VIDALIA — Eighty-five percent of 955 survey takers in Concordia Parish are interested in a magnet school for the area.

The results of a survey conducted through the Concordia Parish School Board’s Alert Now system, which makes calls to students’ homes in emergency situations, were shared during the school board meeting Thursday evening.

The system, which can make 6,000 calls in 90 seconds, also has a short survey function.

During the survey function a short introduction paragraph is asked and five yes or no questions are asked.

A survey was given to determine the interest for a magnet school in Concordia Parish.

A magnet school offers specialized courses and does not rely on school district lines, but rather can draw students from the entire parish.

Proposals for new sales tax software were also discussed during Thursday’s meeting.

The board was asked to evaluate two proposals from software companies in the state.

Software and Services of Louisiana, based out of Shreveport, submitted a proposal for its software that costs $45,000 for the base module, which does not include training, conversion data or modifications.

JPI Data Resources, of Gonzales submitted a proposal for its software that costs $44,000 for the base module, which also does not include training, conversion data or modifications.

The board accepted the two proposals and will form a committee to review the material submitted by the companies before making a decision.

In other news from the school board meeting:

– The school board awarded a 1997 Ford pickup truck and a lot of land at Ridgecrest school to the highest bidders.

A 15-day removal and or demolishing clause was set in place for the lot at Ridgecrest.

– The school board recognized several students from the parish who were selected as winners of a Christmas card contest.

The cards are sent out as the board’s official Christmas cards.

The school board will meet again at 6 p.m. Jan. 12.