VIDALIA, La. &045; A change in state policy affecting retirement from Louisiana schools just keeps creeping back to the top of the list of concerns for the Concordia Parish School Board.

A board policy allowing administrators to retire from their jobs and re-apply the next day created last fall only to be reversed six months later was apparently around long enough to do its damage.

At Tuesday night’s board meeting, Business Manager Tom O’Neal told the board that the benefit packages for 20 retired and rehired teachers and three retired and rehired administrators was costing the district $129,000 in excess this year. By next year the number will be $144,000.

Louisiana schools have had to absorb costs of insurance and retirement benefits over the past year.

Superintendent Kerry Laster pointed out that the district needs the retired teachers with proper certification to return to the schools because of a teacher shortage.

The board agreed to take the matter under study and revisit it at a later meeting.

In other business, the board moved the construction of an athletic building or field house at Vidalia High School from a level 2 priority ranking to a level 1.

The change in priority was sparked by an offer from the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the City of Vidalia to provide labor to construct the building. The school board would only have to pay for materials.

Board Attorney John Guice said there were many legal issues involved in accepting the deal that would have to be addressed before work could begin.

&uot;It may be possible,&uot; Guice said. &uot;There’s a good likelihood that it’s possible, but to get into the legalities of it tonight is putting the cart before the horse.&uot;

Guice agreed to meet with lawyers for both other parties and iron out the details before the board goes ahead with the project.

The field house would provide space for showers, dressing rooms and a weight room, thing all currently housed in makeshift areas in the gym.

The board also:

4 Agreed to put board owned lands into a Conservation Reserve Program.

4 Agreed to work with the Town of Ferriday to demolish a board owned building across from the Ferriday Town Hall. Ferriday owes the school board a debt for the land and has offered to demolish it to even the slate.