What does it take to run for a school board seat?
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com
Anyone interested in running for a seat on the Lafayette Parish School Board is invited to a Thursday-night fo­rum about the election process.
The forum is being host­ed by the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and The Daily Advertiser and will be held from 6 to 8 p.m Thursday at The Daily Advertiser, 1100 Bertrand Drive.
Chamber President and CEO Jason El Koubi said the event is open to anyone who has decided to run for the board or is considering be­coming a candidate. Quali­fying is Aug. 20-22. The open primary election is Nov. 4.
"It starts with the fact that public education is one of the most important priorities in any community, with La­fayette being no exception," El Koubi said. "We've been thinking a lot about the school board election, and the op­portunity to elect a board that can agree on a common vision for our fu­ture. The new school board will deter­mine the future of our public school system for the remainder of the dec­ade. This is one of the single biggest opportunities we will have this entire year to improve our community." During the forum, inter­ested parties will be able to learn more about the quali­fying process, voting dis­tricts, school board mem­bers' duties and responsibil­ities and ideas on how to conduct a suc­cessful political campaign.
Scheduled panelists include La­fayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Per­ret; Bob Munson, president and CEO of KJA Communications Group and The Munson Group LLC; and Bruce Conque, former Lafayette City-Parish Council member.
So far, nine people have announced their candidacies for the school board. They are Mary Morrison (District 1), Elroy Broussard and incumbent Shelton Cobb (District 3), Joshua Broussard (District 4), incumbent Kermit Bouillion (District 5), Kathleen Schott Espinoza (District 6), Erick Knezek (District 8), and Jeremy Hidalgo and Brian West (District 9).
El Koubi said he has also heard citizens expressing interest in running for the board, but who want to learn more before making a final decision.
"They recognize the importance of it and want to be part of the solution," El Koubi said. "They may not have any political experience, so this discussion provides them an opportunity to ask questions, learn about the process and ultimately make the right decision for themselves and the community."