Latest news with #PublicSchoolSystem
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former St. Tammany school system employee arrested after discovery of ‘questionable purchase'
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A former St. Tammany Parish Public School System employee has been arrested after the discovery a 'questionable purchase.' According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, they began investigating the matter of falsified documents after receiving a tip from the public alleging that a former employee purchased a fish fryer on the school system's account. Young victim in Algiers shooting dies from her injuries days later Deputies identified the employee as Brad Taylor. Reportedly, while employed with the school system's maintenance division, Taylor allegedly falsified documents to purchase the fryer from a Slidell hardware store. St. Tammany Parish deputies said the falsified document listed the purchase as a 'fan motor.' Deputies add that Taylor did reimburse the school system so 'no actual theft occurred.' Man found shot, killed in Gentilly neighborhood 'He went to great lengths to hide his original purchase, including doctoring documents and purchasing a fan motor, to hide the initial purchase of the fish fryer,' said STPSO deputies. On May 15, a warrant was issued for Taylor's arrest. On May 16, he reportedly turned himself in and was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center charges of obstruction of justice and filing or maintaining false public records, according to the governor vetoes reparations bill CBS News president steps down amid Trump lawsuit The 10 cities most popular with Gen Z home shoppers, according to mortgage data Los Angeles barbershop blasts 'Baby Shark' to ward off homeless More storms take aim at the central US after tornado deaths Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two finalists selected in NOLA Public Schools Superintendent search
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Two finalists have been selected in the search for a new superintendent for the New Orleans Public School System. According to NOLA Public Schools, the Orleans Parish School Board named Dr. Sharon Latten-Clark and Dr. Fateama S. Fulmore as finalists after a board meeting on March 25, which followed first-round interviews with three semifinalists. Clark approaches the selection with over 25 years of experience in public education, serving currently as the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education district 2 representative and charter director for Sophie B. Wright High School in New Orleans. She holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Xavier University, with her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of New Orleans. Louisiana interior designer makes magic with Luke Macfarlane on new show 'Home is Where The Heart Is' Fulmore currently sits as the interim superintendent of NOLA Public schools, previously serving as the deputy superintendent. She holds over 20 years of experience in PK-12 education. Fulmore's education includes a bachelor's from Appalachian State University, a master's from Gardner Webb University, an Ed.S. from Grand Canyon University and an Ed.D. from Gwynedd Mercy University. The next steps in the selection process will occur as follows, per NOLA Public Schools officials: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 – Public engagement event with finalists at 6 p.m. at Walter L. Cohen High School Wednesday, April 2, 2025 – Special board meeting to conduct final-round interviews and election of superintendent Thursday, April 17, 2025 – Board business meeting to approve contract for new from New Orleans to Mobile starting service in Summer, 2025 Former Louisiana Senator J. Bennett Johnston dead at 92 Two finalists selected in NOLA Public Schools Superintendent search Louisiana interior designer makes magic with Luke Macfarlane on new show 'Home is Where The Heart Is' Jeff Dow named the next head coach of the Southeastern Women's Basketball program Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Savannah-Chatham superintendent lauds 'significant voter turnout' for ESPLOST election
"Collectively, when I say 'Together We Can' this is exactly what I mean," said Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Superintendent Denise Watts regarding the county's approval of the fifth Education Special Purchase Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendum. During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, she lauded "a significant voter turnout" for Tuesday's special election despite 94.19% of eligible voters opting not to show at the polls. The referendum was the first March vote for an ESPLOST measure, which also made it the only item on the ballot. The special election also took place the day after Savannah's St. Patrick Day Parade and Festival. Each of these factors presented previously unexplored variables for an ESPLOST vote. "Nobody really knew how it was going to go...I was even nervous about how it would go," Watts said Wednesday. She said that since this was her first ESPLOST vote, she did not have a historical number to base a potential outcome against. She reiterated that the vote received a 64.37% approval among 5.81% of eligible Chatham County voters. As previously reported, the approval rate is the third highest of all the ESPLOST votes. Conversely, the referendum's disapproval rate is also the third highest for an ESPLOST vote with 35.63% of voters going against the measure. Ultimately, she was "happy to announce" the significant win for the district, which will allow it to address facilities projects large and small. She referred to a top priority being "one of our flagship projects," which is Pooler's first high school. She said the district will continue to be good stewards of its and the community's resources to ensure students "have quality learning opportunities and facilities to learn in." She expressed her gratitude for for the opportunity to "galvanize the community around something that we know will leave a lasting benefit." She thanked community partners, families and her district team for their efforts and insights throughout the proposal development process. Watts also acknowledged the support of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, for which she is listed as a member of the board of directors. School district Chief Public Affairs and Administrative Services Officer Kurt Hetager clarified that the chamber invites the school system to be represented on the board, but that the superintendent traditionally does not attend the meetings. "We have a strategic partner coordinator in our engagement and outreach department that attends," he said. Watts did confirm that she had given an informational presentation on ESPLOST to the Chamber board prior to its endorsement. She said she "was asked to leave the room when ESPLOST V was discussed" following the presentation. All is quiet on the voting front: 5.81% of Savannah-Chatham County voters pass ESPLOST The voters' approval of ESPLOST extends the already-existing 1% sales tax designated for public school capital projects. The first penny tax was first approved nearly 20 years ago and has gained voters' support ever since. Here's another look back at the historical turnout over all past ESPLOST votes: ESPLOST I vote on Sept. 19, 2006 *Special election Total: 23,801 Yes: 13,276 (60.28%) No: 10,525 (39.72%) ESPLOST II vote on Nov. 8 2011 Total: 39,313 Yes: 26,930 (67.13%) No: 12,923 (32.87%) ESPLOST III vote on Nov. 8, 2016 *Presidential Election year Total: 108,020 Yes: 64,468 (59.68%) No: 43,552 (40.32%) ESPLOST IV vote on Nov. 2, 2021 Total: 22,612 Yes: 16,765 (74.14%) No: 5,847 (25.86%) ESPLOST V on March 18, 2025 *Special election Total: 12,240** Yes: 7,879 (64.37%) No: 4,361 (35.63%) **12,251 ballots were cast but Chatham County Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten confirmed that 11 voters checked in, printed their ballots and cast them but the ballots were blank. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah-Chatham superintendent happy with ESPLOST outcome
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
All is quiet on the voting front: 5.81% of Savannah-Chatham County voters pass ESPLOST
Despite Chatham County polling stations being nearly as quiet as childless playgrounds during Tuesday's special election turnout, voters greenlit $705 million in additional tax revenue over the next five years for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. The district's fifth Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendum received the third highest percentage of yes votes (64.37%) compared to previous ESPLOST referendums. ESPLOST V also lays claim to the lowest overall voter turnout of any ESPLOST with 12,240 votes counted out of 12,251 ballots cast. Chatham County Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten noted that the numbers are still unofficial until the reconciliation process has been fully completed. The passing of EPLOST V continues the one-cent sales tax that began after voters first passed ESPLOST I on Sept. 19, 2006. Chatham County had 211,005 registered voters for Tuesday's election, which means only 5.81% chose to participate. Early voters accounted for 3,165 ballots between Feb. 24 and March 14. Election day voters made up the remaining 9,075 votes. Wooten shared that only 1,522 voters had cast ballots across the county between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., which set the tone for slow-going at polling locations. With the referendum, Pooler stood to gain a new estimated $55 million K-8 school and its first high school, estimated at $95 million, to address overcrowding at other West Chatham schools. The new West Chatham Complex is set to house both schools and could also contain an athletic complex estimated at an additional $20 million. Together the three projects equate to nearly a quarter of ESPLOST V's total budget. Yet, only 696 of Pooler's 15,828 eligible voters (4.39%) cast ballots. Poll workers and the manager at West Chatham County YMCA said only 22 people had shown up by 12 p.m. They did say that six people wanted to vote, but had to be redirected to their assigned precincts, which was noted as a common occurrence because the YMCA draws people from all over the town to its recreational facilities. At the Pooler Recreation Center Gymnasium, its poll manager said between 20 and 30 people had voted by lunch time. By the close of the polls, 281 voters across two of Pooler's precincts (which are both assigned to the gym) had voted. Historical ESPLOST election data shows that the fourth ESPLOST vote on Nov. 2, 2021 had yielded the highest percentage of yes votes while having the previous lowest voter turnout of 22,612. The pattern of lower turnouts yielding higher success rates was noted by District 3 School Board Representative Cornelia Hall as a factor to consider back during the school board's August retreat. The special sales tax funds, by law, cannot be spent toward curriculum resources, teacher or staff salaries, or schools' daily operational expenses. ESPLOST funds can only be used for capital improvement projects such as constructing new buildings, advancing security technology, repairing and upgrading facilities as well as purchase of furnishings, buses and computers. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Voters support extending Savannah-Chatham public schools special tax
