Lafourche School Board elects new leadership

Four new members to the Lafourche Parish School Board were inaugurated last Wednesday as Judge J. Barbera swore in 14 of the 15 members in the boardroom of the Parish School Board Office to commence the board’s first meeting of 2011.

Marian Fetitta, District 4, Greg Stall, District 6, Clyde Duplantis III, District 11, and Ann Sanamo, District 12 sat in the boardroom for the first time after being elected in October.

Ronald Pere was absent due to an illness in his family, Superintendent Jo Ann Matthews said.

The board’s first order of business was to elect new officers. Rhoda Caldwell, District 2, and Julie Breaux, District 9, were elected president and vice president, respectively, by unanimous consent.

“There will be many hard decisions, but with the leadership of Jo Ann Matthews, the support of her staff and the dedication we have for children of Lafourche Parish, we will make the right decisions,” Caldwell said.

“There will also be many hours of expected and unexpected meetings, phone calls and expectations from parents, employees and your constituents,” she continued. “We will hear many things that are sometimes hard to believe, but when it’s all said and done, we will look back and wonder where those four years went.”

The board also appointed three members by unanimous consent to serve with Caldwell and Breaux on the LPSB advisory committee. One member was selected from each region of the parish: Stella Lassiegne, District 5, will represent the north, Pere, District 8, will represent the central and Al Archer, District 13, will represent the south.

The board approved the 2011-2012 Lafourche Parish public school calendar. The 128 instructional days mandated by state law will fall between Aug.5 and May 25. Teachers report on Aug. 3 and finish May 28.

The 2011 board meetings will continue to be the first Wednesday at every month at 7 p.m., excluding the March meeting which was scheduled for March 16.