VIDALIA, La. &045; Because the current Concordia Parish School Board members are almost a year into a term they were not elected for because redistricting for the school board still has not been approved, the Concordia Parish School Board is seeking an opinion from the attorney general on how long the board can issue a contract to a superintendent, if they decide to appoint one.

In circumstances like this, where a board is serving into the next term without being re-elected, the law says the board members can appoint a superintendent to a contract of two years beyond their term. However, the board members are now almost one year past their term now and will be more than a year past term when elections occur in the spring.

The current board’s term actually expired December 31, 2002, according to business manager Tom O’Neal.

So, the board passed a decision Tuesday night to seek the attorney general’s opinion in how long the board can issue a contract to someone when they decide to appoint a new superintendent.

Vice President Raymond T. Riley Sr. said after the meeting Tuesday night that the readvertisement for the superintendent position would close Sept. 29 and then the board would work through trying to make a superintendent appointment.

&uot;We’ll go through the process, screening and interviewing, hopefully with a new system where we won’t come up with a tie and appoint a new superintendent,&uot; Riley said.

The board members, minus Board President Ernest Lynn White and member Ricky Raven, discussed legal matters in executive session for close to an hour.

&uot;In executive session, we discussed legal matters that will be discussed later on,&uot; Riley told the audience after the board returned from executive session.

Tuesday night, the board also approved positions for a career options program. The first part the school district is adding is cosmetology and barber school.

&uot;We are going to give kids the option of doing academics as well as hands-on,&uot; Interim Superintendent Fred Butcher said.

Also, the board heard from James Cockerham, who asked the board to raise the mileage payments for bus drivers to 20 cents per mile both ways from the 5 cents one way the driver’s receive now.

&uot;We have actually taken a decrease in pay because of the cost of gas,&uot; Cockerham said. He told the board surrounding parishes, Tensas, Catahoula and Grant, offer at least 15 cents a mile to their drivers.

Board member Darrell M. Crofford made a motion for the board to take the matter under advisement and let the finance committee investigate what the board needs to do in this case.

In other business, the board:

4 Approved a five-year extension of their lease of section 16, T7N, R8E.

4 Recognized Juanita Green of Ferriday Junior High and Brenda Logan of Vidalia Junior High as the teachers of the year. Green will compete regionally for state teacher of the year honors.

4 Approved seven personnel resignations, one retirement, one extended leave, one transfer and 15 appointments to the district.