LAPCS Recognizes Charter Champions at 7th Annual Conference

The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) 7th Annual Conference - 7th Inning Stretch: Charters. Choice. Change. – recognized leaders in the state’s growing charter movement.

“Every year, our conference aims to bring together the best and brightest educators Louisiana has to offer. We learn from each other. We recognize our successes and our challenges individually and as a whole. We come together to strengthen our areas of weakness, and share working knowledge of best practices,” said LAPCS Director Caroline Roemer Shirley.

“This year, we were able to celebrate the announcement of the Department of Education’s School Performance Scores during our conference. As a movement, we stand by three key principles that ultimately lend to greater achievement in our schools: choice, autonomy and accountability. To empower parents with choices as it relates to their children’s education. To give principals the freedom they need to make the decisions that are best for their teachers and students.  To hold our educational professionals to the highest academic and financial benchmarks in order to strive ever closer to the goal of a world class education for every public school student In a Louisiana classroom.

“Thus LAPCS recognized some of the outstanding leaders in public education who are meeting the challenge to improve education in our state by volunteering their time to lead, by creating school cultures that emphasize excellence, courage and sharing best practices as well as those that stand up publicly to support policies that propel our state further in educational improvements and reforms.”  

2014 LAPCS AWARD WINNERS ARE (pictures below):
2014 Excellence in Education Award: The Louisiana Senate Education Committee represented by Senator Mike Walsworth
School Excellence Award, Single Site: D’Arbonne Woods Charter, Farmerville
School Excellence Award, CMO: Choice Foundation (Lafayette Academy, McDonogh 42 Elementary, Esperanza Charter of New Orleans)
Excellence in Governance Award: Jean-Paul Hymel, Board Chair, Crescent City Schools of New Orleans (Paul Habans Charter, Harriet Tubman, Akili Academy)       

Ms. Shirley Roemer said the Charter School Excellence Awards were sponsored by Schulman, Lopez, and Hoffer, LLP and the Excellence in Governance Award was sponsored by 4th Sector Solutions.

The event featured a keynote luncheon with Tim King, the President and CEO of Urban Prep Academies, and a power breakfast panel with Superintendent John White (LA DOE), Curt Eysink (LA Workforce Commission), Michael Hecht (Greater New Orleans, Inc.) and Chief Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux (Third Circuit Court of Appeals); as well as over 20 breakout sessions.

The mission of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools is to support, promote, and advocate for the Louisiana charter school movement, increasing student access to high quality public schools statewide. Find out more at lacharterschools.org.

1. Louisiana Senator Mike Walsworth accepting the LAPCS "Excellence in Education Award" on behalf of the Louisiana Senate Education Committee at the LAPCS Conference Tuesday, October 21.


2. School Excellence Award, Single Site, From Left to Right: Kasey Linder (D'Arbonne Woods Charter), Lindsey Redd (D'Arbonne Woods Charter), Simone Green (LAPCS), Pam Schooler (D'Arbonne Woods Charter), Caroline Roemer Shirley (LAPCS), Mike Higgins (Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP), and Bryan Dahlberg (Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP)


3. School Excellence Award, CMO, From Left to Right: Mike Higgins (Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP), Bryan Dahlberg (Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP), Simone Green (LAPCS), Robbie Evans (Choice Foundation), and Mickey Landry (Choice Foundation), Laura Sillars (Choice Foundation), Monica Boudouin (Lafayette Academy), Dr. Kandace Madise (Choice Foundation), Dr. Anna Faye Caminita (McDonough 42 Charter School), Caroline Roemer Shirley (LAPCS), Nicole Saulny (Esperanza Charter School), and Susan Jurkunas (Choice Foundation).


4. From left to right: LAPCS Executive Director Caroline Roemer Shirley, Crescent City Schools CEO Kate Mehok, Crescent City Schools of New Orleans Board Chair Jean-Paul Hymel, LAPCS Governance Initiatives Director Makiyah Moody, and 4th Sector Solutions CEO Joe Keeney