25-11 (custodial supplies for warehouse stock) — Motion: Jeff Purcell (recorded as mover); Second: Mister Cecil Harris; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise Bid 25-12 (food-service disposables for warehouse stock) — Motion: Mister Brad Sharp (recorded as mover); Second: Mister Jeff Cox; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Authority to advertise Bid 25-13 (weight-room equipment for Denham Springs High School) — Motion: (recorded mover name unclear in transcript); Second: (recorded second name unclear); Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Ratify RFQ 25-02 (trash collection) and award recommendation to Waste Management (two-year term with option for two one-year extensions) — Motion: Miss Cockerham; Second: Mister Jeff Cox; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded). Note: board discussion recorded that quotes were requested from four vendors and Waste Management offered the lowest cost option.

- Renewal of administrators’ performance-based contracts effective 07/01/2025–06/30/2028 — Motion: Mister Bob Seals; Second: Mister Jeff Cox; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Superintendent’s recommendation for assistant principal contract for Alyssa Farmer (Denham Springs High School), effective 02/11/2025–06/30/2027 — Motion: (mover recorded with unclear transcript spelling); Second: Mister Cecil Harris; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Accept report of Budget and Goals Committee meeting (02/18/2025) — Motion: Miss Jeff Cox; Second: Mister Bob Seals; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded). Committee reported audit presentation for year ended 06/30/2024 and recommended adoption of 24–25 budget revisions across multiple funds.

- Accept report of Curriculum Policy Committee meeting (02/18/2025), including forwarding nine policies presented in committee materials — Motion: Miss Cecil Harris; Second: Doctor McMorris; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

- Approval of payment of invoices and district supplements — Motion: (mover recorded as Branch Scharks in transcript); Second: Mister Jeff Cox; Outcome: Approved (no opposition recorded).

Discussion vs. decisions

Most items were routine approvals with no extended debate recorded in the transcript. Procurement items were presented by staff (including Summer Purvis for child nutrition) and moved for board authorization. The trash-collection item included a staff recommendation to contract with Waste Management based on lowest cost quotes. Personnel items included superintendent recommendations and were approved after motion and second. Committee reports included an auditor presentation on the 2023–24 fiscal-year audit and committee votes to forward policies and budget revisions to the full board.

Clarifying details

- Waste Management contract: recommended initial term of two years with options for two additional one-year extensions under the same terms; lowest-cost quote among four vendors solicited on Jan. 28 (as stated by staff). - Administrators’ contracts: renewal period stated as July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. - Assistant principal contract: Alyssa Farmer’s performance-based contract effective Feb. 11, 2025, through June 30, 2027; Farmer was described by the superintendent as currently serving in the position on a temporary basis prior to approval. - Audit: report covers fiscal year ended June 30, 2024; an auditor from the firm presented a summary and committee accepted the report. - Budget revision: committee materials listed multiple funds (general fund, sales tax fund, school food service fund, federal funds, state funds, disaster fund, construction fund) included in the 2024–25 revision; specific dollar amounts were presented to the committee but are not specified in the board transcript excerpt.

What the transcript did not specify

- Exact dollar amounts for the RFQ/contract award to Waste Management and for the advertised bids were not stated in the portion of the transcript provided. Where a mover or seconder’s name was unclear in the transcript, the record above notes the uncertainty rather than replacing the name.

Next steps / Looking ahead

- Staff will proceed with advertising the approved bids for the 2025–26 school year, begin procurement processes, and implement the ratified contract with Waste Management under the terms approved by the board. The superintendent and staff will process employment paperwork for approved administrator contracts. Committee recommendations (policies and budget revisions) were accepted by the full board for finalization as recorded.

Ending

The meeting concluded after superintendent comments (including an update on a K–12 education study group and upcoming Louisiana School Boards Association convention) and a motion to adjourn. No public comments were recorded at the start of the meeting.