It was great to see so many from Louisiana at the National Alliance Annual Conference this year in D.C. It was an honor for me to present with Dr. Howard Fuller and Chester Finn and share our views on 25 years of charter schools. And I was proud to see a packed room for LAPCS’ Sarah Vandergriff and LaPiana’s Makiyah Moody’s clever presentation on the “Deadly Sins” of charter board members. A thank you to Adams and Reese for hosting our reception; it doesn’t get much better than a rooftop overlooking the U.S. Capitol.
There were lots of discussions throughout the conference, but one that struck me in particular was about stand-alone and rural charters. From Beekman to Glencoe, some of Louisiana’s best charter schools are both single site and located in rural communities; they are also in high demand. These schools serve as proof points that choice in public education isn’t just an urban phenomenon. As advocates, we need to do better engaging those educators and families with policy makers to make the point that these are home grown, hometown people who are creating great schools with minimum resources for some of our highest need families.
On a personal note, our thoughts and prayers are with Congressman Steve Scalise and his family as he continues his recovery after being shot by a gunman Wednesday. Representative Scalise is a kind man and staunch supporter of our Louisiana charter schools. He often visits with charter schools in his district and is a strong advocate in D.C. for school choice. Steve and his family are personal friends to me and a friend to LAPCS, we wish him well and a speedy recovery.
Regards,
Caroline Roemer
LAPCS Executive Director