Bossier School Board honors Foster Campbell, adds $1,500 special ed training supplement, moves meetings to 5 p.m.

Update, Sun., Nov. 8: At the same Nov. 5 meeting, the board approved a new $1,500 training supplement for special education teachers and paraprofessionals, KTBS reported. To qualify, staff must finish a 40-hour Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) training course. Chief Financial Officer Nisha Bamberg told the board the special education department has seen “a unique set of behavioral issues” in some specialty classes and wanted training for the teachers and aides in those rooms. The money will be paid in two rounds: in January for employees who finish the course in the first half of the school year, and at the end of the school year for those who finish later. District officials said the program is paid for entirely with federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) money and does not touch the general fund, KTBS reported.

The Bossier Parish School Board on Thursday, Nov. 5, honored Foster Campbell for his part in creating the Bossier Educational Excellence Fund, known as BEEF, in 1985. The Bossier Press-Tribune reported the recognition came during the board’s regular meeting at the Bossier Instructional Center on Airline Drive.

Campbell, a former state senator who is retiring from the Louisiana Public Service Commission, urged then Gov. Edwin Edwards to set aside tax revenue from Louisiana Downs to start a permanent endowment for Bossier schools, the Press-Tribune reported. The fund started with $500,000. Later legislation added state revenue collected from Bossier City casinos.

The Press-Tribune reported the endowment is now worth an estimated $70 million to $80 million. KTBS reported a value of $72 million. Neither outlet said where its figure came from. It has produced about $20 million in interest for the district since it began, including about $2 million this year. That money pays for things like classroom upgrades, student technology, art education and after-school tutoring. The earnings are meant for education, not administrative, custodial, maintenance or capital expenses.

Superintendent Jason Rowland presented Campbell with a plaque, KTBS reported. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, whose term ends in January, urged board members to protect the fund. “Everybody in Louisiana knows about the BEEF fund,” Campbell said, according to KTBS. “Guard it, because it belongs to Bossier Parish schools.” Daily Shreveport also covered the meeting.

Meeting changes

• December: The board canceled its Dec. 3 and Dec. 17 meetings and added one on Thu., Dec. 10.
• Starting January 2027: Regular meetings will begin at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Members discussed traffic and whether parents and employees could make an earlier meeting before the change was approved, the Press-Tribune reported.

Meeting dates, agendas and minutes are on the board’s meeting portal.