A new vision: The final draft of a new strategic plan for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System will be presented to school board members during the board’s regular meeting Thursday. The school system began rewriting its current plan on April 4, when more than 230 participants took part in 20 different focus groups over a three-day period. A 25-member committee was formed to help rewrite the plan, and it has been meeting since May. The committee set a goal of making the system a top 10 district in the state by 2020. See a draft copy of the report here.
Transitions abroad: The Shaw Group has been awarded a contract by the South Refineries Co., which is part of the Republic of Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, to provide a feasibility study for the rehabilitation of its 140,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Basra, Iraq. The study will assess the current condition of the refinery and estimate the engineering, equipment supply and construction services required to improve its operation. The study is funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency through a grant to the South Refineries Co. This is the first grant the agency has provided directly to an Iraqi grantee. “This study will help to promote the development of Iraq’s oil business and modernize vital facilities,” says James Glass, president of Shaw’s Energy & Chemicals Group. “This is Shaw’s fourth refining project in Iraq, reinforcing our continuing commitment to the Middle East region.” The value of the contract was not disclosed.
