Putting our Students First
Why is Nathan running for School Board?
I am running for school board because my family is Deeply Invested in this community. With a passion to serve the families around us, I believe the most effective way I can improve this city is through changing the future of Public Education to better serve our children. My kids are students in EBR schools, and the decisions I will make if elected will affect them and students like them. The people I employ and serve also depend on our public education system, and we are all invested in the future of this Parish. If Public Education fails our children, it fails my family and the family of people I care about. Can every current Board member attest to the same?
Urgent Changes must be made to intervene for the current generation of students
Over 22,000 children today are enrolled in D or F rated public schools in EBR.
The average cost to educate a student in EBR schools is $1,665 above the state average, which equates to approximately $68,265,000 a year.
In EBR Schools, teachers are the lowest paid Educators in the region.
Only 44% of 2nd graders in EBR Schools could read at Grade Level in 2021, in some schools as low as 12%.
Truancy Rates are through the Roof post-COVID, at 57% - kids simply aren’t showing up to school, and there are less than 10 people employed by EBR schools to address this issue.
Board members that have served for nearly 5 terms (of 4 years each) would like you to believe that everything is about to get better. Yet, the results above speak louder than ever. They want you to understand It takes time to get results… so where were those results 1 term ago? 2 terms ago? 3 terms ago? 4 terms ago? 2 decades of under-educated children ago?
A return to Fundamentals and Practical Fiscal Policy is the only way Forward
If elected, I would focus my efforts on:
Involving the community and families in arriving at solutions on an ongoing basis
Families deserve a Public Servant that brings a dialogue to them directly, reliably and regularly—not just when there is a problem, and not just when it is time for re-election. How well do you know your current School Board Representative? Have you ever been involved in a solution for improving a problem in our school system? I believe the people of our community are intelligent and equipped to be involved in the Governance of our Schools.
A streamlined strategic plan for EBR schools focused on growing Stronger Schools
Our strategic plan is ambitious in data but too broad to be practical. The school system must be laser-focused on what will immediately change the outlook for our current students—academic fundamentals and achievement. Further, our strategic plan has no guardrails in place and little direction or vision for what type of system it is or what kind of schools we want to have.
Implement better governance mechanisms for the school board meetings
Our School board needs modern governance, tools, and policies to work effectively. The current board has failed to evolve and police itself, and has lost public trust.
Right-size the district to put our resources where they will best serve students
For decades the system and school board have kicked this can down the road. We must consolidate or eliminate under-enrolled and failing facilities, and grow existing schools that are performing and outgrowing their facilities. Common sense would tell us to build and invest where students are and are going to be.
What is Nathan’s Position on..
Charter, Magnet, and Neighborhood Schools:
I do not believe one model of schooling can serve every child properly. I support high-quality schools that fit the needs of their students. This includes Public Charters, Magnet Schools, and Community or Neighborhood Schools. I have seen all of these models implemented in a highly effective way, and I have seen all of these models outright fail their students. We must hold them all equally accountable and decide as a community where we need appropriate schools so our students have choices.
St. George
As is the case with our current School Board Representative, I have supported the formation of St. George as a city. I believe this unincorporated part of the parish deserves local representation and city management to best supervise the use of tax dollars. The possibility of a St. George Community School District could be 4-5 years away, and requires significant work to achieve. In the meantime, what happens to our children in EBR Schools right now? Educating our children is not a zero-sum game. A win for the kids enrolled in EBR Schools does not equal a loss for one segment of the community, and vice-versa. When our kids have great choices and educational opportunities, all families win.
School Safety
EBR schools need a long-term and comprehensive strategy for ensuring the safety of our students, which it currently lacks. How we could go decades without implementing both a funding mechanism and a strategic plan for ensuring the safety of our children is flabbergasting. Our current budget for Law Enforcement Officers in our schools is laughably small and shows a lack of commitment or understanding for what is at stake.