Superintendent reports on heating repairs, bond projects and an 'excellent' annual financial report for Beauregard Parish

Beauregard Parish superintendent’s staff and district finance staff updated the Beauregard Parish School Board on maintenance work across the district and on the district’s financial standing during the Dec. 12 board meeting in DeRidder.

Maintenance and facilities: The district reported two boilers failed at Maryville High School’s new gym; portable heaters were used to keep areas usable during a recent tournament while staff investigated whether the failure was caused by a power surge or a lightning strike. A district official said the sewer project is complete and fully operational since the first day back from Thanksgiving. Work on stadium areas and baseball and softball facilities at multiple schools is underway; the senior cafeteria project has electrical, plumbing and windows installed and sheetrocking was scheduled to begin with a projected completion in April (projected date described as an estimate).

District roofing work is in progress: crews completed junior‑high roofing work and assessed two leaks that emerged over Thanksgiving; crews reapplied adhesive and expected additional frames/repairs in the following days. Several bond projects — band hall at DeRidder Junior High, bathrooms at Singer and Pinewood, DJHS fan room, DeRidder Auditorium and AG shops — are with architects, and staff said architect design typically takes four to five months before bids are issued.

Finance: The district’s finance presenter told trustees the Louisiana Department of Education’s Annual Financial Report (AFR) returned an “excellent” rating — the first such rating the presenter could find since joining the district. The presenter said that the AFR certifies the district’s fiscal compliance with state law and that necessary revenues and expenditures are being recorded correctly.

Payroll accounting: Trustees pressed staff on apparent anomalies in monthly salary lines caused by accounting for nine‑month employees. The finance presenter explained the district uses escrowed payroll for nine‑month staff: those payrolls are processed in June for the upcoming July and August paychecks, which can make July and August salary lines appear low while September shows the first payrolls that include nine‑month staff. Staff said the state revenue cycle and student‑count adjustments also affect monthly distributions.

Other updates: Colonel Clifton Lopez, Fort Johnson garrison commander, briefed the board on Fort Johnson recruiting cycles and invited board members to visit Fort Johnson’s STARBASE program and the Fort Johnson Education Summit; he said rotations and training typically pick up after March.

No formal board action was required for the maintenance and facilities updates; trustees asked staff to bring bond‑project bidding documents and additional details for upcoming agenda votes as bid packages are complete.