The last Iberia Parish School Board meeting of the year brought good news and a reason to be merry concerning the parish’s financial outlook.

First on the agenda was Cleco bearing a gift of $10,000 to the Iberia Parish Career Center.

The money, which was made available through an educational grant, will provide funding for the center’s National Center for Construction Education & Research Electricity 1 class. In essence, the class prepares high school students for careers as electricians teaching them how to provide residential electrical services and safety and introduce them to the National Electrical Code.

Cleco’s residential and commercial developer Jude Hebert presented the $10,000 check to Chris Broussard, Iberia Parish Career Center principal, at Wednesday night’s IPSB meeting.

“It’s a great opportunity for us … supplies in our electrical class are costly … this also builds relationship with Cleco to find out what they want our students to know to have a better chance at employment,” Broussard said.

Broussard and Hebert credit Iberia Development Foundation President Mike Tarantino for bringing the two together. Hebert also said the effort to fund more training for students in the area of electrical services is something the company is doing across the state.

“It was part of the goal when Cleco went from being a publicly traded company to being privately held that we wanted to commit to doing more in the community. We are making donations throughout the state,” he said.

Also bringing good news to the IPSB meeting were Gerald Thibodeaux and Art Mixon, partners in the Kolder, Champagne, Slaven & Co. accounting firm. The partners released the boards’ annual financial compliance audit in which no instances of noncompliance were required to be reported in accordance with Governmental Auditing Standards.

There also was found to be no material weakness in internal control over the major federal programs IPSB administers.

Thibodeaux called the Iberia Parish School Board system “financially astute.”

The accounting partner said that although expenses have outpaced revenue since 2015 by approximately $2.4 million, the IPSB reserve fund of $39.2 million has prepared the board for times of financial lack.

Also on the agenda was discussion of Iberia Parish school personnel being presented the opportunity for added training under the Safe Schools Training program for a cost of less than $10,000.

Darlene French, IPSB’s comprehensive learning supports systems specialist, said that all personnel including teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and anyone else employed by the Iberia Parish School System will have access to online training beginning in May 2018.

Topics of instruction will include everything from OSHA requirements for maintenance workers, to school bus driver safety, ethics training and social issue topics such as youth suicide.

Other Items on the IPSB agenda included:

• The approval of substantial completion of Pesson Elementary School and St. Charles Elementary School for additions and renovations as well as final payments totaling $6,000 for renovations and a new canopy at Magnolia Elementary School and Loreauville High School, respectively.

• The naming of the new school being built in New Iberia on LeBourgeois Road as “Belle Place Elementary.” The decision was adopted by a unanimous vote.

• A new principal has been appointed to Jefferson Island Road Elementary School. Niles Romero is leaving his post as administrative assistant at Delcambre Elementary School to take over the new position in the new year. Romero replaces Tabitha Schwarz.