By Icess Fernandez [email protected] The Caddo Pa rish School Boa rd has spent more tha n $34,000 on travel to and from conferences so far this year in an effort to fulfill a state-man- dated contin uing educa tion requirement, according to re- cor ds obt ain ed by TheTimes. Among th e more cos tly trips was a visit to San Francis co in Aprilto atten d theNationa l As- socia tionof Scho ol Board s con- ferenc e. The trip has produ ced some ideas in governance and budget ary leade rship , said Lil- lian Priest , board presid ent. “Tha t’ s a wa y for sc ho ol boards to network and bring back ideas ,”she said. The Times gained access to the records through an open records request that asked for board trav el expe nses since Ja n. 1. Alth oughboardmemberssay the price tag is justified, some sa y th atduri ng a ti meof fin an- cial strain the board should be more selective with its travel expenses. Since January, board mem- bers have trav eled to Marks- ville , BatonRouge , Washin gton D.C. and San Francisco. Regis- tration has been paid for six board memb ers for a trip next wee k to Ash vill e,N.C., for a re- gional confer ence . The trip to San Franc isc o cos t mor e tha n $17 ,000 forsev- en board members to attend. However , depe nding on the board membe r, the stays in the Bay- area city varied , accord ing to docume nts. The price tag included reg- istration fees, flights and hotel stay . Therewere alsoaddition- al fees, including costs for at- tendi ng lunch eons and organi- zatio nalgatherings , notinclud- ed in theregis tra tio n fee . The money was wor th it, Priest said, because ideas for dealin g with Caddo’s budget crunch, which was happening atthe time,camefrom thecon- ference. Priest said the ideas brough t back were: Imp le me nt a spen di ng moratorium. Rene gotiat e vender con- tracts. Look to see if the district has over allocated staff posi- tio ns. Priest said Cadd o did havesome. Look at programs, organi- zations and compe nsatio n for pla cesto trim. However , therehaven’t been polic iesbrought forthby board membe rs becaus e those ideas havebeen giv ento dis tric t sta ff membe rs to imple ment. “School boards do not im- pleme nt progra ms, staff brings them to us for approval,” she said. BoardmemberCurtisHooks , who also att end ed the San Francisco conference, said he gained more than knowledge from the trip, he gained per- spective. He rented a car and drove more than 30 hours to the conference. He said he at- tende d 12.5sessions. “S omet imes you ha ve to learn to stand by yourself,” he said.“It (theconventio n) made me a stronger person. Before going to San Francisco, I won- der ed whe the r I wasdoingthe righ t thi ng.One of thesess ions brough t (that ) out for me.” In retros pect,he wishe s few- er people attended the confer- ence, Hooks said. As a result, he decided not to attend next week’ s trip to Ashvil le. “After laying off 300 people, I coul dn ’tfindit inmy heartto go, ” he said. School board members are re quir ed to ha ve a cert ai n number of continuing educa- tio n hou rs as perstatelaw . The hou rs ha ve to be comple ted face-to-face and can’t be done online , Priestsaid. Accor ding to the law, board member s nee d to comple te six hours. Part of the hours have to include workshops in cer- tain topics such as education- al policy issues, leadership de- velop ment and school disci- pline. In addition, boards with schools on the academical- ly unacceptable list must have twohourswort h of wor ksh ops dealing with school improve- ment. Priest said she had 12.5 hou rs so far . There isn’t a stipulation in the law about what happens if a school board member does not fulfill the annual require- ment. As part of the board ’s pol icy , membe rs can be reimbu rsed for: hotel room, cost of meals plus 15 percent in tips, regis- tration costs , transp ortatio n including a 15 percent tip and mil eag e. The y als o can tak e out advances if needed. Trips are booked months in advance and the board president signs off on wh o at te nds wh ic h meetings or conventions. The pre sid ent als o sig ns off on reimbursements. Sunday 07/10/11 • 3A DATACENTER: SE E WHO OWES CHIL D SUPPOR T IN LOUI SI ANA, shreveporttimes.com W hen searching for phone numbers to help find answers to problems, the Shreveport Police Department has a wealth of information on its website — http://www .shreveportla.gov/dept/police/. Aside from 911, which must be used only during emergencies, there is a non-emergency line for residents to call to report criminal activity. That number is 673-7300. Want to do your part and turn in a suspect in a crime? There’s a contact for that, too. Try Crime Stoppers at 673-7373. Residents also can report illegal narcotics in Shreveport or Caddo Parish by sending an email to drugstoppers@ shreveportla.gov. Here are some other helpful numbers if you need help reporting traffic congestion, neighbors who have several inoperable cars cluttering yards, suspicious activities or crimes, or even a police officer who may not be following the law or proper procedure. — From Staff Reports FIXIT: Helpful numbers for assistance The Times helps you get things done. Email [email protected] CODE VIOLATIONS: Call Code Enforcement at 673-6200 for concerns regarding enforcement of violations of statutes or ordinances regulating public health, safety and welfare, and public works. CRIME/SUSPIC IOUS ACTIVITY: Call general information at 673-BLUE for non-emergency calls, including criminal activity, safety issues, suspicious activity and questions. COMPLAINT S ON OFFICERS: Call the Internal Affairs Bureau at 673-6920 if there is a complaint or problem with the manner which calls for police service are handled. TRAFFIC PROBLEMS: Call the Traffic Bureau at 673-7255 for concerns regarding violations of traffic laws and motor vehicle safety. Catching Up updates readers in Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto and Webster parishes on previous stories reported in The Times. Email ideas for this column to vhunter@ shreveporttimes.com. Man who owe d chil d supp ort jail ed Shreveporter Charles B. Cooksey was featured in a previous edition of The Times as owing $153,000 in back child support for his son who is now 31 years old, according to court records. The 66-year-old is listed among those statewide who contribute to an estimated $619 million in delinquent child support owed in Louisiana. The total amount derives from more than 53,000 cases. Court records show that Cooksey took flight from a $350-a-month child support obligation more than 28 years ago, and now his arrears put him at No. 2 on Caddo Parish’s list of so-called “worst” deadbeat parents. UPDATE: Cooksey has since disputed the accusations and says he’s working with an attorney to clear up the matter and his name. However, he was booked into Caddo Correctional Center on June 30 for one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and being a fugitive from the screening division of Caddo District Attorney’s Office for the child support matter, according to Caddo sheriff’s office. Cooksey is being held in CCC without a bond and is set to go before a Caddo judge soon. Cou rt dat e set forunionhearin g After Caddo Parish School Board eliminated 313 positions as part of its 2011-2012 budget process, Caddo Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel filed suit June 21 claiming the board had violated state law in how it chose which positions would be placed on the chopping block. State law requires boards to create and follow a reduction in force policy that takes into account certification and education, if applicable, seniority in the system and tenure of employees. Federation President Jackie Lansdale said the board broke the law when it chose to lay off personnel based on seniority within position rather than seniority in the system. Board attorney Reggie Abrams said he believes the board’s policy and action were in line with state regulations. UPDATE: A request made June 27 for a motion of judgement by the school board has been denied by Judge Scott Crichton. A case hearing has been set for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 10 in the Caddo Parish Courthouse and has been assigned to Judge Leon Emanuel. — Fr om Sta ff Rep orts CATCHINGUP Since January, the Caddo Parish School Board has spent more than $34,000 in trips to convent ions and conferences. School board member have to earn continuing education hours as per state law. Veteran members need six hours and new members need 16 hours during their first year to receive a “Distinguished School Board Member” designation. Among some of the locations traveled by board members are San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Baton Rouge. Board members are planning a trip for Ashville, N.C. next week and Pineville next month. The Board spent the most money on registration fees and hotel stays. Expenses for the trips come from the district’s general fund. Grand total $34,789.97 $10,639 Hotel $1,805.30 Other $425.60 Tips (meals/baggage) $15,030 Registration fees $2,566.50 Flights $110 Baggage fees $1,651.33 Meals $2,562.24 Mileage Source: Times research a nd Caddo Parish Public Schools TheTimes BY THE NUMBERS Caddo board spent $34K on travel Board president: Spend ing amount can be justified SEE CADDO, Page 4 D o c u m e n t : 0 S T 0 3 0 0 A 0 7 1 0 . p d f ; P a g e : 1 ; F o r m a t : ( 2 6 6 . 7 0 x 4 5 0 . 8 5 m m ) ; P l a t e : C o m p o s i t e ; D a t e : J u l 0 9 , 2 0 1 1 2 2 : 4 7 : 5 6 ; L o w R e s C M Y K