--------- Good morning and welcome to the joint Bessie and Board of Regents meeting. At this time, I will call the meeting to order. Can I get a roll call for the board of regents, please? Regent Aubry >> here. >> Chair Cordell here.
>> Regent Creed here. >> Regent Davidid here. Regent Finley, Regent Glazer, Regent Hixon >> here, >> Regent May >> here, >> Regent Meer, Regent Nachiva,
Regent Prior, Regent Reeves, >> Regent Shamia, Regent Sterling >> here, >> Regent Temple, Regent Williams Brown. >> We have a quorum. Thank you. Can I get a
roll call for Bessie, please? >> Mr. Appel, Mr. Appel is present. Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Armstrong is present. Mr. Berkin, >> here. >> Mr. Berkin is present. Mr. Cow, Mr. Cow is present. Mr. Castile,
Mr. Castile is not present. Miss Shan >> here. >> Miss Shan Pon is present. Dr. Clark >> here. >> Dr. Clark is present. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris is present. Miss Holloway. Miss Holloway is present. Miss Melerin. Miss Melan is not present. Mr. Morris. Mr.
Morris is present. You have a quorum. >> Thank you. Good morning everyone. It is my pleasure to welcome you to this joint meeting of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Louisiana Board of Regents. And I may add one of my favorite meetings of the year. Thank
you. I would like to extend a special welcome to the board of regions, my friends, Chair Misty Cardell, Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kim Reed, regions, all regions members, Bessie members, Superintendent Brumley, and all
of our guests joining us today. On behalf of Bessie, thank you to the board of regions for your continued partnership and collaboration. Our work may spin different sectors of education, but we share a common mission, ensuring
that every Louisiana student has the opportunity to succeed. from early learning and K through 12 ed education, secondary education and the workforce. The progress we have all made as a state
is a direct result of strong partnerships and a willingness to work together on behalf of our students. Whether we are strengthening academic achievement, expanding workforce path pathways, supporting future educators,
or creating opportunities for students to earn credentials and degrees, our success depends on maintaining a seamless connection between K through 12 and high ed. Today's meeting provides an important opportunity to continue those
conversations, align our efforts, and explo explore ways we can better serve Louisiana students and families. Thank you all for your commitment to education and to the future of our state. I look forward to our discussions today and to
continued partnerships between Bessie and the board of regions. I would like to pass it on to Chair Cardell for remarks, please. I would like to echo your comment chair. This is also a very great uh it's one of
my favorite meetings also because we get to come together and talk about collaboration on how we can further education for our students between K12 all the way through higher ed and then into the workforce. I know you guys will hear us talk about that so much with the board of regents and having the collaboration with you guys or it's
what's going to make Louisiana stronger and it's what's going to bring our kids uh here and help them stay here in jobs and help our state grow. So, this is a partnership that I look forward to every year and thanks so much to everyone for making this happen. >> Thank you, Chair Cordell. First item,
please. >> Good morning. First item on the agenda is item number three, public comments. Uh if anyone has public comments, can you f please fill out a comment card? Any comments?
Not seeing any public comments. Next item, please. >> Next item on the agenda is item number four, approval of the minutes from December 10th, 2025 joint bestie board regions meeting. >> Can I get a motion to approve the minutes?
Motion. and a second. >> Reeves. >> Motion by Reeves. >> A second. >> David. >> Is there any objection to the motion?
Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> Next item on the agenda is item number five, consideration of an update report regarding TOPS university and top tech requirements. >> Can I get a motion, please?
Miss Holloway, Dr. Clark, is there any objection to this motion? Seeing none, motion passes. Dr. Henley Denley from the board of regions and Dr. Singleton from L DOE will present on
this item. >> Miss Shampine, uh, in in advance of that presentation, first of all, uh, good to see everyone. Uh, glad you all have made it, uh, here today with us. Uh, Commissioner Reid and I are both excited about the partnership between Regents
and Bessie, and we know that uh, good things are to come. Uh, I just wanted to make one comment that we have staff prepared and team members prepared for all of the agenda items this morning. And so you'll be hearing more from from our team certainly than you will from us
this morning. Uh, as well as I believe staff from Louisiana Works and Secretary Shia and her team. So, uh, just making a statement and Commissioner Reid, you may want to add to that, but uh, we just want to let you know we have staff prepared to come and handle each of these particular items. uh and we're
very much looking forward to the discussion. >> Thank you, Dr. Brumley. >> Yes, sir. >> Good morning, Dr. Pleasure to see you. Thank you so much for >> uh for for this item. So, uh the today uh for your consideration uh we're
proposing two additions to the uh TOPS and TOPS tech core and uh in parallel the board of regions core uh and also the dual enrollment weighted GPA list. So all three in parallel as is our custom. Uh and this is in many ways in
response to uh the the new requirement uh for a high school graduation to have a financial literacy course as part of that uh part part of the the the current or the new requirements. Uh so these additions would then allow uh the
possibility for students to be able to take uh and satisfy that financial literacy requirement both uh in a dual enrollment setting. Uh so we'll be adding a new course to the the the the region's common numbering system CPFL
103 financial literacy. And then also uh they could also satisfy that requirement using an an AP course. AP business and personal finance would satisfy that. Uh so happy to answer any questions but uh senior staff recommend approval of the
proposed additions to tops tech core board of regions corps and the way to do enrollment GPA grid. >> Thank you. Do we have any questions for Dr. Denling? Dr. Singleton, did you want to add any comments? Okay,
seeing no questions, motion passes. Next item, please. >> Next item on the agenda is item number six, consideration to propose changes to the MAD standards to the TOPS TOPS core and the border regents corps. >> Yes. So uh so these changes are in many
ways now to bring our uh requirements in line with action that uh Bessie has already taken and has actually already been part of legislative action in the last session. uh for quite a number of years we've had sort of two ways to be able to uh satisfy math requirements
here in the state in the uh K12 setting and that is to to follow the the sequence of algebra 1 geometry and algebra 2 or to follow the sequence integrated math one two and three uh recent changes to uh and again I want to
say a huge thank you uh so I'm a mathematician by trade as many of you know and uh and uh have worked really closely with uh Dr. Abear uh at the uh in department of education and her team have just been as astonished at the work
that has happened here in Louisiana to to modernize to the to the the new approaches to mathematics here. I think this is just tremendously good work and certainly in keeping with the kind of national level recognition that K12 has been having when it comes to education
in Louisiana. So those changes result in more school districts adopting integrated math 1, two, and three, which again as a mathematician just uh gives me a warm feeling inside. That's just wonderful to see. Uh and so as part of that then we we
want to make sure that students have that flexibility especially across that change to have the ability to do either algebra 1 or integrated math geometry or integrated 2 and algebra 2 or integrated math 3. And so that's the that's the
change which is reflected in our changes. You all have already made that change. We're really just sort of catching up. We want to make sure that when students do in fact do this integrated one, two and three that they are not then somehow they don't lose their tops eligibility or not in some uh
deep and subtle way they're not eligible to go to universities or colleges. So that's the that's the changes >> reflected. >> Thank you Dr. Denley. Great great uh subject for co collaboration between desi and our ed. Thank you board of regents. Uh Dr. Singleton, any comments?
Can I get a motion to receive this report please? Motion to approve. Second. Is there any objection to the motion? Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please.
>> Next item on the agenda is item number seven, consideration of an update report on Louisiana dual enroment. >> Can I get a motion to receive the report, Miss Holloway? Mr. Burkin.
Is there any objection to the motion, Dr. Denley from Border Regions, and Dr. Singleton, if y'all if y'all have a presentation. >> Thanks. And I'm joined by my colleague, uh, Milan Baker, who will also be part of this. >> Yes.
>> Thank you. Thank you, Miss Baker. >> I'm a tag team, uh, as it relates to talking about, uh, dual enrollment. And so we're going to provide a brief update as it relates to uh Louisiana dual enrollment. Um this has been a shared topic between uh the two boards for some
time as it relates to uh that central work of um blurring the lines between high school and our post-secondary access. And so thrilled to give a very high level update as it relates to the continued growth but also some of the initiatives that you will see on the way. Um, so just to share since uh these
two boards met in December of 2025, uh we've since released the uh most recent dual enrollment report um in your packet today. So if you go all the way to pages 39 and 40, uh you can see a summary of this report that also includes a QR code
to the full dual enrollment report. And this is a great way for you to kind of see a snapshot of dual enrollment participation in Louisiana. um from course taking patterns to patterns of dual enrollment participation by parish. This report really if you want to learn more about Louisiana dual enrollment and the horizon topics on the way, it goes
into so much more detail as it relates to that. And so in December we shared uh record high participation as it relates to dual enrollment. So you'll see here in 2024 2025 over 43,000 participants in dual enrollment and this is really a
milestone that reflects that continued momentum uh for access to dual enrollment opportunities across the state. And so you'll see here participation has increased 63% since 2018 2019. And this really reflects the leadership of both of these boards, uh,
the legislatively created dual enrollment task force, but also really strong partnerships between school systems and post-secondary institutions across Louisiana. And so we also want to recognize as we see this increase, we're also looking uh very steadily at the
student outcomes. And we're happy to say as we've seen this increase in uh participation, we're also seeing really strong student outcomes, not at the expense of highquality access to dual enrollment. And so with that said, every uh joint meeting uh since 2019, these
two boards adopted a joint goal in December of 2019, you'll see here on the slide that beginning with the graduating class of 2029, every student graduating high school with college credit, a post-secary credential of value, or both. And this goal has really served as a guiding framework for our work within
dual enrollment and early post-secondary access. And so you'll see here we're continuing to keep track. We we progress towards this goal continues. And so for the class of 2025, you'll see 76% of public high school graduates earned all early college credit industrybased
credential or both. And that's a 12 percentage point group over the past six years. And so this dual enrollment remains a primary pathway that students in Louisiana are gaining uh early college credit. And so uh in addition to earning that college credit, dual
enrollment is also serving as a pathway for workforce aligned credential attainment started at the start of this meeting uh mentioning that and so so happy to have Dr. Singleton at the table with us because it truly is dualto dual enrollment um in terms of uh increasing
access. And you'll see here uh over 2,000 postsecary credentials were earned in 2024 2025. That's a 30% increase over the previous reporting years. And more than 80% you'll see on this slide here were aligned with those high demand
fields aligned with Louisiana Works. And so uh that you know the impact of dual enrollment is really uh changing the trajectory of those students educational and career pathways. Uh also included on that one pager summary is a quote from a student a dual enrollment student who
graduated from Northshore Technical uh uh community college and she uh secured employment immediately upon graduation because she completed also her practical nursing program. And so I'm going to read a quote directly that was on the one pager that she said, "Starting my dual enrollment course gave me the
confidence, direction, and a head start on the career I've always dreamed of." And so while these outcomes are encouraging, we know that this is going to take continued sustained attention. And so just wanted to voice over um some horizon uh initiatives to further scale
uh dual enrollment. Before I talk about either of uh these two initiatives, I want to continue to voice over that the legislatively created dual enrollment task force uh with Mr. Castile serves on representing Bessie will continue to convene and and talk about the topics of dual enrollment and what are what it
will take in order to continue to scale dual enrollment. Uh Dr. Singleton also serves on that task force and it serves as a collaborating space to really kind of move the needle if you will as it relates to dual enrollment access. And so this is the friendly plug if you want to join us on June 30th at LSUE. That is
when the next meeting will occur. Um but at those meetings is where uh the the task force really engages in what are the uh primary topics of dual enrollment in Louisiana. And one of those threads has been funding. Um and so just wanted to share a charge of the work moving
forward is in response to legislation. Um, act 438 uh charged the PO public post-secondary management boards in coordination with the board of regents to establish a standard uh tuition rate for dual enrollment. And so more to come. Looking forward to bringing that update to you in December as we work
alongside our management boards uh to establish that standard tuition rate. Also a topic of discussion of the task force has been around um some of the administrative burdens uh associated with the application of dual enrollment. Um, and so there has been a school
counselor that serves on this task force and she shared frequently how many hours she spent processing uh application and the paperwork. So time that was spent processing applications and not advising students is time that we're looking to get back. And so we've piloted with three institutions a standard
application applyde. Um and due to some recent legislation act 438 we'll be working uh alongside our other institutions to scale uh that to all of our institutions uh given any uh technical issues that we'll be working to support with them. So really looking
forward to continuing to update you on that. This is a screenshot of the application itself. Um but we're really excited to uh see the results. We're already hearing great feedback from those that are piloting uh this application saying something that used to take them hours is now taking them
minutes and this is time to make this process also easier for our families to access. And so very brief update uh so grateful for the collaboration of all of our school systems, the dual enrollment task force, but also the leadership of these boards um that really are uh helping us drive increasing access to
dual enrollment and further blurring those lines. Happy to take any questions. >> Any questions? Mr. Burken, >> so given the dual enrollment and the numbers are going up and I think that's great. U do we know that if four years
is a baseline for college has that graduation average come down uh three years or three and a half anything? >> Yeah. So that it's a terrific question and thanks for it. So we we can absolutely see that the uh the hours
that people are uh earning as part of dual enrollment is shortening the amount of time that it takes them to graduate. And it's it's it's literally a one for one match. We have uh on the uh high higher red side worked really hard to make sure that those dual enrollment
courses are not just courses that people are taking but really are not only uh being transferred as collegiate credit but actually counting towards the degrees that people are earning. So it's it is is it is absolutely a one for one match. The the more dual enrollment
hours that people earn, the shorter the amount of time it takes them to graduate. Anyone else? Mr. Morris, >> thank you. Can you go to slide 13? I noticed that the the trend changes uh in 2023 going forward. Uh you you
mentioned a couple things, the the paperwork and obviously funding is a challenge or whatnot. I was just curious if there's anything you can attribute the the slope change there too. And um and then also maybe a B part of that question um if there's there's that
remaining 25% or so those students they're they're not being reached with the opportunity they don't appreciate the opportunity they're not interested in the opportunity what what do we perceive that gap to be so sort of an A part question and a B part there >> yeah and I'm happy to I don't know what
tag team is for three but uh if we go back one more slide um there we go you'll see that in so many ways that um that that growth curve is sort of similar, right? That the we
saw a very significant increase in the numbers of people involved in involved in dual enrollment kind of early on and then that in the end that growth has to sort of gradually uh taper out. And that's that's part of what we're seeing
here that we we in the last few years have seen a growth in dual enrollment but it hasn't been quite as extreme. Um we also have seen because of some of the uh the pricing of dual enrollment uh a slight change in the way in which again
that that growth especially on the technical side has uh has been growing. So, we're very hopeful that that the changes that we've now seen in the most recent legislative session will make significant inroads in that. Having the uh consistent pricing we believe will
make a quite considerable difference. Uh having the the single portal to allow people to enroll because it is sort of complicated right now. If you if you're at a high school where dual enrollment is offered by several different people, you have to fill out several different
sets of paperwork and it's sort of perhaps a little ownorous. And then thirdly, there was a very important change to TOPS tech. And so TOPS tech eligibility uh now moving forward uh yes you will be able to have topse tech
eligibility because you have a 17 on the ACT and yes you can have tops tops techch eligibility because you have silver work keys but the new legislation allows you to also be eligible for tops tech if you have at least nine hours of any kind of of dual enrollment technical
or academic dual enrollment. So that means that in high school, you know, we know that these uh these technical uh certificates actually count towards the new accountability standards. They they they did not only do that but allow you to in fact uh earn uh financial aid
financial aid uh for to support your higher education um journey uh postgraduation. So I think all of that is very exciting, very uh very unique across the country and so we we think that that will we hope change the change
the ch change the trend one more time. >> Got it. It sounds like that last part will create some more opportunities for students that weren't wasn't presently previously available. So that should thank you. >> So to add to what Dr. stated the new revised accountability system on the K12
side will also increase that dual enrollment because students who want to uh participate in thrive either on the university accelerator or the career accelerator we're promoting the CTS's as well as dual enrollment opportunities there
>> you any other questions Dr. Reid >> yes can I thank you so much um to staff for the presentation I just want to um add to reach um uh Bessie member Morris's question about the deeper dive. So we will certainly continue to take a
deeper dive at the 25% and those institutions we think we have the right energy around accountability etc. But I do want to make the point and I know Kate shares this as well. We do have to change the expectation of what it means
to be a high school student in Louisiana and say that it's not just the high school diploma. That is critical, but the workbased learning, the apprenticeship, the early uh credits for college. Um all of those things have now now need to become the norm, not the
exception for our students. So, they're ready to work and ready to um to go to to a career or military or whatever it may be. So, this really does represent a significant mindset shift around what our expectation is in Louisiana around
what it means to be a high school graduate or a high school student. Um so, we want to make sure our dual the dual expectation is for every student, not just the high-f flyers. Um the other thing I'll point out is that we have work to do on the career technical side.
We still see about 80% of the participants taking academic courses, math, English, and uh 20% taking a career technical dual enrollment course. Um so we want to make sure that we are talking about honoring all pathways and
having more students participate in both areas. >> Can I can I add to that? So do you think that that 25% of that to capture that 25% do you think more of that is going to come from the academic side or do you think it's going to come from the uh the
trade side? Any ideas there? >> I I think it could come from both but I do think that we have work to do to make the case for career technical education in general. You know the skill trades are booming in our state. uh over a
hundred billion dollars in economic development opportunity. So there we have to sell that as an important pathway um and make sure that students have the opportunity to do what they would like to do. But to say to each of them the high school diploma alone is not enough.
So you have to choose additional paths and additional opportunities. And we're here to support that. Just to build on that, uh you may remember that a year or so ago we introduced a new a new way to take uh dual enrollment in this state. We called it the choice modality uh
methodology. So this will then allow uh if the the university or college and the high school agree to offer it in that format. uh then that allows the student taking that course at the end of the semester to decide whether they would like that course to actually be
transcripted onto their high school onto their collegiate diploma or uh or not. Um that in many ways put this on the same the same footing as an AP course where you know if you take an AP course you don't have to take the exam. We would very much like people to take the exam.
You don't have to. And if you do take the exam and you don't score uh strongly enough to get college credit, well then that doesn't go onto your collegiate transcript and you sure enough had a richer high school experience and there are many advantages to that. Uh and so just last year we saw a very significant
increase in the the number of students enrolled in that choice modality. That will be included in next year's data, the data that we are now gathering. And again, we we expect that to have a significant impact because clearly that that modality changes the changes the
calculus for a lot of people that that perhaps students who were perhaps not so willing to take on the challenge or risk of taking on a dual enrollment course if they were unfamiliar with what that might be. The choice modality makes it a little more approachable. And so we're
we're hopeful that many more people will approach it and we'll see that over the day. >> Sounds like risk management 101. Any other questions? Yes, sir. >> Good morning. Um, I'm sorry. >> No, great report. I I just had
additional question regarding that 25%. Do you think there may be some challenges with access access whether it's technology or uh financial? I' I've talked to a couple of institutions over
a period of time where, you know, many of the school districts had some COVID money that they were helping utilize to pay the tuition for some of these students uh to take dual enrollment class, but that money has run out or and
so now the honest is on the the individuals. So, do do you think there are any other impediments? Um I know there was a task force statewide and and there's some administrative things. That's why we're going with you know one application all those kind of things.
And then in the rural communities where they have a higher concentration of um uncertified or teachers that don't have the masters in the content area to teach at the collegiate level. You know are those some of those you know help fill that not help but you know hindrance of
that 25%. Well, I would say that the dual enrollment task force has focused on a lot of those issues with making sure that we are providing opportunities for educators to train to teach dual enrollment. So, we've definitely increased the access of educators
available to teach dual enrollment coursework. Now, there is of course some concern about the funding of dual enrollment as uh Melind stated that uh hopefully having that standard tuition will help alleviate that access problem with tuition. But we do have a lot of
opportunities for our local school systems to provide funding for dual enrollment at the K12 level. >> And the only thing I would add is that surprisingly in looking at the data, we're starting to see actually a flip of actually more rural participation in dual enrollment, um, than in previous
years. And so, uh, definitely would say, uh, those rural school districts are working to solve >> digital access is is certainly making a difference. And and just to add to that as well is the uh >> the abundance of our Louisiana community
and technical colleges. I mean they are also out there especially in our rural areas. So the opportunity is there for our students in rural areas. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Clark. >> Good morning. I do want to say I appreciate the standardization of the
application because it was a huge process to just get kids um enrolled in the different universities. I just want to ask a little bit more about the standardization of the cost. So, I do know that the increase went from the $100 to the $300 per student. Um, I
think what we're finding, and this is more out of New Orleans, because I want to make sure we're we're we're encouraging schools and students to participate in dual enrollment. And I believe on campus is a very very essential if we can get them on campus because that's part of the experience of when they're going to the schools and
they're getting a true professor which aligns to when they go to the university. But I am also finding especially at LSU New Orleans and I think I spoke to Dr. Brumley about this before is that we're paying the $300 per kid but we're also now being assessed an
adjunct fee for the professor. And so I do want to make sure that as we look at look at these fees um we're not paying an additional amount of money because I know even just at my school we paid $10,000 for two courses because we paid $5,000 per per adjunct professor. So can
we make sure that we're looking into the additional fees that schools are being charged because it's getting higher and higher to send our our students to the program. >> Thank you for those comments. >> Thank you. Uh any other questions? Mr.
Appeal, >> thank you. Uh, two two simple points. Uh, number one, uh, you pointed out the significance of having work-based experience and so forth and so on, especially kids in high school. Uh, one
of the problems we have is the availability of opportunities to get quality workbased experience. And I don't have an answer for it. I don't know if there is an answer for it, but there are uh parts of the state, let me
say rural parts for instance, urban parts of the state where good quality opportunities don't really exist. Something we all have to focus on going forward. Number two is that word quality
when we're talking about um all of this this whole this whole subject matter. Um, I'm going to give you a quick example. Uh, we went to Dr. Clark's school few months ago. Uh, met with the Secretary of Education for the United
States and the audience was filled maybe two 300 very very bright uh, 11th and 12th graders. U, it was impressive. And I and I thought to myself, we've been promising these kids if they work
really hard and they study a lot and they take all these advanced courses and whatever they could do, they're going to come out with a good job. And I looked around that room and I thought to myself, we don't have the job opportunities for these kids in many cases. It's something um it's the big
picture of Louisiana education and economic development. So as we go forward, I think we have to be cognizant of the fact that we have to focus on the quality and and I define quality as the
wage earning ability. It's pure economic definition of the jobs that we're training our children for. Um there are plenty of opportunities to get jobs that don't earn a wage that's sufficient to to support a family.
we got to focus on the ones that do. So, I just want to say that we're doing a great job, but I think quality is a critical importance and of course the availability of opportunities uh especially in urban settings and
maybe rural settings or uh work-based experience. Those are just two points. I don't have answers for them, but I think they're critical to understand and keep in our our consciousness. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Hill. Any other comments
or questions? Well, thank you. We look forward to the continued progress. Great report. Next item, please. >> Next item on the agenda is item number eight, consideration of an update report on the task force on career alignment. >> Can I get a motion, please, to receive
the report? Miss Sterling, Miss Armstrong. Motion passed. Is there any objection to the motion? Motion pass. Uh Dr. Denley, >> thank you so much. >> Will you present this item, please? >> So the the question couldn't be a better
setup for uh for this discussion. Uh I won't know that I won't I won't say that we have answers to the problem either, but we certainly have worked very hard to understand what the questions are and I think we have have also made quite considerable progress. I think uh last
time uh we met together uh we we talked about the creation of this task force and its uh its early work. Uh this was really based on Senate Concurrent Resolution 38 uh from uh the 2025
legislative session. Uh and uh that that that uh that task force has been meeting all the way through the year. uh it has now been uh uh so in many ways strengthened by act 99 of the latest legislative session and we certainly
want to thank uh Senator Edmunds for all of his support as we do all of our legislators in in really recognizing the importance of this work because I think we we at least I think in the the board of regions recognize a shift in what we
understand by student success uh then when when our board set out its 2019 goal that by 2030 60% of adults would have some credential past high school. Uh that was a goal that was absolutely
about collegiate completion. It was success in the sense of success means earning a credential and it does but it doesn't stop there. And I'm not exactly sure when the goalpost shifted and given the fact that the World Cup is
coming pretty soon. The whole idea of goalpost shifting somehow creates a different image in my head today. But uh but it is clear that the goalpost really has shifted here in Louis Louisiana today. That our learners do not anymore
think that graduating is enough. They expect as the as the the the comment earlier suggests that it is after graduation that there is an expectation that having that credential opens new opportunities, creates new
possibilities. And so ways in which what we do can enable more people to be able to make good on the promise of the credential that they are earning, be that a high school diploma or a collegiate level experience. That is what this task force is all about.
especially that that opportunity is here in Louisiana because in so many ways what we want to do is to make sure that people realize not only the opportunities that they have but the opportunities that are here within this state that they can build their lives in
this state and so the interim report that we issued back uh now at the beginning of the year envisaged a set of deliverables and this work is ongoing uh again we would very much like you to join us if you're able Next week on uh
on June the 16th will be our next meeting where we absolutely will be looking to see well what are the qualities of as you say quality workbased learning. How can we what steps can we take to try to take it to a greater scale? What kind of scale do we
have right now? And so, uh, the work that we've already done is, and this is underway, is first of all to create a a playbook that would allow faculty to be able to change the curriculum that they currently have to actually be able to
deliberately incorporate work-based learning, not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of the strategic structure of the degree itself. Uh, we're looking to establish a a network of career coaching. Again, we've worked
very closely with uh the college level career coaches and trying to understand how it is that we can change the way in which students take advantage of that collegiate coaching not uh in the way that they use the student health center
but again as a deliberate integrated strategy as part of the structure of their uh interaction with the the college itself. uh we we really want to make sure that we're able to expand the existence of work-based learning. Part of that is
building on what we already have that we have many students who are part of uh work study programs on their own campus. Are there ways in which we can change that structure so it is in fact much more a work-based learning kind of experience uh perhaps than it currently
is? Uh we certainly want to increase uh employer engagement and we very much want to thank all of those who have been part of the industrial side of the life in Louisiana for their input in the work of the task force. They've been very well represented and they have come to
all of the meetings. They too are very concerned with this work. Want to make sure that they're able to be part of it. But right now actually we have a u a survey that is in the field right now. Um certainly want to thank Leb and Leaders for a Better Louisiana for their
help in getting employers to give their feedback. We're asking them right now, what are the things that are preventing you, discouraging you, meaning that you do not to the degree that you would like be involved in all kinds of work-based learning, apprenticeships, internships,
co-ops, all of the above. And so we we will have an answer to what that will look like uh by next week when we when we meet for our meeting. Uh and then the last two pieces are really for us to really create a a data structure around this. I think probably you've heard me
speak well enough long enough to know that I don't believe that you're able to do anything effectively unless you're able to count it, measure it, uh and put some metrics around it to understand where you are and where you could go. And so that again is and this was very much again very much enabled by act 99
to create a statewide network and metrics around the data behind workbased learning experiences and for us to create a Louisiana opportunity index which mirrors strata's national work to really help us to understand the degree
to which we are creating an educational framework which really does fill the Louisiana talent pipeline where the drawbacks are, where opportunities for growth, and where have successes already been made. So, this is the work of the task force. It it is still under uh
underway. Uh but certainly uh I'm looking forward to our next meeting. And our final report will be issued in January of 2027. And so again, this is not uh in many ways the um in the spirit of the dual enrollment task force. This is not an
exercise in looking at the problem. This is an exercise in understanding the problem well and finding workable solutions that we can implement at scale. So happy to answer any questions. >> Thank you, Dr. Denley. Any questions, >> Mr. K?
>> Um, you know, I'm I'm happy to hear that you are uh discussing um how uh the uh school system in Louisiana is more engaged in in workbased uh learning. And uh I just recently have uh two
daughters. One graduated from MSU with a um degree in biologic engineering. I have another one who graduated from UT Austin a little bit over a year ago. And I was comparing their education with
respect to when I attended college in 1986. And I and to tell you the truth, I do I I I do not really see that much of a difference in the span of 30 something odd years. Uh you know, college back
then was an extension of high school the way that I perceive it. And I still see college now is more of an extension of high school. You know, they go through a series of classes, they take exams. Um, and at the end of the day, I wonder
whether or not um, my daughters are more prepared for the workforce than when they enter college four or five years ago. Um, and of course, you know, the that that problem is not unique to Louisiana. I I
I see that um, nationwide. And of course, you know, we have a different perception, a different public perception of higher education these days, for better or for worse. Um, we have uh companies like uh Microsoft,
Meta, uh a lot of the big uh technology firms. They're not really looking for degrees these days. They're looking for skills. and whether or not are we developing uh our students for the necessary skills that they need uh for
the workforce and and and here again like uh you know I I don't have the answers to these questions uh but these are some of the comparisons that I have done uh throughout the years comparing my education versus my daughters and where are we going forward um and that
is something that I would like to see more of uh as We try to teach our kids, train our kids for uh the the future economy especially in the area of AI where you know if you were to read left
and right uh AI is replacing uh humans in in in various task. uh and how are we going to um better uh educ educate our kids as well
as prepare our kids for uh an ever growing economy but a very changing economy. Uh and that's that's basically my statement. >> Thank you Dr. C. Any other questions?
Seeing none, motion passed. Next item please. Agenda is item number nine, consideration of an update report on tri- agency teacher apprenticeship initiative. Can I have a motion please?
Miss Armstrong, Miss Holloway, are there any objections? Seeing none, that motion passes. I'd like to ask Dr. Melanire and I apologize if you want to correct me on the on the pronunciation uh from board of regents,
Dr. Joffron from LOE and Mr. Borne of Louisiana Works. >> Thank you all for being here. >> And we have Mr. Garvey. >> I see Mr. Garby. I was looking looking around. Thank you, Mr. Garvey. >> Well, good morning. Um thank you for
having us today. Uh we um are here to give you an update on the initiative that we brought forth um back in December. Um this is a tri- agency teacher apprenticeship initiative. Um and it's came forth um as a product of
our teacher recruitment and recovery task force that sunseted um back in 2024. And many of you were were members of that task force. Um, according to the task force report, um, in 2023,
Louisiana's classroom vacancy rate was a modest 2.17%. It's pretty good. But only 69% of Louisiana classrooms were led by appropriately certified
teachers. Uncertified or underscertified teachers are often often lead to multiple months of learning loss. Better prepared teachers lead to um more prepared students. So hence we for we uh
started this tri- agency initiative thinking out of the box of how we could prepare teachers to stay in the teaching field. So I have my colleagues here from Department of Education and Louisiana Works who are also going to be talking
to you a little bit today. Um since our last discussion in December, we have met multiple times. Um we realized in December that we were speaking different languages. All three agencies were
working in silo for the same issues. So we worked to improve data sharing. We worked to improve our language. Um, and in February, we did some research. Uh, we explored funding. Uh, we took the three agencies and came together and put
together a document with common language and set forth some informed recommendations. In April, we defined who's going to do what, what are our roles and responsibilities, who are our education
partners, and how do we establish a quality design that can be implemented throughout the state. And this isn't just a state issue. This is a national issue. So, we're looking to other states to see what has been done in this um
this field. And in June, thank you to the works of our task force, we were able to we come have a rough draft of our standards and guidelines and they will soon be peer reviewed. Uh we are working on a funding guide.
How is this going to be paid for in the school systems and with our institutions? And then we're going to start inviting stakeholders and interested community members to join our group to get this message out.
So an apprenticeship model for teacher preparation is unique because it combines the most important and impactful elements of workforce development both the education and workforce sectors along with an
opportunity to braid and blend funding so that we can move forward with this impactful initiative. However, the teacher preparation and apprenticeship systems were built largely independent of each other and so much of this
committee seeks to bring coherence and alignment to the state strategy for teacher apprenticeships. I want to highlight for you three um specific sort of initiatives of our uh
tri- agency workg group. First is funding. Securing diverse funding sources is essential for supporting the scalability and sustainability of apprenticeship programs. This involves
identifying existing funding mechanisms, analyzing their effectiveness, and proposing new and streamlined uh funding opportunities that can better meet the needs of the various apprenticeship models.
By doing so, we can ensure that these uh programs have the financial resources necessary to actually not just exist, but to thrive. The second thing we'd like to highlight is standards. Establishing clear and
consistent standards is crucial for enhancing the quality of apprenticeship programs. These standards can ac encompass curriculum development, training methods, and outcome assessments to ensure that all apprentices receive a high quality
education and training experience. By implementing standardized practices, we can improve the program credibility and facilitate better alignment between educational institutions,
excuse me, and industry uh requirements. And the third that we'd like to highlight is the importance of stakeholder engagement. Actively engaging stakeholders such as employers, fostering collaboration, and gathering
valuable insights is critical to this work. By involving diverse groups in the development and evaluation of apprenticeship programs, we can assure that the programs are responsive to the needs of realw world challenges. And we
can also facilitate regular communication and feedback mechanisms that ensure that our registered teacher apprentices are um achieving success and not only achieving success during that apprentice year but during the following
years and to ensure that they are retained in the profession. Our tri- agency work group is firmly rooted in three beliefs. When we compare the traditional year-long residency with a teacher
apprenticeship model, three things really come to mind for us and are extremely valuable as we continue to move forward with this work. The first is that we want to lower the cost for our future educators to actually obtain
their certification. We know that many question the actual return on investment for those who go into education because what's very different about education is that the year-long residency is paid college
tuition and the individuals who are participating in that residency only receive a $3,300 stipen which is very different than the current apprenticeship model for other professions.
The second thing we'd like to achieve is that these residents have access to pay and benefits and they are participating in the actual teacher retirement system while they're doing their year-long residency. And finally, we believe that
this will create stronger ties for those doing their apprenticeship because they sign long-term contracts that last well beyond their apprenticeship and are actually creating relationships with human resource supervisors as well as
central office and school system leaders during their apprenticeship year. The final thing that we would like to formally present to you be before opening up to questions are the desired
outcomes for our preparation program providers. You can see here that we've listed several, but I would like to highlight three specifically. The first is this creates a wider pool of potential teachers. What we know is that several
students opt to not go into education because they know they have an unpaid year-long residency. So we believe that if we can have that residency with a paid stipen, a significant paid stipen
and participation in retirement system, those who opt to go into let's say biology and then go an alternate route to potent potentially teach would actually choose this profession upfront
knowing that they're going to have significant pay and participation in retirement. So, we believe that this will increase the potential pool for future educators. The second bullet that we'd like to
highlight is improved outcomes for graduates. One of the things that we know is if we can get educators past their first year of teaching, they are more likely to remain in the profession. So by providing this mentored registered
teacher apprenticeship along with the pay, we can guarantee that they are going to have success and likely have long-term career in the education field. And finally, we would like to highlight
the uh last bullet, an increased retention due to employment contracts. So those who participate in the registered teacher apprenticeship model actually sign a contract that they will remain with that system as a caveat to
receiving the pay and retirement benefits during the registered teacher apprenticeship. So having the security in knowing that their job is there for them when they complete the apprenticeship um is definitely a significant
improvement and an attraction to the teaching profession and it also helps to create longlasting relationships with mentors and others inside of the schoolhouse. And so we believe that the
tri- agency workg group has definitely made the necessary steps to begin the implementation as this year we have completed a pilot program with southeastern university and the tangible
parish school system. So we are excited to begin rolling this out formally to other universities and school system forward. >> Thank you Jeff. Dr. Jeffron. Uh, Mr. Garvey. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. Uh, Secretary Shaolin asked
me to come here today to make sure that we emphasized how excited Louisiana Works is to cooperate in this program uh to increase the cooperation between Louisiana Works and the Department of Education and between Louisiana Works
and the Board of Regents. We feel certain that uh this change or improvement to the uh teacher preparation program is going to lead to higher quality teachers, more prepared teachers in our classrooms uh which in
the end benefits our students. So we'd like to thank you for supporting this program. >> So any other comments from the table? Any questions? Seeing none, motion pass. Thank you for your hard work.
Next item, please. >> Next item is item number 10, consideration of an update report on Louisiana's artificial intelligent readiness pipeline connecting K through 12 and higher education. >> Can I have a motion, please?
>> Motion, Mr. Hixon. Mr. Morris, any objection? Motion passes. Thank you, Dr. Tinley and Miss Townsen. >> Good morning. I'm Ashley Townsen with the Louisiana Department of Education.
Thank you so much for giving us a few minutes today to talk with you about the progress that we've been making in computer science and artificial intelligence in Louisiana. So it started with for formally with um act 541 in the 2022 regular session which was the Louisiana K12 computer science education
act. As a result we had the computer science K12 um commission which created a series of recommendations um and resulted in a statewide plan for computer science. um in response to several Bessie decisions um in in
response to that plan, we now have K12 computer science standards which in response to act 211 from the 2024 regular session will be required of all Louisiana students. So starting with next school year, this coming school year 2627,
every high school in Louisiana will be required to offer computer science and every middle school in Louisiana will be required to offer computer science, which is a huge step forward for our students that have access to these opportunities. In the following school year, 2728, every elementary school in
Louisiana will be required to incorporate computer science instruction into regular content, which is really important for students to be able to see how these computer science concepts transcend different content areas because that's how it is in the real world, too. As a um a as a an employee
in a variety of industries, you may not be programming specifically, but you're probably going to interact with computers in some way. So where does all this fit into into the idea of artificial intelligence? Well, whenever we were developing our computer science standards, we saw ahead to emerging
technologies as opposed to most of our areas of content standards where the the content is rather static in nature. With computer science, it's dynamic. It changes really fast. And considering that our content standards review process happens every seven years, that's basically several lifetimes when
it comes to technology. So our plan originally was to build in computer science um ideas that would be able to adapt for emerging technologies that didn't exist yet at the time that we were developing the standards. So we have our core standards with those foundational principles embedded and
then we have a set of competencies for students that flesh out what those standards mean in terms of today's technology. We call those the artificial intelligence compet competencies for students. Those can be evaluated regularly every year if we like and we
can update those and release them in time to um present to teachers at our annual teacher leader summit which we had about 7,500 educators attend this year and that can be a vehicle for educators to receive continued professional development on how the computer science standards are changing
and the competencies are adapting with the the everchanging nature of this technology. So then you think about the teachers to be able to teach this content. Now that we've defined what students should know and be able to do when it comes to computer science and artificial artificial intelligence,
which also incorporates cyber security, data science, data literacy, the ethics of using computers in decision- making. Now we need to think about what teachers need to know and be able to do to be able to support students in this work. So we've um adapted our lensure
requirements when it comes to computer science to provide for microcredentiing opportunities for teachers. We have our traditional coursework and practice exam opportunities. We also have micro credentials that are in development. Um several of these have come through our university partners. Louisiana Tech has
one that's going to be available this fall for teachers to take. Um, and then we've also developed some very basic um, introduction to AI programming that will be available on our professional learning platform this fall for educators to be able to take as well.
This will provide an initial um introduction to our AI competencies for teachers which were developed by our team in consultation with educators across Louisiana to help teachers be able to identify the specific competencies that they should develop to
support them in teaching these computer science and artificial intelligence competencies to our students. Um, we've also been very grateful for partnerships with LSU and with Southeastern through our Ignite and Energize training opportunities which have resulted in nearly a thousand teachers um either
completing or participating in either an elementary um training and about a thousand teachers participating in a grade 6 through 12 computer science training. Um so so good good things are happening in terms of defining what students should know and be able to do, defining what teachers should know and
be able to do and making opportunities available for teachers. And this all really centers on the idea of um artificial intelligence or AI literacy when it comes to what it is and how to use it which really is going to continue to be important for students to
understand what AI is and how it works so that they can understand how they can use it how they should use it what it can do what it cannot do which will really transcend any um post-secondary plans that they have when it comes to how they'll see artificial intelligence and future workforce opportunities for
them as We're also taking a very conservative approach in terms of how students use AI to acquire content knowledge. We want to make sure that we maintain our priorities of um literacy and numeracy. We know that math and reading are
workplace skills. And so we don't want to get to a point where we compromise instructional integrity in favor of chasing shiny things. So we're making sure that we prioritize student proficiency and um use AI as a tool to support that in a way that's appropriate. and um make sure that we
that we still maintain our um rel relentless pursuit of proficiency with core academic content. And so we're also really excited about the work that will happen for um pre-ervice teacher which I think there is the crossover to our board of regents connection.
>> Thank you doc do u miss town Dr. Danley. >> Thanks so much. So yes so let me pick up the thread because uh actually uh Mr. Morris and I were just uh uh just before the meeting sort of thinking about the progress that has been made across the what two years since uh together we
served on the S surb uh task force around AI. It sort of seems as though a lot has happened in a very short period of time. So really exciting to hear that report on the on the on the higher education side from uh from uh region's perspective. We really our work has
really been uh in two basic areas. The first is policy that we have created an an umbrella policy really around the responsible use of artificial intelligence across all of the different possible ways in which it might be uh
used in higher education. Clearly there are AI uses from an administrative point of view, from an efficiency point of view, but also from an educational point of view. And so this policy that we have which has been adopted by our board and then uh informs then the creation of
policy at all of the uh the 28 public institutions across the state really speaks to all of that ways in which AI can be used responsibly. And I think you you you hit it said it really well that uh we want to make sure that if AI is used educationally
that it is used to produce deeper learning, not just the same learning in a more shallow, quicker, cheaper kind of way. That makes any sense. And so that's really what this policy says. I just gave you the cliffotes. We want to make sure that not only do we ensure that uh
learning happens in a deeper way using the new tools that we have uh but that we know that it does that there is evidence that that is what happens and that uh that that's the way in which that model is adopted. So the adoption of that policy and then the other is really around around training and
education. So uh we uh in the state of Louisiana are unique across the country in the fact that we have a relationship with Google uh and with the National Association of System Heads. Uh and that that relationship allows access seamless
and free access to all of Google's professional cert certificates to everyone who is part of the administration, staff, faculty, and student body at all of our public institutions. We're, as I say, unique across the country in that kind of
access. Part of that suite of offerings is an AI essentials course. Uh, and so we have now well over a thousand faculty who have enrolled in that AI essentials course. There will be many more who will enroll are enrolling across the summer
will enroll again when we uh when they come back in the in the um in the new year. And we just actually heard just not but a couple of weeks ago that the access to that Google professional certifications has been extended through 2030. Uh so it's a really wonderful
resource if if if any all of our uh regions board members uh have access to these certificates. If any of the Bessie members are interested in looking to see what might be available there or taking the AI essentials course or any of those things, please let me know. we will be
very happy to uh to do what we need to do to open that access up. But that's so that's what it looks like from a uh from a statewide perspective. I'm very happy to hand over to uh to to the de please. >> Thank you Dr. Denley, Dr. Mitchell. >> Sure. Um I want to start by saying um
thank you Mr. Morris for giving us the opportunity to have this conversation. Um to the Bessie board, to the board of regents, thank you. We're glad to be in this conversation. And the thread clearly is this is the right time to have this conversation. The College of Human Sciences and Education at LSU is among one of the largest colleges at
LSU. Across our five schools, we have relationships with students that range from our six-w week old students at our preschool, which uh several of the regions have visited all the way through our undergraduate, graduate, and through career. Uh, one of the things I want to highlight about that also is that this
conversation is so critically important across the college that we have representation from the college that's here. Could I get the folks from the College of Human Sciences and Education? Could you wave raise your hand for a second? >> Thank you. >> Also want to put a special plug in to our University Laboratory School
instructors that are here. And actually, believe it or not, we have two students that are here. Um, the Woods Boys are here. Could y'all raise your hands? See, I love this. They get an opportunity to see how the policy makers of Louisiana are invested in their education. They learn from the ground level. That's
important. Also, one of the things that the work in AI has taught me is the importance of academic integrity. So, that means that basically I will not plagiarize. I have experts in the room who've helped not only prepare this but are doing the work. So, if we have questions, if there are any questions, they're actually people that are
implementing what we're describing here. So with that being said, um as our title suggests, um preparing AI ready Louisiana educators. Um you all know Meta just invested what $115 million in the state to basically build out a BR AI
workforce academy. So this is clearly the right time to have this conversation and clearly the work that these bodies have been doing is being recognized nationally. I'll tell you that the school of education in particular our edtech program is not new to this conversation. since 2019 2019 meaning
before 2022 before Chad GPT um multiodal gener of AI programs we were already preparing educators um in the in our uh in our edtech program to be AI literate that work happened nationally also um examples of they partner with uh school
systems in uh Los Angeles if I'm not mistaken and uh Dallas independent uh school district in Dallas to develop um basically AI literacy for those areas. I say this to say that we're not only preparing future educators for
Louisiana, but also we're contributing to AI ready educational leadership nationally. Um but the specific question today is about classroom practice. How do we implement what's been described as a very fastmoving set of practices that Louisiana is definitely on the in the
lead on? So I want to state this as clearly as possible. At LSU, AI is not treated as a shortcut to instruction. It's treated as a tool that helps future educators strengthen the professional judgment and implement Louisiana standards, HQIM, and teacher
competencies. So, it's a tool, but we still value the educator. This work is aligned with the Louisiana, and I love the way that you described this in the in the the presentation before, the Louisiana's AI readiness ecosystem. So when we framed what our students learn,
we'd argue one AI specific guidance. There's student and AI digital literacy expectations. There's teacher prep and professional practice accountability. There's instructional quality guard rails and responsible use and instructional policy. So what that means
is we take that ego system and basically we've informed our competencies and our disp dispositions that our students learn um through related bodies and nationally recognized frameworks. Um and so these six boxes that you see are prime example of what we expect every
one of our students that's basically been in a classroom in the school of ed when they show up they should be ready to perform these duties. So let me give you an example. They should be learners. What I mean by learners is continuous growth. We've already talked about this. It cannot be simply that they learn the
technology because at the end of the day, we know that the technology will change before they get out of the classroom. So, they've got to be lifelong learners. They've got to be analysts, meaning that they've got to evaluate the information and align it with the needs of the students and the evidence-based practices of Louisiana.
So, they have to be designers. They've got to meet the needs of the students and be able to alter that information in a way that it meets what students are. And this is one that I am very serious about. I have a eight-year-old that I cannot tear away from her iPad. Okay? So, let me talk to you about this. Communicators. They've got to be able to
collaborate and engage. We know that back in the early 70s when they created personal computers, they literally created this division an a device where basically they lock in as individuals. That's not what we need. We ultimately need collaboration and engagement to be
a hallmark of the technology, not isolation. We need leaders. They have to be critical for teachers with this powerful tool at their disposal that ultimately they recognize the ethical and deliberate use. And then finally, humans. It's got to humanize. Basically, it's important that it actually is not
just an instrument, but the teachers professional judgment and creativity has to remain the focus. That's not a debate. So the implementation what this looks like in our classrooms and if you were to go on campus at this very moment we have 21 different or actually 23 different courses that draw on this uh
AI implementation um across the entire college not just in the school but literally if you were to walk on campus right now you will find a group of about 80 middle schoolers who are learning how to use wearable technology that was developed by a school of kinesiology faculty to track their wellness and make
healthy lifestyle decisions. You'd also and several of you actually spent time with our teachers that are on campus right now a five-week class where they're working with faculty from the school of human resource leadership development and the center for computation and technology to integrate AI learning and related technology into
their practice. So this morning at this moment that's happening as we speak incredibly important. Okay. So um I'll do this I will cut to the chase because I definitely want to be respectful of your time. I have a couple of examples there, but I only share one of them with
you because I think it really speaks to what happens in our classroom like an implementation. So, I'll use a field experience example. So, think of it. You have a teacher candidate who's in a classroom. They're observing a grade five ELA lesson and the candidate notices that ultimately, you know, their
challenges with the textbased discussion. So, the students are struggling with the discussion. So, here's what they use AI for. Prime example. AI is a reflective supportive tool for the candidate to first generate discussion protocols. Okay? Then they'll actually explore strategies. Then
they'll actually compare approaches. Now keep in mind from that step where they took the technology. Then the candidate itself evaluates those ideas against the Louisiana standards HQIM um expectations and observed classroom needs. I want to
emphasize the candidate that we're preparing, not the AI, makes the instructional decision. Okay? So, there are other examples there that we can clearly share, but like I said, I want to be respectful of time. So, I'll close with this. Ultimately, our goal is not to prepare teachers to teach AI. Our
goal is to prepare teachers to teach effectively in a world where AI is increasingly part of teaching, learning, and work. AI may generate content, but educators create the relationships, trust, and learning environments that allow students to grow. That's the educational workforce that LSU is
preparing for Louisiana, and we're excited to be here to share a bit about what we're doing. So, thank you. >> Thank Thank you, Dr. Mitchell. I I believe we all completely agree with you on uh the model that you're proposing and teaching at this time in
the communication side, the ethical side, the human side of AI. So, we really appreciate what you're what you're doing and this model will go a long way. It's an exciting time, a scary time, but an exciting time also. >> You are correct >> for everyone. Thank you, Doc. Mr.
Morris. >> Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um just I think it's a very encouraging report that we all heard. So appreciate all the feedback across the board. Uh I I had two comments uh if I could uh madam president. First of all, Miss Townson uh wanted to recognize one of
your comments and recognize Superintendent Brumley and his team for the for the total team effort that put together to gather 7,500 educators, Louisiana educators in New Orleans for three days. So uh I was there. There were several bestie members there. um
just incredible turnout and um I was really impressed particularly with two things. One one was um the teacher response to the AI sessions. So over three days I know I attended six different AI sessions. uh they were all all unique different
aspects of first of all recognizing it is a tool how to use the tool what's the application and and the teacher engagement was just extremely encouraging because everybody's doing this everybody wants to learn how can it help me how can I use it to help my students and and and really I think a
lot of them are getting the message that it's a tool and and and just like any tool the value of the tool is knowing when and how to use the tool after you pick the right tool uh so I just want to recognize again superintendent Rome and his team for the outstanding effort to
gather these 7,500 Louisiana educators over three days. And then also I got a lot of feedback from vendors there, out of town vendors who go to a lot of these conferences across the country and the feedback was just how positive the vibe was in Louisiana relative to other
similar events across the country. So just a really really positive event. Wanted to share that with with members of both boards. And then um uh Dean Dean Mitchell uh I guess this one is is really more towards you. You know, if I'm a school leader in the K through2
space, like to get some appreciation for, you know, what those expectations should be for for new hires coming into my system. I appreciate the six uh frames that you shared with us. Um, you know, should the should the uh school
leaders expectations be that uh incoming graduates are going to have that uh found solid foundation for AI literacy uh and that they are familiar with the specific applications in in their core
uh in their core study? Is that is that a reasonable expectation? And what does that timeline look like? This thing's moving so fast. people can only learn so fast. You know what what should the timeline look like for those expectations? >> You know, there are a couple of things. The question that you're asking is associated with AI, but I would go back
to workforce development broadly defined in the sense that one of the challenges that universities are facing right now and that's the importance of clinical experiences and and we learned this from our data for coming class. Our students the the the incoming class shared with
us that the one thing that future teachers want is they want opportunities to engage students day one. Now, we know they're not ready to go into schools day one unsupported, but we do recognize that that's something that the field is telling us that we need to respond to. So, the first thing is part of the
reason that we created the program that we we appreciated you and superintendent Brumley coming spending time with us, the Tiger Teacher Corps was that that we knew that there was an expectation from the field that we deliver something. Now the other thing that we understand is where the student where the teachers are
concerned is I'd argue it's the lifelong learning that I think a good education provides and it teaches you like we described not just how to use chat GPT but ultimately how to continue to use those skills to advance your teaching. I think that that's a
true expectation. I know that we're working around the clock and we do have work to do. And I'd argue that we're working across the college, not just in silos, but we do have work to implement that. And I would like to be able to say that a principal and I actually asked my team this if you talked to a principal
who had spoken with a teacher who had gone through your program three years from now, what would make them unique? What would they deliver? What skill set would they have? What would you say about this teacher is strong based on what they got at LSU? I think what makes us unique is the focus on what you
describe prompt literacy. The fact that you not only understand what the tool is, but you understand when to use it, when not to use it. You can evaluate if it's something valuable or if it's just something that's a trend or a fad and that you also recognize even asking the right types of prompts. It's not our
plan to make our teachers engineers. That's not what we need. But we need do need them to be critical users of those tools and to know when to use them, how to use them, and not to just basically um gosh I I we have one of our experts in the
room that actually helped me understand the use of this. Um can you um Jennifer King? Yeah. Can you share a bit? She's one of our faculty members in edtech that I that I was excited about with 1296. Yep. Um yeah, right there.
She has a really good answer about what makes us unique in this prom literacy space that I learned a lot about. Could you share just briefly? >> Yeah. >> Yes. Can you can you introduce yourself please for the record? >> I'm Jennifer Tien. I'm associate professor learning analytics and and
adotech uh leading the uh graduate program of edtech. >> Can you push the mic a little? >> So okay call me Jennifer. So my research is focused on um prompt literacy. Prompt
literacy actually is the next critical literacy in the AI age. So um uh we we heard about uh garbage in garbage out right when you work with AI your
questions how you interact what question you ask how you in how you respond and how you evaluate the outputs those are the uh the competency when working with AI. So our um in our graduate programs
what we introduce one of the key competency we call it uh prompt literacy actually our Louisiana's state university's adotech program is one of the few programs nationwide introduce
this uh framework we uh we incorporate the tax side of AI programs and the the art side of um uh pedagogy uh that is um practic six
types of questioning. So we introduce our students to the combination of uh arts and science of prompt literacy. So this is something our students really really appreciate and the products are
different from passive use of a AI program. >> Okay. Thank thank you questions. Yes sir. Miss Entro, Dr. Entro, >> I am just I have no questions, so I'll start there. But I want to commend every
one of you on this effort because this has been the most affirming presentation I've heard about the immersion and implementation of AI as a tool in the classroom that educators choose
according to their classroom standards and content that is immersed in the learning from elementary to graduate school. So, I think the collaboration among all of you and those on your
committees has been exemplary. I do want to go back and read those policies that you have. I think I've been negligent on that part. So, I do want to look at your university policies, but I really can say this has been the most affirming presentation I've heard on AI. So, thank
you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Armstrong. 100% agree. Any other questions? Seeing none, motion passes. Thank you for all your hard work. We do appreciate y'all.
>> Next item, please. >> Next item is item number 11. Other business do other business. Uh any comments from members? No comments from members. Uh I'd like to ask Dr. Reid and then Dr. Bramley or Dr.
Brley either way around for comments please. >> Yeah, I just um would follow up with my comments that I made earlier. I'm just so impressed with our team members with which the way they came forward and provided critical information uh to
these two bodies and I'm so thankful to work with such talented people that take their job so seriously and are committed to the future of the state of Louisiana. So, I just want to um comment on uh the quality of of team members that came forward today.
>> Thank you, Dr. Brimley. Dr. Reid, >> thank you so much. Uh really appreciate um the collaborative work uh the commitment to excellence uh and the shared opportunity for us to wrestle with tough issues and ideas together on
behalf of Louisiana students. Um, also want to add our congratulations on the phenomenal fourth grade English and math numbers that we are continuing to see leading the nation. Um, I know that that will mean great things for the future,
but we are equally committed to the middle schoolers, the high schoolers, the uh post-secary individuals, adult learning, special ed all along the way. Um, so we want to continue to to celebrate amazing work, but to use that
to fuel our commitment to see continued improvements all along the way. There are phenomenal opportunities in our state. It's our responsibility to make sure we're bringing great policy forward and practice so that people can thrive and uh be successful uh here in our
state. So, we will continue to be committed to talent development and talent retention as well. And we certainly thank you uh Madame President uh members of Bessie and of course all the regents members and our partner uh Kade and his team for the great work. Uh
we we are all in it together. So thank you very much. >> Thank you Dr. Reid. Uh I can't express the thanks for today and the collaboration that the border regions and K through 12 the LDOE has made in in the progress across our state. And I
know when I go into a classroom and I leave and I see students smiling and teachers smiling, it makes me very happy. Well, that's what I saw today. I saw everyone smiling. Everyone's excited about the the future and the trajectory and we will still still move forward.
Everyone is pulling that wagon in the same direction. And that's wonderful for our state, wonderful for our students, wonderful for our parents and wonderful for our nation. So, thank y'all very much. We appreciate Hey, Joe. That's why it's my favorite meeting of the year.
Next item, please. Oh, Mr. Miss Champine. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. >> No, >> I I don't I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wanting to say something previously when um spoke
>> and um but I was talking to he was talking to me and I wanted to say this, Dr. Mitchell, I can't I was telling Collins at the same time, I am so excited that you were at the table because for Oh, yes. You
want to stand? Oh, okay. Thank you. Uh because for so long we were waiting for LSU to be at the table. Uh look, I'm a Nicholls UL and they are at the table and I'm like, where's LSU? And
so you're here. Thank you. because we're all here together um joining together with your uh discussion that you had today and I appreciate you being here with your people and your passionate people. Thank you LSU.
>> Appreciate it. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> And thank you also to the students in the audience. Remember you are our future and we look so forward to seeing all of your accompl accomplishments that we do appreciate. Appreciate y'all. Keep
up the hard work. Next item, please. >> That concludes the agenda. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second. Ajourn. Thank you all for coming today. We appreciate y'all. We will step away from the D uh board. Uh we have to
take a Part: 2
At this time, I'd like to call the our June Bessie meeting to order. Can I get a roll call, please? >> Mr. Appel. >> Mr. Appel is present. Dr. Armstrong. Dr. Armstrong is present. Mr. Berkin. >> Mr. Berkin is present. Mr. Cow. Mr. Cow
is present. Mr. Castile. Mr. Castile is not present. Miss Shampon >> here. >> Miss Shampon is present. Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark is present. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris is not present. Miss Holloway. Miss Holloway is present. Miss
Melerin. Miss Melerin is not present. Mr. Morris. Mr. Morris is present. You have a quorum. >> Thank you. The invocation will be provided today by Justin Waxler, LA's 26 state principal
of the year. Mr. Wax is the principal at Denim Springs Junior High School in Livingston Parish. He is also here today as a mentor principal for the novice principal academy. Thank you, Mr. Axe.
Can I have Can everyone stay in, please? Thank you. Please consider bowing your head in prayer with me. Heavenly Father, uh we pray right now to ask for wisdom and discernment as this group makes decisions for our great state. That you would uh help us to be good stewards of
what you've given us. And God, we pray for the formation and growth of our students and for our communities. That we would continue to love those students and to love those who need our support. We ask that you would strengthen and encourage our educators. Help us to find
joy in our work. Father, uh we pray for unity and respect as we work towards our eternal purpose with one another and for you. We pray for courage and leadership. And we ask that you would bless the parents, guardians, students, and our communities, especially our children.
And we pray for a bright future for Louisiana. We thank you for your son, Jesus, and his blood that was spilled for our salvation. We love you, heavenly father. Amen. Amen. >> Thank you, Mr. WS. Please remain standing. We will hel hold the pledge of
allegiance by Dr. Amanda Austin, LA's 2025 state principal of the year. Dr. Austin is the principal at Ibraville Math, Science, and Arts Academy East and Ibraville Parish. She is also here today as a mentor principal for Novice
Principal Academy. >> Thank you so much. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. >> Thank you so much. Thank you both for being with us today and for all your service to our state. We appreciate it. We have many honores here today. So, we look forward to honoring you and uh and calling out your
names today as we move forward. However, I would like to make one presentation on behalf of Bessie. Today, I would like to honor this person that has given many years to service to Bessie as well as serving as president for two terms, two
years in a row. He was instrumental in helping move our state forward uh in education as well as incorporating AI and bringing that forward in all of his work on AI uh in throughout our state. I want to uh make a presentation on behalf
of Bessie to Mr. Ronnie Morris. If you can come up, Mr. Morris, and thank him. Uh yeah. So I'm first of all I'm very humbled by this. So uh thanks to uh members, board members and uh and especially too I just want to recognize
again superintendent Brumley and his team. He's just put together a fantastic team at the state department of education. I think those guys deserve an applause too right now if we could. just just like to add, you know, the the future of Louisiana is extremely
extremely bright right now. Very positive outlook and a lot of it is being driven by what's going on in the classroom because it's drawing national attention. People across the country are looking at Louisiana. You know, I tell people when I talk at uh at the in the
Vanderbilt classes that I take now, uh you know, I tell them, you know, for years and years, the story in Louisiana was, "Thank God for Mississippi, right? We're not last." Well, the good news now is Louisiana's no longer thanking God for Mississippi. Uh so, thank thank you
each one of you guys. Really appreciate you. You're making a difference. You're changing lives every day and uh and and for the future as well. you're really changing I couldn't think the country and the world's perspective on Louisiana in a very positive way. So, thank you very much.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mark. Next item, please. >> Good morning. The next item on the agenda is item 2.1, approval of the agenda. >> Can I get a motion, please? Miss Armstrong, Mr. Burkin, is there any objection?
Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> Next item is item 3.1, recognition of guests. >> Can I get a motion? Miss Holloway, Dr. Clark, is there any objection? Seeing none, motion passes.
President Champine, if I if I may at this point as we move into this particular item, uh so much of the success that we are seeing as a state and I believe we will continue to see as a state is directly tied to the people of the state of Louisiana and the work
that they're doing every single day, not just in the classrooms, um but in those offices and roles that support the classroom, um from support staff all the way through system leadership. And so we made a deliberate decision to truly
invest in the development of capacity in so many different roles within the school system and we uh worked as a team to formulate a a process in order to do that. And so that's what you have here today. You have individuals from throughout the state that have been
engaged and involved with our various preparation uh and fellowship programs to build their capacity for specific um roles. And so I want to thank them for being here, but also want to thank the system leaders for allowing employees to
participate in LDE programming that helps build that that capacity statewide. So not only have they built capacity, they've built networks, they've built expertise in content areas, and we're really really impressed by them. Uh and we're really thankful to
honor all of them uh here today. So we have uh Miss Shampine from Mr. Dr. Troy Fals's team, Joanie Lacy, and from Dr. Jenna Shasson's team, Sharon McCay's. And uh they are going to work our our uh agenda uh through these various
recognitions. And I know we have a lot of individuals in the room, but they're all worthy of of being honored. And so, at this point, Joanie and Sharon just ask that you work us uh through these recognitions. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Bramble. >> Good morning. And thank you. I'll be
presenting two different groups of honores to you both around world language before I hand it over to colleagues Dr. um Joe Frion and Dr. Shane. So since 2012 uh in accordance with state law Bessie has recognized highquality world language immersion programs through the
Louisiana state certified world language immersion site designation. Schools earning this certification have successfully completed a rigorous application and demonstrate a strong commitment to providing students with effective langu language immersion
experiences. This year, 22 schools earned or renewed this distinction. Honores, please come forward when your school system's name is called and remain up for one really large group picture. We've got a lot of them, folks. So we have from Kushu uh Brash
Elementary, Oak Park Elementary, Oak Park Middle, Pan Lake, SJ Welsh Middle, WW Lewis Middle, and here's a big one. Uh from Jefferson we have AC Alexander Elementary, Alice Bernie Elementary,
Clancy Majority Elementary, Green Park Elementary, Green Lawn Elementary, Harold Keller Elementary, JC Ellis Elementary, Marie Rivier Elementary,
Phoebe Hurst Elementary, Terry Town Elementary, and Tom Benson Elementary. From Lafayette Parish, we have Myrtle Place Elementary, Scott Middle, and then we have Lisa France
International de la Louis and that's going to be the French Quarter campus. From St. Landry, we have Ako St. Landry. And last but not least, my home parish, Vermillion Parish, we have Leblon Elementary. Squeeze in tight and become best
friends, y'all. as they scoot together. Congratulations again to these schools on earning this prestigious designation. congratulations all. Thank you. As that group disperses, we'll talk talking about the Louisiana Seal of
Biiteracy. The Louisiana State Seal of Biiteracy recognizes graduating seniors who demonstrated proficiency in English and at least one additional language. This distinction celebrates linguistic achievement while preparing students for
success in college, career, and civic life. This year, 1,14 graduates from 67 schools across 33 systems earned the seal of biiteracy. We're also proud to recognize 27 high
schools where at least 5% of graduating seniors earned this distinction. Honores, please come forward when your name is called and remain up for another group photo. From Ascension, we have Dutchtown High. From Boer, we have Airline High. In East Baton Rouge
Parish, we have Baton Rouge Magnet High, Struma High, Liberty High, University View Academy, and Woodlong High. In Jefferson, we have Hannes Academy for Advanced Studies, as well as Kenner
Discovery Health Science Academy. From Lafayette, we have Karen Crow High, David Tibido STEM Magnet Academy, Early College Academy, Lafayette High, and Oiecomo High. In St. Charles, we
have Dester Desteran High. From Tangabajoa, we have Hammond High Magnet. And we also have Louisiana State University Lab School. In our independent charter group, we have Benjamin Franklin High School, Lis
France International de la Louisiana, the Willow School, and our final group of non-public schools, we have Alexandria Country Day School, Catholic High School, the Dunham School, Mey Park Country Day School, St. Joseph's
Academy, St. Louis Catholic High School, and St. Michael's High School. Congratulations to these honores for their commitment to multilingual excellence. Congratulations. >> And I'll hand it over to Dr. Shane. Good morning. My name is Alexandra
Shane. I'm from the office of teaching and learning in the division of diverse learners. I have the pleasure of introducing two separate groups this morning. The English Learner Fellows program recognizes coaches and specialists who are dedicated to improving outcomes for
English learners through highquality instruction, teacher support, and the implementation of Louisiana's English learner framework. Fellows completed a year-long professional learning experience and demonstrated the impact of their work
through a capstone project focused on instructional improvement and student success. Honores, please come forward when your name is called and remain up front for a group photo. They include Ascension Parish, Beatatric
Roges, Bogaloosa City Schools, Anne Parker, Cado Parish, Faith Johnson, East Benton Rouge Parish, Laura Foster, Einstein Charter, Morne Chasson, and
Sandra Dwarte. Ibraville Parish, Dr. Emily Martin, Jefferson Parish, Claudia Varela, Corina Sanchez, and Natalia Neto Lios,
Terabone Parish, Diane Pelgrren, and Zachary Community Schools, Sashi Wilts. Congratulations to these fellows for advancing outcomes for English learners across Louisiana. Congratulations, all The Special Education Fellow Academy is
a year-long leadership development program for emerging special education leaders across Louisiana. Through training, coaching, and collaboration, fellows strengthened their leadership skills and developed projects focused on improving outcomes for students with
disabilities. Fellows who are unable to join us today are participating in professional learning at the Louisiana Association of Special Education Administrators Conference in New Orleans. Honores, please come forward when your name is called and remain upfront for a group
photo. They include Ascension Parish, Tyler Jones, Kado Parish, Freddy Willilifford, Kushu Parish, Carly Picu, Michelle Leblanc, and Virginia Fuller, Einstein
Charter, Demetrius Hamner, Lafayette Parish, Dr. Carissa Ford Livingston Parish Velvet Crowe Parish Heather Greer Blackman's Parish
Holly Eworth Raped's Parish Bailey Lot Jessica Lowe and Sharon Wilcox St. Helena Parish Wendy Young Tangaho Parish Steven Spring and the Willow School Hannah Pointer. We commend these fellows
for their dedication to improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Good morning once again from the office of teaching and learning the division of educator talent and workforce development. My name is Arthur Joeof Fion. I'm excited to recognize the
participants from the inaugural learning and leading aspiring educator cohort. This cohort was created to help cultivate Louisiana's next generation of educators by providing high school students with meaningful opportunities
to explore the teaching profession while building leadership skills and professional knowledge for future success in education. Cohort participants also serve in an advisory role, offering valuable feedback and
insight to help us better support and serve aspiring educators across the state. We're proud to recognize the following completers of the program. Honores, when your name is called, please come forward and remain for a
group photo. from Boa Parish, Alyssa Meyers, Hartton High School and Taylor Eldidge Parkway High School. from Kushu Parish, Cara Bowers, Sulfur High School.
From Grant Parish, Shelby McKay, Montgomery High School, Lafayette Parish, Kylie Deville, David Tibido, STEM Magnet, Livingston Parish, Lily Hall, Denim Springs High School.
Richland Parish, Addison Duckworth, Mangum High School. Congratulations to these aspiring educators. Next, we will recognize our aspiring principal fellowship members.
These are members who completed a rigorous year-long leadership development program called the aspiring principal fellowship. Throughout the year, these aspiring leaders engaged in job embedded learning across Louisiana,
visiting outstanding schools led by exemplary principles. This experience is designed to enhance their instructional leadership skills and prepare them to lead high-performing schools. We're confident these leaders are ready to
make positive impact on students, teachers, and communities across our great state. Honores, please come forward when your name is called and remain upfront for a group photo. Acadia Parish, Chelsea Parker,
Athlos Academy of Jefferson Parish, Melissa Gilds, Belchase Academy, Danielle Palos, Benville Parish, Leslie Mate,
Kashu Parish, William Claymore, Ashley Durran, Rebecca White, Central Community Schools, Michelle Leato, Clayborn Parish, Felicia Harris, Hannah
Sanders, Iberia Parish, Lindseay Budro, Kiana Jaward, Mandy Kegley, Iberville Parish, Kyle Duhan, Nikesha Joseph,
Brittany Martinez, Althia Morgan, Crystal Turley Watson, Jefferson Parish, Sha Hayes, Jefferson Davis Parish, Tyler Sasherie, Lefoo Parish, Candy
Shasson, Best Price, Ria Wescovich, Lake Charles Charter, Desmond Goodley, Livingston Parish, Angela Kakaman, Jessica Haynes,
D Long, Eric Peterson, Lewis Sansovich, Desiree Struck Miller, OJJ, Quante Lewis,
Parish Schools, Chrissy Allen, Allison Davis, Tedric Dangano, Ronnie Harrison Jr. Rachel Hendris, Shante Johnson, and Gara Ranken.
Raped Parish, Delaney Jackson. Renew Schools, Latricia Laurent Hotard, Special School District, Diana Goff, St. James Parish, Heidi Casio,
Terabone Parish, Jacobe Frank, Megan Ror, Valerie Scott, Justin Ward, University View Academy, Kicia London, West Feliciana Parish, Julius Anderson
Jr., Heather D. Salvo Zachary Community School District, Jessica Johnson. Please join us in congratulating the 2526 Aspiring Principal Fellowship Cohort.
And while they're taking that photo, just for your information, we have well over a hundred applications each year, and we only select the best 40 to 50 participants from across the state. is done.
And the final recognition for this morning is individuals who have completed the inaugural cohort of the novice principal academy along with their mentor principles. The novice principal academy is a long year-long
leadership development cohort to design the support principles in their first year of school leadership through reflection, data analysis, and long range planning focused on improving student achievement. Participants met regularly with mentor principles,
receiving ongoing feedback and support to strengthen their leadership practice. The cohort included 23 novice principles and 11 mentor principles. Honores, please come forward when your name is called and remain upfront for a group
photo. From Boer, Emit Biggs from Cat Parish, Esther, I'm going to work on this one. O2 Narco code I think I did. Okay. Kushu Parish, Daniel Bryant, April Gonzalez,
Jennifer Elbert and Nicholas Johnson. Clayborn Parish, Christy Coleman, and William Dick. Dodto Parish, Ana Ross, mentor principal. East Baton Rouge Parish, Dr. Tiffany McCoy Thomas, mentor
principal. Dr. Lkesha Reese Penn, mentor principal from Iberville Parish. Dr. Amanda Austin, mentor principal. in 2025. Overall principal of the year, Erica Bennett from Lincoln Parish, Jenny
Bllelock, mentor Principal from Livingston Parish, Justin Wax, mentor principal, and 2026 overall principal of the year, Gary Jones, Joshua Ivy, and Eric Fastbender from the Louisiana
Keymies, Christina Odum from the Office of Juvenile Justice, Georgina Hansen from Arlene's Parish, Glenda Bis, mentor principal from Point Kabe Parish, Rosie
Carvville and Lmon Monica Edwards from Raped's Parish, Pamela Walker, mentor principal, and Karen Berlin from St. Helina Parish. Tima Smith and Josie Butler from St. John the Baptist. Cara
Lawson, mentor principal from Terabone Parish. TZ Leblanc, mentor principal and finalist for 2027 Louisiana principal of the year, Danielle Campbell, Summer Skarky and Lakesha Nelson from Union
Parish, Casey Huff, and finally from Zachary Community Schools, Christa Leon, mentor principal. Please join us in recognizing these leaders for their dedication to strengthening and
improving student outcomes in Louisiana. You know a program is a success when one of the novice principles ask if they can participate for a second year. Congratulations to all of our honores for today. Thank you all for taking the time to be here
and your service to our state. We'll pause for just a minute. Madame President just Okay. >> Mr. Burkin for personal privilege. Thank you, Madam President. I just um saw a
good friend walk in the new Louis University University Louisiana Monroe President Dr. Carrie Castile in the back. Carrie, I don't know if I could get you to come say a couple of words, but um uh so honored to
have you here. So honored to have you as a friend. U worked with Dr. Castile whenever she was with the rice industry. She was with Dr. Strain in the a uh here
in a forestry here in Louisiana. She has really done well and so happy that you are the president of University of Louisiana Row Warhawks. Dr. Castile, >> thank you so much. Thanks for the opportunity. Uh thank you for the kind
words. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Uh just a couple of minutes. Uh I'm a first generation college graduate. My parents didn't have an opportunity to go to college. I like to say I grew up with 4 family and and friends. Um but the opportunity to be a
university president. I have the best job in the world. I have some of the best people. We have our provost here, Dr. Michelle McCann. Um it it really is a family. Uh my husband also grew up in in rice fields as well from Rain, Louisiana. His mom had a third grade
education. The last thing that I want to say is is how education transforms lives. It's transformed mine. It's been one of the best opportunities in my life and I'm honored to be in this role. Thank you for taking the personal privilege. It's great to be able to have a shout out from a good friend of mine
and some folks that I actually kind of grew up with in in my life professionally. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Castile with a wonderful leader. We appreciate you. Next item, please. >> Next item is item 4.1, approval of the
minutes from April 15, 2026. >> Can I get a motion to approve, please? Mr. Morris, Miss Dr. Armstrong. Any objection? Seeing none, that motion passes. Next item, please. Next item on
the agenda is item 5.1, report by the state superintendent of education. >> Thank you. Um I want to start off by just um sharing I regret that I could not be with everyone yesterday for the committee meetings uh but did um was
asked to participate in a couple of meetings in DC and uh in conversation with Miss Champine and Mr. Burke and we felt like I probably needed to um have Louisiana represented in those uh meetings. And so I was a day trip uh to DC and glad to be back with you all this
morning. But the first uh meeting I attended was really a critical meeting that we've been waiting on um learning information from for some time and it relates to the um education freedom tax credit that was passed as part of the
the quote one big beautiful bill. And um this will be an opportunity for across the country for individuals or businesses to contribute uh their their dollars and receive tax credit for doing so. Uh and it goes through organizations
that uh we know them as STOs in Louisiana, but I think federally they're going to be called SGOs. and so was able to interact with um some IRS attorneys uh and individuals from Treasury and ED on the rules for this program because we've been waiting for some time for the
specific rules. I will share that as you probably know, Governor Landry did opt Louisiana in uh for this program and I believe at at present they stand at roughly 30 states that have have so far uh opted in. Uh those are those are
primarily um uh Republican governors that have opted in. However, uh most recently, Governor Polus um from Colorado and Governor Hokll from New York who are uh two Democrat governors have also opted in their state. I I
anticipate there will be more governors uh opt in. So, we did get an early preview uh of those rules and I was able to secure uh this fact sheet and I've made a copy for everyone if you have questions about that. I think this is a pretty good document for you all to
have. The second event that I attended, um, Secretary McMahon had asked that I attend with with, uh, her team was, uh, the president 17776 awards, which is the national civics competition, uh, where they had students
participate in the impossible civics test. Uh and then yesterday they essentially had a live uh game show um hosted by uh Mario Lopez who was you may know from his Save by the Bell days. Um
but anyway uh so CBS is going to air um that 1776 game show I believe June 30th at 700 p.m. uh central. And I I can't share with you the winner, but I can share with you it's not someone from
Louisiana, unfortunately. Um but uh we are um excited to be a part of all the work that well actually I feel like we are driving or have driven much of the work around a civics renaissance uh in the country. Uh and we're we're glad to see that um happening. So I wanted to
give a little bit of information regarding my absence. Um the next thing I'd like to share is just thank you who attended the teacher leader summit. We had I think around 7,500 um various educators from across the state in attendance with uh several
hundred sessions. We had a really good energy. I think our team uh we work on this throughout the year because we want to make sure the sessions are are directly linked to our priorities as an agency and there are quality presentations and quality presenters and we have fun opportunities throughout the
um days with with teachers. And so I think if you asked our team, they would tell you that that we feel like the event was a success. And so for those of you who attended, thank you for attending alongside us. I would like to point out that we released the K3
literacy screener results and we saw a 16.5% increase over the course of of the year um for students reaching that that level of proficiency. and we have uh at the conclusion of the year twothirds of
students um that are reading at or above grade level across the state. So still, you know, work to do clearly, but um a significant increase over the course of the year. And I would point out too that we're really um thrilled to see our
results with students with disabilities, students with exceptionalities. they had an over 10% um increase in proficiency over the course of the year on that on that screener. So, we're thankful for that. Um I want to also uh mention that
I know a lot of conversations were had yesterday regarding the MFP and some of the decisions that school systems are having to make. I don't want to open that conversation back up, but I I I just do want to say that uh and echo what I said in a release earlier that I hope communities work with school
systems and give them grace over the next days, weeks, and months as they make some really um important financial decisions to uh make sure that they're financially stable within their school system. And then finally, uh we did get
uh word that um not only was our first federal waiver approved that allows for local school systems to request flexibility and spending on federal dollars from us, but most recently we received word that we were the only the second state in the country to have our
uh SEA waiver approved. that gives us flexibility uh over the next few years with about 18 or 19 million dollars of of federal funds that you help us to appropriate. So, um it's it's it's not um an end all beall as I've shared with
various media outlets across the nation, but I do think in principle uh it's good that the uh education department is working to give states that have earned it the ability to have some additional flexibility. And um you know, being only the second state in the country to receive that flexibility, I think it
speaks to the fact that we have earned it. Um, and also that, you know, Louisiana, wherever we go, um, we're hearing that we are the story of the country for ed reform. And that's a testament to your leadership. I don't say that enough. It is so many of the great policies that you all have passed
over the last few years, but all the way down to that that classroom level with the teachers working with the kids every single day. So, uh, that concludes my comments, Miss Champine. >> Thank you, Dr. Brumley. Uh, and we and Bessie and the entire state want to thank you for your leadership. Uh to see
that the nation is recognizing Louisiana now is a true testament to your leadership, hard work, as well as our LDOE staff. We can't say enough about how much we appreciate you all and uh helping with these policies, driving
these policies, being involved in the local districts, and I think it's a wonderful recognition when you get invited by the secretary and the treasurer to go to Washington. Of course, it was a quick trip, so we know you're tired. One day going to Washington, DC is quite an effort, but
thank you for doing that for us. We appreciate it. Sure, M. Dr. >> And I want to say this to accept Dr. Brumley's uh board, >> Dr. Mr. Berkin, >> thank you. I do want to attest to the
the the teamwork that LDOE does and and it's sort of personal, but it's also on a on a professional school level because when I I received my test scores this year, they weren't that great. Um and it kind of bothered me a lot. So, I did reach out to the menu of services myself
um to that LDOE came and provided to all the schools um across the state in New Orleans when they came. And I just want to commend Dr. Brumley and his team because immediately um Dr. Shaan and her team reached out and I thought by me being a smaller school, right, that they weren't going to come because we only we
don't have PLC's and like 12 algebra teachers. We have one. And I do want to say immediately I received a response. They came out. They met with my teachers and my staff to unpack those standards because we want to make sure achievement wise we are meeting the goals that that
LDOE puts out for our schools and our students. And I was just overwhelmed at the fact that for such a small little entity, it wasn't about the the size of my system. It was about the children who deserve to have that support and that academic um guidance from LDOE. And so,
thank you to everybody that came out and even with one of my grants that I was having a problem with. And I don't want to believe it's just Bessie because I've been dealing with Mr. Cook when I first started in 2000. Well, don't worry about all of that. But when I first started and um immediately I can call Miss
Sienno, anybody and that was when I was just starting out as a charter and they answer you. They come, they respond to you by by text and by email immediately. So Dr. Brumley, just in case you don't know on a practitioner's level, your team really does respond to the children and the systems in New Orleans
immediately to help them. So thank you for a great job and hopefully my scores will be better next school year. >> Thank you, Dr. Clark. And also I want to add, not only do they uh does Dr. Brumley and the staff uh answer all of our questions and respond to us, but
they also respond inside the districts to constituents and they do it quite fast and accurately to where they they make our constituents feel comfortable and what's going on. So, thank you all for doing that because it's not just the
outreach on the state level, it's the outreach throughout the state that you all have. And before I stop, I do want to thank uh Dr. Brumley and LDOE NIA uh on the teacher leader summit to put 7500
teachers in one place at one time and they stayed for four days. And these are teachers that just got out of school from teaching. They could have been at the beach or on vacation, but they chose to come to New Orleans and continue
their education. But it just gives a testament of how well that teacher leader summit is run and the information that our teachers are receiving. So on behalf of Bessie, we want to thank y'all for that. It was an awesome awesome
summit. Thank y'all. Mr. Lambert saved her. He said thank you. Any other questions or comments? >> Next item, please. >> Next item is item 6.1, reports from me
members of Bessie Statutory Legislative Task Force Council appointees. >> Do I have a motion, Mr. Burkin? Miss Holloway? Any objection to the motion? Uh
any members for comments? >> Yes, I do. Thank you. Uh Madam Chair, um the SE council will meet uh which is a special ed advisory panel will meet next week on Wednesday, July 17th at 9:00
a.m. And then the week of June 22nd, America 250 will meet. However, the date has not been confirmed. Is that right, Mr. Trey Boss? He and I are the designates to uh to this. Okay. And then
uh third, um SSD, which is a special school district, will meet July 7th at 9 a.m. So, please note here that we may be opening up the uh superintendent position and doing a national search for
SSD superintendent. Thank you. and and thank you, Miss Holloway. I want to acknowledge Miss Holloway was just elected president of the special education school district. So, thank you for that service. We really appreciate it and all of your work on there. I see Dr. Kingdom in the audience from the
governor's office. Uh I'd like to acknowledge you to also Dr. Kingdom for all the hard work that you have done uh during the legislative session as well as helping us on Bessie and uh so thank you for your service. We appreciate it.
Any other comments? Next item, please. >> Next item is item 7.1, board action on reports of the report from the academic goals and instructional committee from June 9th, 2026. Mr. Morris, for clarification,
>> Mr. Morris. >> Thank Thank you. And uh thanks to Superintendent Brumley. Uh I did read the uh uh classical literature list this morning and and endorse it 100%. So, I'm uh in full support of this particular item. So, uh thank you.
>> Thank you, Doc. Mr. Morris, you good read that list. >> Mhm. On behalf of the academic goals and instructional improvement committee, I move to approve motions 1 through 15, noting items 12 through 15 as notices of intent.
>> Do I have a second? Dr. Clark, any objection? Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> The next item on the agenda is item 7.2, board action on the report of the board administration, education, finance
committee from June 9th, 2026. Mr. Burkin, >> on behalf of the board administration and education, finance committee, I move to approve motions 1 through 37, noting Mr. Castile's recusal from motions 30
through 35. >> Do I have a second, Mr. Morris. Are there any objections? Seeing none, motion passes. >> Next item, please. >> Next item is item 7.3, board action on
the report of the educated effectiveness committee from June 9th, 2026. Dr. Clark, >> before my making my motion. >> Okay. >> I want to recognize Mr. Ken Bradford who served on LHSAA for the last is it three
years Ken? Six. Six years and recognized LDOE in a very professional manner always advocating for LDOE. Um thank you Mr. Bradford for doing a great job. And now Mr. Trey Falls, congratulations. I think to you, who has been appointed by
LDOE to uh recog um to make sure that he supports um LDOE and their initiatives on the LHSA uh executive committee for the next four years, six years. Mr. F, you don't seem really happy about this. However, I will be right there with you.
Thank you both for your service. Do I have a second? >> Thank you. >> She didn't make She didn't make the motion. >> No, you didn't make a motion. On behalf of the Educated Effectiveness Committee, I move to approve motions 1 through 28, noting items two and three as notices of intent and item 27 as a recusal by Mr. Pen Castile.
>> Thank you. Do I have a second? Dr. Armstrong. Are there any objections? Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> Next item is item 7.4, Board action on the report of the Legislative Government
Affairs Committee from June 9th, 2026. Miss Hollowing. >> On behalf of the Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee, I move to approve motion one. Do I have a second? Mr. Burkin, are there any objections?
Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> Next item is item 7.5, board action on the report of the school innovation and turnaround committee from June 9th, 2026. Mr. Mars. >> On behalf of the school innovation turnaround committee, I move to approve
motions 1 through 7. >> Do I have a second? Miss Dr. Armstrong. Are there any objections? Seeing none, motion passes. Next item, please. >> That concludes your agenda.
>> Thank you. Motion to adjurnn. >> There's lunch in the back. Thank you. >> If anyone want lunch, there's lunch in the back for board members.