“Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” How did you become involved with ReNEW Schools? I was asked to join the Marketing and Development Committee by a friend, Heather Evans who was working with people from ReNEW. Why did you say yes when asked to serve? When I was first asked to work with ReNEW, I didn't say yes. I serve on the boards of several other institutions and my plate is very full. The last thing I wanted to do was serve on another board. Heather asked me to have coffee with Pete Rodway and just hear about the work ReNEW was doing. Once I found out that ReNEW took over the lowest performing schools in New Orleans and that they were serving children from the poorest areas of our city and that they had completely overhauled the way business was being handled at these schools, I was in. Finally, someone had come along to make change happen for these kids. I definitely wanted to be part of that. I will work tirelessly to do whatever I can to help. I believe in the mission of ReNEW.
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"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." How did you become involved with Bricolage Academy? I met Josh Densen, the founder, when Bricolage Academy was a dream of his that he was determined to open in New Orleans. I was very impressed with what he wanted to do and immediately recognized not only the need but the impact that his plan could have on education in New Orleans. I worked side by side with Josh as he started formulating his board and staff. I was looking to be very closely involved but told him not to worry about my being a board member. I wanted him to enlist the services of the best young people available for the Bricolage board. I assured him that I would maintain my involvement without needing board recognition. Why did you say yes when asked to serve? I was extremely flattered when the board asked me to join them. I was satisfied working on the outside but knew that I could not resist being part of the Bricolage movement if asked. I have a rather long history of involvement with education but saw an opportunity here to be part of a renaissance in the charter school movement. April 16: Seminar on Growing Your Charter Board The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools invites all current and potential charter board members to a seminar hosted by The Top Shelf, titled Growth Mindset: Maximizing the Potential of Your Board, Wed., April 16, 6 to 7:30 p.m., LAPCS Offices, 1555 Poydras, 7th floor; free for LAPCS members; $15 at door for non-members. Call (504) 274-3649 for more info or register online: http://lacharterschools.org/news-and-events/calendar/event/1/jkq7fm7cctdgn106p7547j9u54
MARCH 28: CEO Evaluation With the High Bar The Top Shelf, a program of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, will partner with Marci Cornell-Feist of The High Bar to deliver a lively and interactive session for charter governing boards on the ins and outs of evaluating their school’s CEO.
CEO Evaluation with The High Bar will take place 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday, March 28, 1555 Poydras, 7th Floor. Charter school governing board members are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one of the most accomplished national experts on charter school To register, click https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ceo-evaluation-with-the-high-bar-tickets-10531232199 or call Makiyah Moody, 504.274.3649. “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Serving as St. Paul’s pastor since November 2004, Rev. Palmer moved to Bogalusa from New Orleans, where he had been pastor of historic St. Peter AME Church, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In addition to his full-time responsibilities as a pastor, Rev. Palmer also chairs the board of Northshore Charter School. “I have been very interested in the education of our youth. When I was asked to support this charter school, I saw the opportunity to truly make a difference and give parents and children choice,” says Rev. Palmer. As Board President, his responsibilities include presiding over meetings and providing oversight of the charter school’s operations. Prior to being Board President, he was Treasurer. The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, Caroline Roemer-Shirley, Executive Director, will debut a weekly series on the state of public education in Louisiana, focusing on the increasing diversity of options in the public school market.
The half-hour show, titled Educating Louisiana, begins at 8:30 p.m. this Thursday, March 6, on Cox Cable Station 4 in the Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans markets. The show is hosted by Veronica Brooks, LAPCS's Policy Director. The first show features Legislator Stephen Carter, Chair, House Education Committee and Ms. Roemer. To find out more about LAPCS, go to www.lacharterschools.org. “If you want to get something, give it.” How did you become involved with this charter school? I became involved with Young Audiences Charter School (YACA) through my work on the Board of Directors of Young Audiences of Louisiana. I was part of the team that worked on the initial concept of a Young Audiences Charter School. Why did you say yes when asked to serve? I agreed to serve on the YACA board because I truly believe in the core mission of Young Audiences. During my tenure on the Young Audiences board I had the chance to witness the impact of the arts on the lives of young children. I think that our team is laying a strong foundation for children in this community that will result in a life long appreciation of arts and culture. A walk through the halls of YACA will leave you smiling and full of hope. The school is amazing and will be life changing for all of us. “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” How did you become involved with this charter school? I am a parent of three children currently twelve, ten and eight years of age. We were homeschooling them seven years ago. It was challenging but we were not satisfied with our other school options. We couldn’t afford private school and we felt our local public schools could be better. At the same time a group of clergy approached me with the idea of starting a new private Christian School but I thought to myself, “We don’t need another private school.” Later I was speaking to a good friend and educator, Dr. Jim Barr, and he asked a powerful question, “Bill, why not a charter school?” Seven years later Bayou Community Academy is in its third year of operation in large part because of that conversation and my desire to have affordable school choice. Why did you go to all the effort to gather a team who designed BCA and why are you still involved seven years later? I am involved because of the children. I’m involved not just because of my children anymore but all the children out there in our community; especially those who are less fortunate, who had no hope of a truly rigorous college prep education, who could not afford a school of their choice. I am convinced that often school choice is a matter of finances, even homeschooling is expensive, but with a public charter school we provide school choice to every child regardless of their financial situation. That’s a powerful motivator; that’s changing lives one school year at a time. "I am part of all that I have met." How did you become involved with this charter school? At a recent LAPCS conference I met Ronicka Briscoe, the current Assistant Principal at Andrew Wilson Charter School. We sparked up a conversation about restorative practices and she invited me to come visit her school when we returned to New Orleans from Baton Rouge. When I visited, I was very appreciative of the school and staff culture, including the wraparound services available for students and families. A few weeks later, when I was invited to interview for the board, I was already familiar with the school. Why did you say yes when asked to serve? I accepted the call to serve on the board because I really believed in the potential of the school, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to directly support them. What was compelling about the opportunity? As I mentioned, Wilson is a school that truly takes a holistic approach to education. It is a community school, in the realest sense, and the comprehensive support available for students, families, and members of the broader neighborhood. What leadership roles have you had while serving on the board? I serve as Board Secretary and Chair of the Academic Excellence Committee. “There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.” How did you become involved with this charter school? With four kids myself and intentionally living in an under-resourced neighborhood for the past twelve years, education has been an important issue for me, my family and my neighbors. A few years after the storm a grassroots effort began to emerge specifically around the Colton school on St. Claude and the future use of the building. Before long I had joined with other parents to champion the effort to create a school in which the hallways reflected the diversity of the sidewalks of the surrounding community, where parental and community involvement was valued and where an environment could be created that would produce well-educated kids through project-based learning who had a deep care for social justice issues. Little did we know that our hundreds of hours of meetings over several years would result in the birth of Homer A. Plessy Community School. Why did you say 'yes' when asked to serve? As a Christian, I believe that God is at work redeeming and restoring all things, including people, families and communities and that a major part of the restoration of our community was seeing the education system redeemed. It was also a very personal decision to serve. Beyond having kids myself who needed a school, I was sick of seeing so many young men from my neighborhood, who I had come to love, die in the streets and young women become pregnant and struggle to finish school. With the great academic disparities that existed between youth from my neighborhood and their counterparts at high-performing schools in other neighborhoods, I wanted to be a part of the solution that would help level the academic playing field and provide opportunities to break generational cycles of poverty. |
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