Beauregard School Board swears in new members

The Beauregard Parish School Board swore in its newest members this week, as the panel held their first meeting of the new year.

Newly elected board members Casey Jones, Heather “Nikki” Weldon, and Garrett Greene officially began their terms Thursday night, after most had spent the past weeks gathering opinions from their districts about how to best represent their constituents.

For Weldon, she said the evening was an exciting moment to experience with her family.

“I’m beyond excited about serving. I have heard the issues from those in my area and I really hope to provide a greater transparency between the school board and the teachers,” Weldon stated.

Weldon, who took over the District 5 seat from outgoing member Don Gray, told the American Press that she has been collaborating with principals, teachers, parents and students to put together a list of items to focus on.

Of those, she said she intends to pick up a longfought battle to hold the board accountable for a weight room building it had agreed to build at the East Beauregard High School campus, but never followed through on.

The weight room was an item often brought up for discussion by Don Gray and L.D. Spears, who lost his seat to Greene in the October election, over the past two years. By the summer of 2018, the board had reached a stalemate over the project as it could not get a majority vote to approve a budget for the building.

While plans had been reviewed to build a new structure, some board members expressed their concern that a proposed budget of $400,000 to build a new facility had not been what the full panel had agreed to when it approved the item’s addition to a “wish list” created after a $3 million bond item had been approved by voters for campus improvements throughout the school district.

Board member Wesley Taylor had repeatedly expressed his concerns over building a new facility when he felt the board had approved a renovation of the existing building. Both Spears and Gray had stated that they believed the current building would be too costly to renovate, but neither could get a majority vote to bring the item to fruition.

“There are a few projects from the past that were not completed for East Beauregard High School that I would like some clarification on,” Weldon stated.

During the meeting, the board also unanimously approved the reappointment of board president David Vidrine and vice president Darrin Manuel to their respected positions. No other nominees were suggested for the appointments.

SportsPlus

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls suffer double loss

life

SW La. nightlife calendar: There’s always something to do

Local News

Trump announces commission on religious liberty, White House Faith Office

McNeese Sports

Traveling man

Local News

Jennings High Key Club using grant to increase access to books

Local News

Program aimed at helping city workers buy homes

Local News

Several area schools named after Black education pioneers, local legends

Crime

LC man accused of going on crime spree

McNeese Sports

Back to their roots

Jim Beam

Jim Beam column:Second Harvest news unsettling

Local News

Meet the candidates: Five throw hat in ring for mayor’s race

McNeese Sports

SLC games set for McNeese

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls look for four-peat

Local News

UPDATE: Drug charges against veterinarian cleared of rape dropped

Local News

Cassidy, Senate committee advances Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nomination to be health secretary

Business

Waffle House adds surcharge to eggs as massive bird flu outbreak leads to soaring prices

Local News

Federal judge blocks enforcement of La. police ‘buffer-zone’ law

Local News

Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance opens new offices

Local News

NY shields abortion pill prescribers after doctor indicted in La.

McNeese Sports

Cowboys win by a tick

Business

Wall Street swerves lower after Trump announces tariffs and then puts some on hold

Local News

A heart for kids: New Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO driven to help others

McNeese Sports

Hot-shooting Nicholls guns down Pokes

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls struggle early, fall to Nicholls