Many, Louisiana 71449
May 12, 2025
1. Meeting Opening:
The Parish School Board of Many, Louisiana, Sabine Parish, met in a regular public session on May 12, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at 265 Middle Creek Road, Many, Louisiana, with the following members present: Stacy Alford, Board President; Terrell Snelling, Board Vice President; Kowonno Greene, Everett Guidry, Josh Jenkins, Dean Johnson, Donald Remedies.
Absent: Dr. Leah Byles and John Stewart
At 5:30 p.m. the regular meeting of the board began with a Call to Order by President Stacy Alford, who gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Recognition of Visitors:
No visitors were recognized.
At this time, Ms. Alford asked that the Board Amend the Agenda to add one item to the Regular Agenda. On motion by Terrell Snelling and second by Josh Jenkins, it was unanimously carried to add item 4F to the Regular Agenda.
3. Consent Agenda:
On motion by Josh Jenkins and second by Kowonno Greene, it was unanimously carried approve the Consent Agenda as follows:
A. Approve and Adopt the Regular Board Minutes of April 7, 2025;
B. Approve 2025-2026 SY Indian Education Grant Budget;
C. Approve MOA between LSU-Alexandria and Sabine Parish School District;
D. Approve Out-of-State Field Trip for FHS for 18 Third Grade Students and 2 adults to go to Lufkin Zoo in Lufkin, Texas May 14, 2025;
E. Approve Out-of-State Field Trip for ZHS Boys Basketball Team (15 students) and 3 adults to attend Lufkin High School Basketball Team Camp June 4, 2025;
F. Approve 7-12 ZHS students and 2 adults to attend Basketball summer camp in Marshall, Texas at ETBU June 2-5, 2005;
G. Approve 2024-2025 21st Century Learning Communities (PALS) Grant Budget Year 3 Amendment 1;
H. Approve and Adopt Consent Agenda Items 3A-3H.
4. Regular Agenda:
A. On motion by Kowonno Greene and second by Stacy Alford it was unanimously carried to approve Out-of-State field trip with request for monetary assistance for 5 MHS students and 2 adults to attend NAQT National Championship, Atlanta, GA May 23-25, 2025.
B. On motion by Terrell Snelling and second by Everett Guidry, it was unanimously carried to approve Out-of-State Field Trip with request for monetary assistance for 3 NHS students and 2 adults to attend Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando, FL, June 26-29, 2025.
C. On Motion by Everett Guidry and second by Stacy Alford, it was unanimously carried to move the September Regular Board Meeting date to September 15, 2025.
D. On motion by Josh Jenkins and second by Kowonno Greene, it was unanimously carried to approve and adopt Resolution giving preliminary approval to the issuance of not to exceed Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000.00) of Sales Tax Bonds of Sale Tax District No. 2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana; and providing for other matters in connection therewith.
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The following resolution was offered by Josh Jenkins and seconded by Kowonno Greene:
RESOLUTION
A resolution giving preliminary approval to the issuance of not to exceed Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000) of Sales Tax Bonds of Sales Tax District No. 2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana; and providing for other matters in connection therewith.
WHEREAS, Sales Tax District No. 2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana (the "Issuer"), is now receiving revenues derived from the levy and collection of a one-half of one percent (1/2%) sales and use tax being levied and collected on behalf of the Issuer for a period of twenty (20) years from and after July 1, 2020, pursuant to an election held in the Issuer on April 28, 2018 (the "Tax"); and
WHEREAS, the Issuer now desires to incur debt and issue not to exceed Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000) of Sales Tax Bonds (the "Bonds"), in the manner authorized and provided by Part II of Chapter 4 of Subtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, and other constitutional and statutory authority (the "Act"), for the purposes of (i) constructing, improving, operating and maintaining the public school buildings and facilities within the Issuer, including acquiring equipment and furnishings therefor, and (ii) paying costs of issuance of the Bonds, said Bonds to be secured by and payable from the proceeds of the Tax, subject only to the payment of the reasonable and necessary costs and expenses of collecting and administering the Tax (the "Net Revenues of the Tax"); and
WHEREAS, the Issuer has no outstanding bonds or other obligations of any kind or nature payable from or enjoying a lien on the Net Revenues of the Tax; and
WHEREAS, the Issuer desires to make formal application to the State Bond Commission for approval of the issuance of the Bonds;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana (the "Governing Authority"), acting as the governing authority of the Issuer, that:
SECTION 1. Preliminary Approval of the Bonds. Preliminary approval is given to the issuance of not to exceed Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000) of Sales Tax Bonds of the Issuer (the "Bonds") for the purposes of (i) constructing, improving, operating and maintaining the public school buildings and facilities within the Issuer and acquiring equipment and furnishings therefore (the "Project"), and (ii) paying costs of issuance of the Bonds, said Bonds to be secured andpayable solely from the Net Revenues of the Tax (as defined in the preamble hereto). The Bonds shall bear interest at a rate or rates not to exceed 5.00% per annum and shall mature no later than ten (10) years from the date thereof. The Bonds shall be issued in fully registered form and shall have such additional terms and provisions as may be determined by this Governing Authority.
SECTION 2. State Bond Commission. Application is hereby made to the State Bond Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for approval of the issuance and sale of the Bonds and for consent and authority to proceed with the issuance and sale of the Bonds as provided above, and Bond Counsel is directed to make application to the State Bond Commission in accordance with the foregoing on behalf of the Governing Authority.
By virtue of applicant/issuer's application for, acceptance and utilization of the benefits of the Louisiana State Bond Commission’s approval(s) resolved and set forth herein, it resolves that it understands and agrees that such approval(s) are expressly conditioned upon, and it further resolves that it understands, agrees and binds itself, its successors and assigns to, full and continuing compliance with the "State Bond Commission Policy on Approval of Proposed Use of Swaps, or other forms of Derivative Products Hedges, Etc.", adopted by the Commission on July 20, 2006, as to the borrowing(s) and other matter(s) subject to the approval(s), including subsequent application and approval under said Policy of the implementation or use of any swap(s) or other product(s) or enhancement(s) covered thereby.
SECTION 3. Employment of Bond Counsel. This Governing Authority finds and determines that a real necessity exists for the employment of special counsel in connection with the issuance of the Bonds, and accordingly, Foley & Judell, L.L.P., of New Orleans, Louisiana, as Bond Counsel, is hereby employed to do and perform work of a traditional legal nature as bond counsel with respect to the issuance and sale of said Bonds. Said Bond Counsel shall prepare and submit to this Governing Authority for adoption all of the proceedings incidental to the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of such Bonds, shall counsel and advise this Governing Authority as to the issuance and sale thereof and shall furnish its opinions covering the legality of the issuance of the Bonds. The fee of Bond Counsel for each series of bonds shall be fixed at a sum not exceeding the fee allowed by the Attorney General's fee guidelines for such bond counsel work and based on the amount of said Bonds actually issued, sold, delivered and paid for, plus "out-of-pocket" expenses, said fees to be contingent upon the issuance, sale and delivery of said Bonds. The President and/or the Secretary-Superintendent is hereby authorized and directed to execute, and this Governing Authority hereby agrees to and accepts the terms of the engagement letter of Bond Counsel appended hereto. A certified copy of this resolution shall be submitted to the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana for approval of said employment and of the fees herein designated, and payment for the work herein specified upon completion thereof and under the conditions herein enumerated is hereby approved without further action of this Governing Authority.
SECTION 4. Appointment of Municipal Advisor. The Issuer hereby retains Argent Advisors, Inc., to act as its Municipal Advisor ("MA") pursuant to the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules promulgated thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Issuer hereby acknowledges that it is represented by the MA and will rely upon the advice of the MA with respect to the Bonds. The fee to be paid the MA shall be payable solely from the proceeds of the Bonds when and if issued, and the amount thereof shall be subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission. The President and/or the Secretary-Superintendent is hereby authorized and directed, in his discretion, to execute any contract the MA may require with respect to the engagement.
SECTION 5. Sale of Bonds. The Bonds are hereby authorized to be sold to a purchaser(s), and the President and/or the Secretary-Superintendent of the Governing Authority is hereby authorized to execute a Commitment Letter, in form and substance satisfactory to Bond Counsel and Municipal Advisor to the Issuer, provided the sale of the Bonds is within the parameters set forth in Section 1 hereof.
SECTION 6. Declaration of Intent. Prior to the delivery of the Bonds, the Issuer anticipates that it may pay a portion of the costs of construction of the Project from the Issuer's Sales Tax Fund. Upon the issuance of the Bonds, the Issuer reasonably expects to reimburse any such expenditures of other available funds from a portion of the proceeds of the Bonds. Any such allocation of proceeds of the Bonds for reimbursement will be with respect to capital expenditures (as defined in Reg. 1.150-1(b)) and will be made upon the delivery of the Bonds and not later than eighteen months after the later of (i) the date such expenditure was paid or (ii) the date on which the project was placed in service, but in no event more than three years after the original expenditure was paid. This Section is intended to be a declaration of official intent within the meaning of Reg. 1.150-2.
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This resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
YEAS: 7 – Snelling, Remedies, Greene, Guidry, Jenkins, Alford, Johnson
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 2 – Byles & Stewart
ABSTAINING: 0
And the resolution was declared adopted on this 12th day of May, 2025.
/s/ Shane Wright /s/ Stacy Alford
Secretary-Superintendent President
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EXHIBIT A
Engagement Letter
May 12, 2025
Hon. Shane Wright, Superintendent
Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine,
State of Louisiana
Re: Proposed Sales Tax Bonds of Sales Tax District No.
2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine,
State of Louisiana
Dear Superintendent Wright:
The purpose of this engagement letter is to set forth certain matters concerning the role we will serve and the legal services we will provide as bond counsel to the Sales Tax District No. 2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana (the "Issuer") in connection with the issuance of the captioned bonds (the "Bonds"). We understand that the Bonds will be issued for the purpose (the "Project") described in the resolution adopted by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana (the "Governing Authority"), acting as the governing authority of the Issuer, on May 12, 2025.
As bond counsel, we will prepare and submit to the Governing Authority for adoption all of the legal proceedings required for the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds and provide advice of a traditional legal nature as to the issuance and sale of the Bonds. Our job is principally to render certain opinions to the Issuer regarding (i) the validity of the Bonds under applicable Louisiana law, (ii) the exemption of interest paid on the bonds from federal and/or state taxes, and (iii) other matters as may be applicable. The bond opinion will be based on facts and law existing as of its date. In rendering such opinion, we will rely upon the certified proceedings and other certifications of public officials and other persons furnished to our firm without undertaking to verify the same by independent investigation, and we will assume continuing compliance by the Issuer with applicable laws and other resolutions relating to the Bonds. During the course of this engagement, we will rely upon the staff of the Issuer and the members of the Governing Authority to provide us with complete and timely information on all developments pertaining to any aspect of the Bonds.
In our engagement as bond counsel, we will:
Confer with members of the working group, including you and other officials of the Issuer, relating to the Project and review legal issues relating to the structure of the Bond issue;
Prepare the Issuing Bond Resolution and all related financing documents (collectively, the "Bond Documents");
Attend meetings, as necessary, of the Governing Authority at which the Bond Documents are adopted;
Prepare the application for approval of the issuance of the Bonds by the State Bond Commission and attend the State Bond Commission meeting at which such approval will be considered;
Prepare the closing index and various closing certificates, including the Tax Compliance Certificate, if applicable, and supervise the execution of certain closing documents by the various parties thereto;
Prepare and file Internal Revenue Service Form 8038-G, as required by Federal law;
Prepare the Bonds and supervise their execution and authentication;
Prepare complete transcripts of record covering the issuance of the Bonds and furnishing the transcripts to various parties in connection therewith; and
Submit applicable post-closing reports to the State Bond Commission.
Our fee as bond counsel is based upon the terms, structure, size and schedule of the financing, the services provided, and the responsibilities assumed; however, our fee will not exceed that permitted by guidelines set forth by the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana and is subject to his approval. Our fee as bond counsel is a "contingent fee," meaning you are required to pay for our legal services only in the event the Bonds are actually sold and delivered. Other vendors or members of the working group may charge additional fees or costs for their services, which may not be contingent upon a successful delivery.
We will continue to serve as bond counsel until the delivery of the Bonds; however, the Issuer and our firm each have the right to terminate this engagement at any time after providing reasonable advanced written notice, subject to the applicable rules of professional responsibility. Upon conclusion or termination of our representation of the Issuer, papers and property furnished by the Issuer will be returned promptly upon request.
Please note that we are not municipal advisors, and we do not render financial advice or other financial services to the Issuer; however, in the course of providing traditional legal services, we may provide factual information to the Issuer that is not specifically tailored to the Bonds or that does not rise to the level of a recommendation concerning a course of action. We will, however, analyze and advise the Issuer regarding the legal ramifications of the structure, timing, terms and other provisions of the Bonds, as these functions are essential to developing a plan of finance.
On behalf of the Issuer, you have represented to us that in connection with the issuance of the Bonds the Issuer is represented by, and with respect to financial matters will rely on the advice of Argent Advisors, Inc., a registered municipal advisor under the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. By obtaining such representation from you, our firm is not a municipal advisor and is not subject to the fiduciary duty established in Section 15B(c)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Applicable ethical rules in Louisiana prohibit us from undertaking this representation if we represent another party that is directly adverse to the Issuer or if there is a significant risk that other considerations will materially limit our representation of the Issuer. As you are aware, our firm represents the State of Louisiana and many other political subdivisions, including others in Sabine Parish. At this time, we do not believe any other current or past engagement of our firm adversely affects our ability to represent the Issuer as provided in this letter; however, we invite you to discuss any concerns you have with us.
In the interest of facilitating our services to you, we may (i) send documents, information or data electronically or via the Internet or (ii) store electronic documents or data via computer software applications hosted remotely or utilize cloud-based storage. Confidential electronic documents or data of the Issuer may be transmitted or stored using these methods. We may use third party service providers to store or transmit these documents or data. In using these electronic communication and storage methods, we employ reasonable efforts to keep such communications, documents and data secure in accordance with our obligations under applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards; however, the Issuer recognizes and accepts that we have no control over the unauthorized interception or breach of any communications, documents or data once it has been transmitted or if it has been subject to unauthorized access while stored, notwithstanding all reasonable security measures employed by us or by our third party service providers. By acceptance of this letter, the Issuer consents to our use of these electronic devices and applications and submission of confidential client information to or through third party service providers during this engagement.
If this letter is acceptable to the Issuer, please so indicate by executing below and returning a copy to us, retaining an original for your files. We appreciate the opportunity to serve the Issuer and look forward to working with you.
Foley & Judell, L.L.P.
By: J. Hardy Andrews
Accepted and Approved:
Parish School Board of the
Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana
By: /s/Shane Wright
Name: Shane Wright
Title: Superintendent
Dated: May 12, 2025
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STATE OF LOUISIANA
PARISH OF SABINE
I, the undersigned Secretary-Superintendent of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana, do hereby certify that the foregoing pages constitute a true and correct copy of a resolution adopted on May 12, 2025, by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana (the "Governing Authority"), the governing authority of Sales Tax District No. 2 of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana, giving preliminary approval to the issuance of not to exceed Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000) of Sales Tax Bonds of Sales Tax District No. 2 of the Parish of Sabine, State of Louisiana; and providing for other matters in connection therewith.
IN FAITH WHEREOF, witness my official signature on this, the 12th day of May, 2025.
/s/Shane Wright
Secretary-Superintendent
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E. On motion by Everett Guidry and second by Kowonno Greene, it was unanimously carried to approve and adopt Resolution granting a one-time salary supplement as written.
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RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Sabine Parish School Board has the desire to use the excess sales taxes accumulated in the Sales Tax Fund to provide additional salary supplements to active employees of the Sabine Parish School Board for services rendered in the fiscal year 2025-2026,
AND WHEREAS, an employee is defined as an individual actively working full-time or in a permanent part-time capacity, in their respective position and employed by the Sabine Parish School Board (excludes board members, excludes substitute labor and excludes those only working in a timesheet capacity),
AND WHEREAS, this supplement is being provided conditioned on employees completing their respective scheduled days to be worked for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and any employee not fulfilling this requirement is subject to having the supplement prorated while surrendering any portion not earned either prior to or after the date of declaration,
AND WHEREAS the supplement shall not be reduced for absences due to medical occurrences.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that all active employees employed on May 21, 2026 shall be paid a one-time gross supplement of $5,000.
Employees that are in a regular salaried position but working a partial day shall receive a commensurate prorated portion of the $5,000 supplement.
The BOARD hereby instructs the subsequent budget amendment(s) and budget adoption(s) to include adjustments and transfers to accomplish the above supplement distribution.
The Superintendent will resolve any exceptions or clarifications as to the board’s intent that is necessary in regards to the preceding definitions and rules. He will have full discretion to this regard.
This distribution shall be made during May 2026 in conjunction with the normal payroll date for the month of May.
This resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
YEAS: 7 – Snelling, Remedies, Greene, Guidry, Jenkins, Alford, Johnson
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 2 – Byles & Stewart
ABSTAIN: 0
And the resolution was declared adopted this 12th day of May 2025.
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F. On motion by Josh Jenkins and second by Kowonno Greene, it was unanimously carried to approve the bid for new school bus as recommended by Nolan Rivers, Director of Business, to Ross Bus & Equipment Sales, LLC for $125,000.00.
5. Superintendent’s Report:
Informational only.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
ATTEST:
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Stacy Alford, President
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Shane Wright, Secretary