I want to take a moment to recognize a friend and partner, Kevin Patrick Kane, who passed away on October 27 of gastrointestinal cancer. Kevin, age 50, was the founder and president of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy and board member for the Choice Foundation, which operates three charter schools in New Orleans. Kevin was a partner in crime with LAPCS at the legislature over the years on school choice matters; in particular, he was so often our brain on pension reform. He was definitely one of the good guys, and he will be greatly missed as a husband, dad, public policy guru, and an advocate for school choice. Our condolences go out to his family, including the Choice Foundation school community and the team at the Pelican Institute.
Some news on the New Orleans education front: Leslie Ellison, Woody Koppel, and Nolan Marshall have been reelected to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), joining newly elected members Ethan Ashley and Ben Kleban and incumbents John Brown Sr. and Sarah Usdin. Congratulations to all of the candidates who ran for seats on the OPSB, as this race allowed for a range of thoughts and diverse voices for our residents to choose from. This race was also the first oppotunity for our newly formed C4 organization, Louisiana Charter Schools in Action, to get more involved in elections. With this new organization, we look forward to becoming more deeply involved in building champions for charter schools and school choice. To learn more, visit our website at lachartersinaction.org.
We are committed to working with the OPSB members, along with our other elected officials and community partners on all levels, to ensure that all families in Louisiana have great choices and equitable access to high quality public schools. For those of you who may be interested, the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools has released their statement on national election results and what it means for school choice, which you can find here.
As we come up on the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to make sure I stop and take stock of all of the good people we work with, and all of the great things our schools, partners, and leaders are doing for our families and communities. Please know that we are thankful for your partnership, and we give thanks for being able to do this work which we are so passionate about. Best wishes to all of you for a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Caroline Roemer Executive Director
PS–Don’t forget that our conference is just weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday! Register today.