Board members on Wednesday directed staff to plan a second Bridging Success tour to build on a statewide effort connecting school systems, business and economic development partners and to broaden the agenda to include work‑based learning, artificial intelligence in classrooms and student engagement and truancy.

BESE launched the original Bridging Success tour in November 2024 with regional stops and completed a statewide run that concluded Oct. 1 in Bossier City. The office reported that the first tour engaged hundreds of educators, business and community leaders and that the department has secured roughly 2,300 internship and apprenticeship openings for students so far — up from about 1,300 earlier in the rollout.

Board members debated the scope and target audience for a second tour. Several members proposed a focused effort to engage local school board members directly, arguing school boards are key decisionmakers at the district level. Others emphasized continuing momentum on internships and apprenticeships and adding deeper conversations about workforce development, AI classroom uses and truancy interventions.

“Building on the momentum that’s already been created…we’ve been able to secure internships as an agency that are available for students throughout the state,” BESE member Mister Birkin said, noting the program’s growth. Miss Holloway, who is assigned to work with the BESE office on the second tour, said staff will send a survey to regions visited earlier to gather feedback; survey responses are due in November and staff expect to refine scope and timing for the 2026 plan in January.

Suggestions from members included multi‑day district engagements to reach school boards in large, multi‑parish districts, targeted roundtables with local school boards and integrating other state partners such as the workforce commission and economic development agencies. Board members asked staff to return with a proposed timeline and venue plan after the November survey results are compiled.

The board did not take a formal vote on Bridging Success 2; members tasked the BESE office with planning and outreach and said they would receive status updates ahead of the board’s next meeting.