Board Meeting Comments

We are lucky to have a federally funded food program. It’s disturbing that the guardians of the money may not have not had the students’ best interest at heart. Does the money here actually go to feed students high-quality edible food? Or paying cafeteria workers a living wage? It’s extremely disturbing when they had to make changes that their first go to was to cut food offerings, and cafeteria staff? We have. 600+ student schools with babies not getting fed until almost 1 o’clock with only two maybe three cafeteria workers? How is that ok? Some even seem to be running low on food. After passing or not passing this item every board member should go eat a random breakfast and lunch a school in your district. See for yourself are we actually offering high-quality edible food so students can succeed, regulate their emotions, and learn? Count how many cafeteria workers you see. Go break bread with our students. Please.

How are you going to ensure enough tutors are available for the students that qualify? Many children identified for tutoring in the past didn’t receive those supports due to lack of available spots.

Thank you bus drivers, you deserve better. disappointing during the budget process that the lowest paid employees weren’t prioritized for serious salary increases. $500 stipend is insufficient. How about improving benefits? It’s hard to see central office with more special project staff, assistant directors, and directors and directors when our bus drivers are paid so poorly that it impacts service overall. Why are the people who work with students every day the most poorly compensated? Maybe we should just deploy some of the highest paid people to get on the bus? Get their license and get driving. Nobody will complain about those trips and conferences if the directors and chiefs are driving buses. Bus drivers who work with students in a high stress capacity should be be paid respectfully so they come back here after year and contribute to a positive culture. $500 stipend is not respectable. Try again..

Seems to be a great opportunity to use the network of EBR employees to recruit bus drivers however, EBR needs to massively improve the compensation and working conditions of bus drivers to get staff to stay. It really feels like in this last budget process that paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers should’ve been prioritized for significantly higher wages and quality benefits. It’s time to end the costly high turnover and create good jobs. As we dare to be great, let’s dare to raise the wages of our lowest compensated workers. Thank you.

The living wage in Baton Rouge, LA, varies significantly by household size. For a single adult with no children, the estimated living wage is $22.17 per hour. Do better

this should’ve been addressed during the budget process? Have we not seen the last few years it’s we are chronically underpaying our bus drivers? Look at the high turnover and how much that costs. It’s understandable, the board was distracted with all the school closures, which has left many of our schools, crowded and understaffed but why are we here now? Although $18 an hour is certainly better than what we’re currently paying still not great considering the important work they do of transporting our beloved scholars from school to home. Please try again?