If the St. Tammany School Board approves three resolutions that were passed at Thursday’s Committee as a Whole for Business Affairs and Administrative meeting, it will allow Superintendent Trey Folse or in some cases, School Board President John Lamarque to apply for community development block grants.

The first grant would reimburse the school system for money spent in the construction of an additional classroom wing at Madisonville Junior High School. The grant is part of the primary and secondary education program disaster recovery unit.

In the resolution, the board stated that “With no special funding source, the School Board has adjusted operating fund accounts to locate portable classroom facilities at the school resulting in reduction in revenues for programs and operations of the School Board. This action deferred needed repairs, replacements and other non-bond issue construction projects needed in the (School System.) The proposed project presents an urgent need to provide permanent classrooms and other ancillary space necessary at Madisonville junior High School.”

The second resolution is for a similar grant to recover funding spent on construction repairs at Brock Elementary School which were ineligible under FEMA public assistance. The block grant in this case is also for primary and secondary education program disaster recovery unit.

The resolution states, in part, “FEMA reimbursed the St. Tammany Parish School Board for most of the repairs to Brock Elementary School under several project worksheets via the public assistance program, however, FEMA determined the landscaping costs as ineligible.”

The third resolution amends the grant funds, reflecting the increase in the community development disaster recovery funds from $15,876,611 to $19,647,306. The School Board is therefore amending its original cooperative endeavor agreement to reflect the increase received. These funds cover ineligible items under FEMA public assistance for Salmen, Brock and Brooks Curriculum as well as other Katrina related infrastructure projects such as the additional modular classroom at Madisonville Elementary and a classroom wing addition and other necessary structures at Madisonville Junior High School.

The fourth resolution would appoint Byron Williams as Section 504 coordinator to ensure that the school system’s programs, services and activities meet the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Among other things, Section 504 ensures that “no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded from participation in or denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program receiving community development block grants assistance.”

The resolution also said the school system will “ensure that employment activities, including jobs announcements, recruitment, interviews, hiring, work assignments, promotions and dismissals, do not discriminate on the basis of disability.”

Other provisions include non-discrimination operation of facilities and that new construction and alterations are made accessible to those with disabilities; provide reasonable accommodations which may be necessary for a person with a disability; that the school system has conducted a self-evaluation of programs, services and activities to determine if they are accessible and this will be reviewed periodically; that notification will be published in the official journal of their nondiscriminatory provisions; the adoption of the “St. Tammany Parish School Board Section 504 Communications Policy”; adopt the “St. Tammany parish School Board Sec-tion 504 Grievance Procedure; and the School Board will maintain records and reports of efforts to meet Section 504 requirements. The final part of the resolution authorizes the superintendent to execute the “Section 504 Assurances Certification.”

School board candidate Sean Mickal, while not having signed in as a speaker, asked questions about the repayment of the $68 million Katrina loan. Folse said that the amount does not show up in the 2010-2011 budget because it has not been determined how much, or if any of the amount will in fact need to be repaid.

“We will make necessary payments if it is determined we owe the money and must repay the fund,” Folse said.

Before the meeting was adjourned, Mickal again asked about the funds and where the money would come from to repay the loan. Folse said that some funds have been reserved for this purpose and there is also an opportunity to get an extension of five years in which to repay the loan.

Mickal then asked others questions of the board not related to agenda items; School Board President John Lamarque said that questions about students are not allowed in open forum and the Board had been more than flexible allowing Mickal to ask questions about the budget without signing to appear. He then asked Mickal to step down, whereupon Lamarque made announcements prior to the adjournment of the committee meeting.

In other business, the low bid by Trimark Constructors, LLC of $2,436,400 for the demolition of the temporary campus at Salmen High School and construction of the new field house and baseball field. Budget for the 2008 bond issue funded project was $3.5 million. The bid reflects a savings of about $1 million.

A second project, Salmen High School’s gym and building No. 2 conversion to permanent facilities will have to be bid on again. The lowest bidder had not met all bidding requirements and the other bid received on the project was over budget.

A meeting of the full board and the final budget vote will be Thursday.