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.