BESE races will be heated, expensive and shadowed by Common Core
7 on La.’s top school board face re-election
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With Common Core and other issues hanging in the balance, as many as seven of the eight elected members of Louisiana’s top school board will be on the Oct. 24 primary ballot.
The biggest question mark is Chas Roemer, who is president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a leading backer of the controversial Common Core standards in reading, writing and math.
“I have just not decided yet,” said Roemer, who lives in Baton Rouge and holds the District 6 seat on BESE.
Two other hopefuls say they plan to run for Roemer’s spot.
Jay Guillot, who lives in Ruston, is the lone elected board member who has said he is not running again. He represents District 5.
Qualifying for the eight seats is Sept. 8-10. Runoffs, if needed, will be Nov. 21.
BESE has 11 members, with three named by the governor and eight chosen by voters. It sets policies for about 720,000 public school students statewide.
Those expected to run are:
Carolyn Hill, of Baton Rouge, who holds the District 8 slot and is expected to get opposition.
Lottie Beebe, who lives in Breaux Bridge and holds the District 3 seat.
Holly Boffy, a Youngsville resident who already has an opponent for the District 7 post.
Jim Garvey, a Metairie lawyer who will be opposed in District 1 by Lee Barrios, who has run before and lost.
Kira Orange Jones, who lives in New Orleans and holds the District 2 post.
Mary Harris, principal of a top-rated elementary school in Shreveport, who is seeking her first full term in the District 4 slot. At least two others are expected to challenge her.
BESE has endorsed Common Core twice, but that sentiment may change depending on how the eight races come out.
The new academic benchmarks could be a defining issue in at least four of eight contests — for the seats now held by Roemer, Hill, Boffy and Garvey.
“Over the past two years, the whole issue of standards has exploded,” said Barry Erwin, president of the pro-Common Core group Council for a Better Louisiana.
“Now you have people who are definitely recruiting candidates to get into the race on that issue, on both sides of it,” Erwin said.
The new board will take office in January, barely two months before BESE has to finish revisions to Common Core.
Like four years ago, the contests are expected to be expensive and heated, with business interests on one side and teachers unions and other traditional public school groups on the other.
Baton Rouge contractor Lane Grigsby said his 2011 Alliance for Better Classrooms political action committee will be back as well as a new one — Empower Louisiana.
“If we don’t improve the system, we have no future,” said Grigsby, who has pushed for tax credits, school choice and other BESE races will be heated, expensive and shadowed by Common Core | News | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana: