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The Ouachita Parish School Board unanimously extended the contract of Ouachita Parish Schools Superintendent Todd Guice during Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

The extension runs through December 31, 2028, which is the longest allowed by state law.

“Mr. Guice has done an excellent job and fulfilled all his duties with us and the community,” said Tommy Comeaux (District A), President of the Ouachita Parish School Board.

Guice assumed the role of superintendent in July 2023. Under his leadership, the district outperformed the state average school performance score for the 24th consecutive year, boasted 16 top-gain schools and had 16 schools improve their performance scores.

The district also celebrated excellence awards in financial reporting for the 36 consecutive year, while also receiving back-to-back perfect audits from the state.

“I’ve been totally pleased by the outstanding job Todd has done,” said Greg Manley (District G), Vice President of the Ouachita Parish School Board. “Todd is a hands-on leader that takes care of our school system. Every superintendent has their own style and I haven’t heard anything but great comments about the job he is doing.”

Cooperative Endeavor Agreement

The School Board approved a cooperative endeavor allocation from the Louisiana Legislature to disperse state funds at West Monroe High and West Ouachita High. West Monroe High received $25,000 to purchase a “mini-truck” vehicle for maintenance on campus. West Ouachita High received $150,000 to build a walking track at the school.

SMS Construction

The School Board granted Baron Construction a 30-day extension to complete the construction punch list at Sterlington Middle. As of the board meeting, Baron Construction is 235 days past the substantial completion date to complete the punch list.

Sterlington Middle received substantial completion on July 19, 2024, which allowed the district to open the new campus at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Lenwil Elementary Cafeteria

The School Board hired TBA Studio architecture firm to assess the cafeteria at Lenwil Elementary for a possible renovation. 

Policy Revision

The School Board considered a revision adding smart watches to the policy on cell phones and electronic telecommunication devices to comply with state law. The revision was approved by BESE in accordance with ACT 313 of the 2024 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session, which prohibits the use of cell phones or other electronic telecommunication devices at any K-12 public school during the instructional day.

The board will vote to adopt the policy revision at a later date.

Special Recognitions

·         The School Board recognized Emma Blank, a ninth grader at West Monroe High, and Connor Reitzell, a fifth grader at Sterlington Elementary, for placing in the Louisiana School Board Association (LSBA) 2025 Artwork Contest. Reitzell received a first-place award and Blank a third-place award.

Reitzell and Blank’s artwork will be displayed at the Governor’s Mansion for two weeks and at the LSBA office for the rest of the year.

·         The School Board recognized Janet Durden for her service to the community. Durden is retiring as president of the United Way of Northeast Louisiana, a position she held for 40 years.

·         The School Board recognized the United Way of Northeast Louisiana for its Read.Learn.Succeed program. This program trains community volunteers to become volunteer readers or “pen friends” with second-grade students at 20 partner schools across the region. These volunteers and students practice reading and writing skills monthly from October through March.

The Read.Learn.Succeed program has been adopted at five elementary schools in the district. 

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                 Budget Amount
Kitchen Cameras                                                            CNFP                                      $260,000
WMHS FB Field Renovations/Improvements           WOST                                     $1,300,000 

The School Board granted permission to bid on the following item:

Bid Item                                                                      Funding Source                 Budget Amount
Warehouse Cooler & Freezer Doors                           CN Equipment                     $250,000
Property Sale – 3420 Gordon Ave.                                                                             $17,700
Property Sale – Old Burks School                                                                               $67,600          School Buses                                                                     M&O                                    $2,200,000
WMHS Practice Field Renovations/Improvements    WOST                                  $3,400,000                    

Lakeshore Elementary Student of the Year Carter Anderson visited the Monroe Mayor’s Office with his fellow BETA Club members in February, and he immediately caught Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis’s eye.

Before Anderson even spoke, Ellis saw that he had a great smile and was a sharp dresser.

“He has a big personality,” Ellis said. “You can definitely tell leaders when you see them, and you’re around them. He is very humble, yet confident.”

Carter took in everything. He said the office was way bigger than he thought it would be, and the visit even piqued his interest to consider running for mayor one day. As his wheels kept turning, Carter asked the mayor lots of questions, but one stood out in particular.

“He asked me what was my favorite part about the job – I get to help people,” Ellis said. “I get to wake up every day and help people. That’s kind of part of leadership is figuring out who you can help.”

By the end of the visit, Ellis helped make Anderson’s day. He gave him a key to the city of Monroe and promised to make a trip to Lakeshore Elementary to deliver a proclamation. Ellis owned up to that promise on Monday when he visited the school and proclaimed March 10, 2025 as Carter Anderson Day.

“You can tell when somebody is kind,” Ellis said. “When I tell you that’s the most important thing you can do is be kind. It seems like you’ve gotten all that taken care of. I wanted to be able to give you that gift because when you see young men or young women step up in that role and be leaders in their school like you are, that’s one of the cool things I get to do as mayor is I get to recognize it and honor you and all you’re doing.”

Anderson is a 4.0 student and enjoys playing football and basketball, as well as being a part of the BETA Club.