Louisiana Association of Principals

Association
of
Principals
Volume XXVI, Number 3
Spring 2016
Mission Statement: To provide quality School-based Administrative Leadership for Louisiana schools through Professional Development,
Legislation and Member Services.
LAP Office - North
LAP Office - South
103 Crawford St. Winnfield, LA 71483
P. O. Box 488  LaPlace, LA 70069
Phone: (318) 648-2999
 Phone: (318) 648-2922
Web Site:
www.laprincipals.org
Toll free 800-238-9371 FAX 318-648-2990
E-mail:
debra.schum@laprincipals.org
65th Annual Conference
L’auberge Casino Resort
September 11-13, 2016
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Make plans NOW to attend the 65th Annual Conference!
Keynote Address:
The Power of One
The New Rx for Principals: Powerful Relationships
Workshop 1:
25 Free Brain-Based Learning Strategies to Help Principals
Reach, Teach and Protect the Whole Student.
Workshop 2:
Principal to a T: LAP Style
Steve grew up in poverty in a housing project in a single parent
family. His third grade report card read, “Parent notified boy is retarded.”
In the ninth grade, after being involved in a school fight, he had two hip
Stephen R. Sroka, Ph.D.
operations and was told that he may never walk again. He was in a wheel
chair for a year. The doctor told him he better start to listen to his teachers. And, as he tells students today,
the more he listened, the smarter the teachers became.
Education was the only way out of the ghetto for Steve. When he graduated from high school, he worked
full-time to get his family off welfare before entering college. He learned how to deal with the challenges of
being ADHD and dyslexic. His childhood disabilities and experiences offered unique opportunities that helped
him become a better person and educator.
Today, Dr. Stephen Sroka is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, author, teacher and
educational consultant on health education, sex, drugs and violence (including bullying and suicide)
prevention education, school safety, brain-based learning, at-risk students and alternative education, juvenile
justice, parenting, dropout prevention and leadership building for schools and communities.
Dr. Sroka speaks in schools (K-college) and communities around the world and often on Native American
reservations. He has keynoted many state professional conferences. National/international invited keynotes
include: AAFCS, AAIE, AASA, ACSSW, ASCD, CGCS, DARE, DEA, IATDP, NAASBMA, NAEHCY,
NAPSA, NAREN, NASN, NASRO, NASSP, NCPC, NDPN, NISBA, NMSA, NYAR, PRIDE, PTA, Rachel’s
Challenge, SSAC, SSWAA, UNITY, US Dept. of ED (Indian ED), and YCWA. He has presented in
programs in Dubai, Guam, St. Croix, Trinidad, Cayman Islands, Guatemala, Zurich, Winnipeg, Calgary,
Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and London.
Conference registration and agenda will be available soon.
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Ty Melton Awarded the 2015 Horace Mann/Louisiana Association of Principals
$1,000 Aspiring Principal Scholarship
Ty Melton, a teacher at Winnfield Sr. High School in Winn Parish, has been awarded
the 2015 Aspiring Principal Scholarship. This $1,000 award, sponsored by Horace
Mann Companies and the Louisiana Association of Principals, is presented every year
to a teacher, counselor, or curriculum coordinator who has an interest in becoming a
principal or is currently working toward their principal certification. Applications are taken from all
across Louisiana, and the applicant’s principal must be a member of The Louisiana Association of
Principals in order to be considered for the scholarship. The scholarship can be used to defray
expenses for college tuition, continued professional growth, registration fees to state or national
conferences, or textbook expenses. The recipient also receives a one-year LAP Aspiring
Membership.
Ty has been an educator for 20 years, serving at Lakeview Jr/Sr High in Natchitoches Parish
and Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jackson Parish, in addition to WSHS. He earned his Bachelor
of Science Degree at Northwestern State University in 1996. He is a graduate of Winnfield Senior
High School.
Ty has served in the Louisiana Army National Guard and is currently serving in the U.S. Air
Force Reserve. He was selected by his colleagues at WSHS as Teacher of the Year in 2004-2005,
2009-2010, and 2012-2013. Winn Parish selected him as Parish Teacher of the Year in 2009-2010.
He is also a member of the Winn Parish Leadership Development Cadre.
Ty is very active at WSHS and serves as the Fellowship of Christian Students Advisor and the
Dress Code Facilitator. He also coached football for 7 years from 2000-2006 and has coached
baseball for 14 years. He is very active in his church teaching 3 rd and 4th grade children’s Sunday
School and serving as Wednesday Night Youth Teacher. Ty and his wife Erin have 1 son Jackson.
Horace Mann Companies and the Louisiana Association of Principals are proud to award
Ty Melton the 2015 Aspiring Principals’ Scholarship.
Ty Melton was awarded the
$1,000 check at the monthly
meeting of the Winn Parish
School Board on January 4.
Pictured on the left:
Debra
Schum,
LAP
Executive Director; Ty
Melton; Steve Bartlett, Winn
Parish Superintendent.; and
Jane Griffin, Principal at
Winnfield Sr. High School
Louisiana principals attended the 2016 NASSP IGNITE
Convention in Orlando, Florida, in February. From left to
right: John Barthelemy, South Plaquemines High; Robin
Tucker, Minden High; Jemi Carlone, Belle Chasse High;
Debbie Schum, LAP Executive Director; and John Vanison,
Jr., Plaquemines Learning Center.
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President’s Message
Robin Tucker
I hope this finds everyone doing well and
everyone preparing for the final few months of
school. It is hard to believe that another school year
is almost in the books. As most of us prepare for
spring testing and the stress that comes along with
that, I wanted to take this opportunity to focus on
some good news that I have been given and pass
along to all of you.
I have had several wonderful opportunities
during this quarter and even with all of the negative
budget talks, I do believe that there are brighter days
ahead for us in education in our state. On February
18, Debra Schum and I enjoyed a wonderful brunch
with our new First Lady, Donna Edwards. It was
refreshing to meet her and spend some uninterrupted
quality time with her to discuss things on her mind.
She met with approximately twenty of us to discuss
what she planned for in her very important role
during her husband’s term. As a former teacher, she
was very aware of the problems and pitfalls that all
of us face on a daily basis and she was also
extremely concerned about the lack of teacher
retention in our state. She shared with us her ideas
of a positive promotional campaign across the state
to promote the education profession. The entire
time that we spent with her was encouraging,
positive, and reassuring that she is our biggest
cheerleader. I left the meeting feeling as if she was
sincere and that she planned to take her role very
seriously when it comes to promoting teachers in
our state. What a change for us who have been
around for a while and have seen the downward
spiral of how our teachers are treated!
The NASSP convention was held February 2427 in Orlando, Florida and I was blown away at the
quality of the sessions and the business that was
conducted. There was much discussion throughout
the convention regarding the new implementation of
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that was
passed in the fall and how the transition is starting
to take place. States will be given flexibility on how
much of the legislation is implemented and it will
be interesting to see where our state leads us in this
area. I took great comfort as I networked with
people from around the nation that face similar (and
often worse) situations than we experience in
Louisiana.
Everyone worries about funding,
available resources, teacher retention,
accountability, and student issues, and it was good
to be able to discuss ideas and strategies that others
use that might be of benefit to us in our buildings.
As we are all well aware, Governor Edwards is
trying to tackle a nightmare of a budget crisis in our
state and we are all very concerned about how this
will impact us in education. I am hopeful that
everyone can work together with the resources that
we have to continue to provide the best quality
education that we can for the students in our
buildings. We have an awesome task to tackle, but
we’re educators! We are made to be resourceful
and I am certain that we will withstand the changes
and challenges that we are facing and that sunnier
days will soon be ahead!
Happy Spring and Happy Testing!
Robin
Robin Tucker
LAP President
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From The Desk of The
Debra Schum
Hi all,
We have had a very active start to spring activities
with the Special Legislative Session on the budget and
working to make sure we preserve the MFP funding
along with a new BESE board. LAP also held a STEM
workshop in Baton Rouge in January that provided site
based and district level administrators with information
on STEM and how to implement programs in their
districts and schools. It was so successful that we are
planning on holding the same workshop this summer in
the Shreveport area—be on the lookout for more
information soon!
At the March 3rd and 4th BESE meetings in a
surprise vote, the BESE board demanded that
Superintendent John White strike a controversial
voucher report from its agenda and rewrite it to more
accurately depict the voucher program. Scott Richard,
Executive Director for Louisiana Association of School
Boards pointed out the report’s biggest contradiction, a
claim that voucher schools are saving the state money
because tuition costs at voucher schools can be lower
than the per-pupil amount sent to public schools through
the Minimum Foundation Program.
Mr. Richard
presented a report from the Legislative Fiscal Office
noting that reductions to the voucher scheme would
actually save the state money. Superintendent White’s
voucher report also concluded that voucher students
perform at increasing academic levels, even though a
series of recent studies show that voucher students
actually lag far behind their public school counterparts.
When the Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education was asked to receive White’s report, At-large
Member Doris Voitier said that if receiving the report
means BESE endorses it, it would have to be revised to
reflect the Legislative Fiscal Office’s comments. White
responded that the report is the Department of
Education’s and not BESE’s. ―This does not have to go
to BESE for approval,‖ he said, adding that there ―would
be no consequences‖ for receiving an inaccurate report.
BESE board member Doris Voitier said ―Whether or not
we accept the report, it is misleading,‖ and urged White
to rewrite the document. District 5 Member Gary Jones
moved that the item be stricken from the agenda, and
Voitier amended the motion to require a rewrite. The
amended motion was approved by all 11 members
without opposition.
In other BESE action, a standstill $3.7 billion
funding formula for the state’s public schools was
approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education and forwarded to the legislature for debate in
the regular session that begins on March 14.
Following a marathon 12-hour session of committee
meetings, the Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education approved a set of revisions to math and
English language standards. The changes are intended to
end a long running controversy over Louisiana’s
participation in Common Core state Standards, replacing
some of the national goals with state-specific standards.
They were written by groups of teachers overseen by a
26-member panel called the Standards Review
Committee. Superintendent of Education John White
said that final adoption of the new standards will
probably come in July. With school slated to begin
shortly after that, Louisiana Association of Principals
(LAP) and Louisiana Association of School
Superintendents (LASS) spoke at the meeting and stated
that implementation of the new standards should be
delayed until the 2017-18 school year. Otherwise, they
say, the new standards could bring the same confusion
that implementation of Common Core caused last year.
The Special Legislative Session ended March 9th
with cuts and some increased taxes, however they did
not cover approximately 30-50 million of cuts that will
have to be addressed in the regular session that begins on
March 14th! We are hopeful that the MFP will remain
intact and we will be present during the session to make
sure your voice is heard. Please check our website
www.laprincipals.org for legislative updates during the
session!
At the national level we are continuing to work with
our national organizations on implementation of ESSA
(Every Student Succeeds Act) and our President-Elect
(Nikki Fryou) and our Federal Relations Coordinator
(Martin Guillory) will be joining principals from across
the nation at a National Leaders Conference in
Washington DC (March 13-15th) to discuss with our
Senators and Representatives the monumental tasks that
our principals face each day! We are also asking all
principals to join us in supporting $30 million in funding
for the School Leader Recruitment and Support
Program for fiscal year 2017. Research has shown that
effective school leadership is second only to instruction
as a factor in raising student achievement. The School
Leader Recruitment and Support Program is the only
federal initiative that directly addresses the difficulty of
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Date!
LAP’S 33rd Asst. Principals’
Conference
November 7, 2016
L’auberge Casino Hotel
Baton Rouge
LAP’s January Board of Directors Meeting Held at Tara High School in Baton Rouge
The Louisiana Association of Principals Board of Directors held their January meeting at Tara High School in
Baton Rouge on Wednesday, January 27. Along with the regular business of the Board, the conference planning
committees met to plan the fall conferences. Tara High School’s Pro Start Program provided a delicious lunch for the
Board. Thank you, Karen Triche, principal of Tara High, for allowing the Board to meet at your school.
PRINCIPALS,
Plan NOW to send your secretaries to the
22nd Clerical Conference
Save The
Date!
December 4-5, 2016
Double Tree
by Hilton Lafayette
1521 West Pinhook Rd.
Lafayette, LA 70503
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Welcome New Members!
East Baton Rouge Parish
James Smith, Brookstown Middle Magnet
Central Community Schools
Rhonda Taylor, Central Intermediate School
LAP/NAESP
Acadia Parish
Kim Cummins, Martin Petitjean Elementary
Jefferson Parish
Benjamin Moscona, Bridgedale Elementary
Orleans Parish
Sheila Nelson, Lusher Charter School
Natchitoches Parish
Stephonie French, Natchitoches Magnet School
Ouachita Parish
Rodney Lloyd, Riser Middle School
St. James Parish
Kay Dornier, Gramercy Elementary
Pointe Coupee Parish
Ouida Forsyth, Early Childhood Coalition
St. Tammany Parish
Mary Hart, Mandeville Middle School
Arlana LeBlanc, Henry L. Mayfield Elementary
St. James Parish
Cynthia Joseph, Lutcher Elementary
Terrebonne Parish
Sandra LaRose, Bourg Elementary
West Baton Rouge Parish
Laree Taylor, Devall Middle School
LAP
LAP/NASSP
Ascension Parish
Nicole Grimes, Lowery Middle School
Avoyelles Parish
Laura Hargis, Bunkie High School
Bossier Parish
Waylon Bates, Haughton Middle School
Wendy Lee, Haughton Middle School
Richard Warren, Haughton Middle School
Livingston Parish
Kelly Jones, Denham Springs High School
St. Tammany Parish
Roslyn Hanson, Covington High School
do! This is going to be a difficult legislative session due
to the current deficit that existed along with the 30-50
million that was not addressed in the special session.
LAP will be working with other education organizations
to preserve PreK-12 education funding as well as
addressing any laws that will have an adverse effect on
educators! Please encourage your co-workers to become
members of LAP--the more members we have the more
our voice is heard! We are the only organization that is
affiliated with the national principal’s organizations
(NAESP and NASSP) and we advocate for principals/site
based administrators at the national level also!
Please feel free to contact me at
debra.schum@laprincipals.org if you have any questions
or concerns regarding the legislative session or any other
issue that you think we should address.
Wishing you all the best as you move into the testing
season and hope you take some time for yourself and
your families during the Easter Break!
(Continued from page 5)
attracting and retaining high-quality school leaders in
high-need districts. It is also the only program focused
exclusively on the development of principals. Investment
in school leaders is more essential than ever. We
encourage you to respond to NASSP’s action alert on
the School Leader Recruitment and Support
Program: https://www.nassp.org/advocacy/principalslegislative-action-center-%28plac%29?SSO=true
We also want to remind you to check out the
information on our FALL 2016 conferences, which can
be found in this newsletter! Please mark your calendars
for the following conferences:
► Annual Principals Conference—September 11-13-Baton Rouge—L’Auberge Casino Event Center
► Annual Assistant Principals Conference—
November 7th—Baton Rouge--L’Auberge Casino
Event Center
► Annual Clerical Conference--December 5th-Lafayette--Doubletree by Hilton
I know that this time of year is stressful due to
testing and the many things that must be completed prior
to the end of the school year--we appreciate all that you
Debbie
Debbie Schum, LAP Executive Director
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DISCOVERY EDUCATION INVITES EDUCATORS TO APPLY FOR EXCLUSIVE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
Educators passionate about transforming teaching and learning with digital media and educational technologies, are
invited to apply to participate in the 2016 Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute (DENSI). This year, the
DENSI, an immersive, week-long professional development experience focused on professional learning, leadership, and
networking will be held July 17–22 in Chicago, IL. A global community of education professionals supported by
Discovery Education, the DEN connects members across school systems and around the world through social media,
virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.
Eligible applicants have until 6 p.m. ET on April 1 to submit their application for this unique professional learning
event. To apply, educators must complete a written application, as well as submit a video detailing their efforts to use
digital content and technologies to support student achievement. Additional details and the complete DENSI application
are available at links.discoveryeducation.com/DENSI.
Robin Tucker
Debbie Schum
Jane Griffin
Karen Triche
LAP Board Members Jane Griffin, NASSP Coordinator; Robin Tucker, President; Debbie
Schum, Executive Director; and Karen Triche, District 8 Representative
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