Home Care In Baker, LA

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Dusty Baker could sense a portion of his life as he entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Plaque Gallery last weekend. He couldn’t help but notice that some of his contemporaries from when he played with the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers were walking slower, in some cases with the help of a cane or an assistant.

“I’m glad to see everybody,” said Baker, 77. “But you know, we’re getting old. I see guys in walkers who used to run fast, [and] their kids that are grown. You kind of see your life flash before your eyes.”

A record 60 Baseball Hall of Famers were in Cooperstown as Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were inducted last Sunday. Baker traveled with the San Francisco Giants’ contingent to celebrate Kent, who credits Baker with helping transform him into the 2000 National League most valuable player, a five-time All-Star and eventually a Hall of Famer.

As much as Baker tried to keep his focus on Kent, however, many kept telling him that this visit was a prelude to his induction next summer. They reminded him that he’s expected to be on the Hall’s Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot in December.

If Baker receives at least 12 votes from the 16-member committee, he’ll become the first Black manager elected to the Hall.

“I know the history,” Baker said. “I was fortunate enough to be around Hank [Aaron] in the beginning.”

Baker grew up idolizing Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, 26 months before Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker was born in Riverside.

Through Jim Gilliam, the 1953 NL rookie of the year who spent three seasons with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baker met several Negro League greats.

Gilliam once took Baker to eat lunch at Negro League legend Cool Papa Bell’s home in St. Louis. Baker also spent time with Satchel Paige and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe. Because of his friendship with Aaron, his Braves mentor, and his time with the Dodgers, Baker met Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe, who spent time in the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Bell, Paige and Campanella all were inducted into the Hall. Paige was the first Negro Leaguer inducted into the Hall in 1971, five years after Ted Williams used his induction speech to advocate for those players.

“Baseball gives every American boy a chance to excel, not just to be as good as someone else, but to be better than someone else,” Williams said on July 25, 1966. “This is the nature of man and the name of the game, and I’ve always been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, to have struck out or hit a tape-measure home run.

“And I hope that someday the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players that are not here, only because they were not given a chance.”

Robinson became the first Black player elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America in 1962. Negro Leaguers ?weren’t considered for the Hall until Paige was elected in the 1971 class. A year later, Gibson was inducted. Rube Foster, who in building a reputation as “the father of Black baseball” held many roles in his career, was the first Negro Leaguer to be inducted as a pioneer or executive.

Baker first visited the Hall of Fame to play an exhibition in 1974. He made his third trip to Cooperstown last weekend, which marked his first visit for an induction ceremony.

Exactly 60 years after Williams’ induction speech on the steps of the Hall of Fame, Baker walked into the Hall and was greeted by the loud roars of another Boston Red Sox legend, David Ortiz. Baker smiled widely and nodded, greeted Ortiz in Spanish, chuckled and walked over to him and Vladimir Guerrero, giving each of them hugs and pats on the back.

A few seconds later, Dave Winfield joined the trio for a picture before Baker and his wife began to mingle with other Hall of Famers and guests.

Later that night at a party the Giants held in Kent’s honor, he paid tribute to his family, Baker and a few teammates during a short speech.

Then Kent predicted that Baker will return next year to take his place among baseball’s immortals. Baker won a World Series title and three pennants as a manager while leading a record five teams to the playoffs over 26 seasons as a manager.

He’s eighth on baseball’s managerial wins list with 2,183, the only Black manager with 2,000 victories.

While sipping coffee and munching on extra crispy bacon and blueberry pancakes Sunday morning, Baker sat at the Otesaga Resort where the Hall of Famers stay during induction weekend. He looked out at Otsego Lake while several Hall of Famers stopped to say hello.

Chipper Jones stopped by and said, “You dusting off that chair for next year, Dusty?”

Baker laughed and shook his head before calling Jones by his first name, Larry.

“There ain’t no guarantees, so why am I going to look forward if there ain’t no guarantees?” Baker said. “I’m serious. People think I’m kidding when I’m saying that. When Bill Belichick did not get in the [Pro Football] Hall of Fame, anybody has a chance to not get in the Hall of Fame.

“Am I right? That’s how I look at it. I was shocked. They can talk about Deflategate, they can talk about the media. What about the other six [Super Bowls] he won?”

Nonetheless, Baker appreciates what it would mean for a Black manager to finally be elected to baseball’s Hall.

“But most of my life had been full of ‘first Black guy’ stories, Black man stories from the time I was in high school,” he said. “The two Blacks at my high school were me and my brother in my last year of high school. That’s some of the reasons I went into the wine business. There’s not many Blacks in the wine business. One reason why I started but stopped in the energy business was because there’s not many Blacks in the energy business.”

There have been 354 inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame, 23 as managers. Baker likely will be the first Black manager next summer.

“I was taught pride from my mom and dad in culture about being Black,” he said. “My mom was really big [on Black history] because she was a Black Studies teacher, so we had books that I read. …

“I’m hoping I can motivate other young brothers and sisters to achieve some things that don’t seem achievable. It’s a little bit disheartening when I see regression of Black coaches, Black players, Blacks in baseball.”

BAKER, La. (WAFB) — Baker Schools has banned all candy from school campuses after a student at Baker High School was hospitalized for consuming candy laced with an unknown substance, according to Helix Community Schools CEO Preston Castille.

Castille said the incident happened Friday, Aug. 14, during the first week of school.

“We still don’t know what the substance is. We don’t know what may have been included in the candy or edible or whatever it may have been,” Castille said.

District bans candy on campus

In response, the district is banning all candy from campus.

“We treat it like a peanut allergy. We don’t want you to bring it on campus. We want to make sure we monitor what you bring on campus to make everyone safe,” Castille said.

Students at Baker High School already pass through a metal detector when entering the building to check for weapons. The district said the policy now extends to food items such as candy.

“You got food and you’re bringing food on campus, we’re probably gonna look at it and ask questions about it. The safest thing to do is they’ll bring any food on campus if you don’t have to. If you got a child that has a specific allergy or dietary restrictions, that’s understandable. Communicate that with the school. But that looks a little suspicious to us. We’re going to look at it,” Castille said.

In a statement, Baker Schools Superintendent JT Stroder said, “There is currently no confirmed information establishing that the substance originated from Baker High School or was obtained on campus. I also ask parents and guardians to speak with their children about never accepting or consuming food, candy, gummies, baked goods, or other items from individuals they do not know or trust, and to immediately report anything they believe may be unsafe to a responsible adult.”

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Letter cites $1.3 million in questioned spending; district must now get state approval before major purchases

BAKER, La. (WAFB) - The Baker school system has been designated “high risk” by the Louisiana Department of Education, according to a letter obtained by the WAFB I-TEAM. The designation means the district must get state approval before spending any significant amount of federal dollars.

The nine-page letter was sent to the Baker school board seven weeks ago. It states the Louisiana Department of Education is “hereby designating the City of Baker School System (CBSS) as high risk” and is imposing specific conditions on the district.

The deputy superintendent told the district that as of Aug. 5, $1.3 million of its spending is being questioned due to compliance and fiscal requirements. The district has since provided documentation to the state, and $763,000 remains outstanding.

Among the problems listed by the state is a $571,000 air conditioning system allegedly installed without proof of bids. The letter also lists 21 findings of noncompliance and questioned costs, which it says represent “a significant pattern of unsupported and unallowable charges across federal education programs.”

The new spending provisions will apply to Helix Charter, which took over operation of Baker schools last year, if the district has an expense using federal funds over $10,000. The I-TEAM learned the problems at the Baker school system predate Helix’s takeover.

Board members Clara Joseph and Linda Perkins said they were not aware of the full extent of the issues in the letter.

“To me, it looks like a cover-up because the taxpayers have every right to know how their money is being spent,” Perkins said.

“It’s misappropriated. It wasn’t spent properly. Somebody needs to pay for that,” Joseph said. “You’re talking federal money. You’re talking taxpayers’ dollars.”

Joseph said she wants an independent audit of the district’s finances.

“I think we need an independent, full audit. Independent. And we requested that. And every time we requested it, we were told, oh, the audit is clear,” Joseph said. “And we can see from the information that we’ve been given, it was far from clear.”

Joseph also had choice words for Superintendent JT Stroder.

“To be honest with you, he needs to go, because he’s in over his head. And I told him that. I’m not being ugly. I’m just being frank,” Joseph said.

In an email, Superintendent JT Stroder said the district was first notified in March that the school system was designated high risk. The superintendent has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The I-TEAM went to the Baker school system seeking an interview with Stroder but was told he would not be made available.

Helix Schools’ CEO told the I-TEAM the letter from the Department of Education predates Helix taking over last year and said all questions should be referred to the superintendent.

The state has not accused any specific person of wrongdoing. The Department of Education appointed a special master to ensure the school system comes into compliance. The school system will be designated high risk for at least a year. Failure to comply with requirements could result in federal funding being withheld.

One day after this story aired, Baker School Superintendent JT Stroder issued the following statement in response to the story. He declined to be interviewed.

The approximately $1.3 million figure does not reflect the remaining questioned costs listed in LDOE’s September status report. That report lists $736,267.10 in fiscal-monitoring questioned costs and a separate $27,039.50 program-monitoring item, totaling $763,306.60. Those figures reflect the September review, before LDOE’s review of subsequent submissions.

The September report expressly cleared the $571,034 HVAC questioned cost after the district submitted supporting procurement and project documentation. Please make that resolution clear so readers understand that this amount is no longer part of the outstanding questioned costs.

The distinction between questioned costs and missing money is important. The findings concern supporting documentation and whether expenditures satisfy grant requirements. Some involve costs LDOE considers unallowable, while others involve documentation it considers insufficient. Describing funds as “unaccounted for” can leave readers with the impression that money is missing. The board members’ statements alleging misappropriation and a cover-up should remain clearly identified as allegations. Your article states that LDOE has not accused any specific person of wrongdoing.

The district’s high-risk designation was formally communicated on March 13, 2026, following LDOE’s January and February correspondence and our March 4 meeting. The concerns included historical expenditures and supporting documentation, along with current administration and oversight of federal programs under the district’s arrangement with Helix Community Schools.

During the March 4 meeting, LDOE explained that its correspondence was prompted by concerns about federal-program supervision under that arrangement. LDOE advised that the district needed someone with sufficient knowledge to verify that Helix was carrying out its responsibilities. The Department also linked the possible high-risk designation to the lack of clarity in the arrangement.

For that reason, the statement attributed to Helix’s CEO needs clarification. Some questioned expenditures predate Helix’s operations, but LDOE’s correspondence and meeting discussions also addressed current responsibilities between CBSS and Helix. Please clarify whether his statement referred to the historical expenditures or the letter itself. The district remains accountable as the grant recipient and has been working to establish the staffing, written responsibilities, and oversight LDOE requested.

The dates covered by the findings also matter. Supporting-documentation requests reach back to 2019, with the fiscal review focused on FY 2021–2022 and additional findings involving other years. Many records and grant applications originated under previous administrations. My work has included searching historical records, email accounts, and financial systems to retrieve documentation from employees who are no longer with the district. That does not eliminate our responsibility to respond, but it provides necessary context for the work involved.

LDOE’s September 12, 2025 documentation request followed our August 5 appellate argument in the BESE takeover litigation by 38 days. Its January 27, 2026 correspondence followed the January 14 appellate argument in the separate open-meetings case by 13 days. I believe this chronology is relevant context, while recognizing that the timing alone does not establish the Department’s reasons for acting.

Board leadership was included in the process. On February 18, LDOE emailed me a letter addressed to the superintendent and school board members. The letter specifically requested attendance by the Board President, Superintendent, and Board Counsel, and I forwarded the correspondence to board leadership and counsel.

The Board President, Board Legal Counsel, and I participated in the March 4 meeting. My May 28 communication to the board explained that hiring Dr. Roberts was consistent with the State’s direction regarding federal oversight and compliance.

The district has repeatedly responded and submitted documentation. Since February, I have personally sent at least 68 emails to LDOE concerning monitoring requirements, corrective actions, supporting documentation, and related follow-up. That count excludes emails authored by other district staff.

Between May 1 and July 9 alone, I sent LDOE 20 documentation emails containing 35 attachments, including 25 PDFs totaling 376 pages. The October 2 submission inventory separately lists 50 uploaded files, including 46 PDFs. These are submission counts; they do not establish that LDOE has accepted every item or resolved every finding.

Regarding the September deadline, LDOE stated that the district had not provided complete and sufficient documentation to resolve every outstanding item by September 1. That is different from saying the district submitted no documentation.

The August letter’s spending condition also contains an effective-date provision. The approval requirement for specified federal expenditures exceeding $10,000 takes effect upon approval of the 2027 SuperApp Amendment 1 budget. Please include that condition when describing the restriction.

Finally, I was in training when you requested an interview and provided written information that day. I remain available to address specific questions and provide supporting records.

We take these concerns seriously. Our focus has been on obtaining historical documentation, strengthening district oversight, addressing outstanding requirements, and supporting students. LDOE must review the submissions and determine which remaining findings have been satisfied.

JT Stroder

Superintendent

City of Baker School System

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BAKER - The City of Baker School System has been designated a "high-risk" school district for allegedly mismanaging reports on more than $1.3 million in federal grant dollars.

The Louisiana Department of Education sent a letter to the school board president in August, saying the school system has "an increased risk of noncompliance with federal requirements" for spending federal grant money.

After investigating the school's financial reports from 2021 to 2024, the state found that more than $1.3 million in federal funding was not submitted with proper documentation.

The LDOE report specifically asks the school to provide paperwork justifying the need for a $571,000 new HVAC system for Baker High School that was installed during the 2023 to 2024 school year. It says the school "did not provide evidence of a bidding process, a maintenance policy or a rationale" for the new air system.

Baker Schools Superintendent J.T. Stroder said the HVAC situation was resolved and that the other outstanding monetary figures relate to questions about documentation, not missing money.

In August, LDOE said the school board had one month to provide paperwork for all of the other items.

Stroder said he has worked with Kartina Roberts, the school's federal programs director, to provide the state with the documentation it needs, but has had difficulty finding all of the required paperwork.

"Responding has required searching historical records, email accounts and financial systems to retrieve documentation from employees who are no longer with the district. That context does not eliminate our responsibility to respond, but it helps explain the work involved," he said.

After not meeting the first deadline, the school system was given another month to comply. As of Oct. 2, the school system had sent all its documents to LDOE, Stroder said.

The guidance required that, going forward, the school system has to ask for approval before paying for anything costing more than $10,000.

The stipulation applies to Baker High School and Park Ridge Achievement Academy, two schools operated by Helix Community Schools, even though the allegations of mismanagement predate the charter school's takeover.

Helix President and CEO Preston Castille said the situation has created more paperwork and stalled the release of federal grant dollars to the schools but has not disqualified them from receiving the money.

The LDOE said it is reviewing the school system's latest documentation and will notify the school board when the process is complete.

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