BESE swears in new officers as Louisiana chief justice urges cross‑sector push on truancy

The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education convened in January to swear in new officers and hear a call for expanded cross‑sector action on truancy from Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer. Judge Weimer administered the oath to new member Joseph Kyle and introduced Simone Champagne as board president, Kevin Birkin as vice president and Shannon L. Flora as secretary.

Weimer, who spoke before administering oaths, praised recent gains in student test scores and credited teachers, the superintendent and the board for progress. "Truancy deprives children of the transformative value of an education and costs society in so many ways," he said, urging sustained collaboration among schools, courts, legislators and law enforcement to prevent students from entering the justice system.

The board used the ceremony to thank outgoing president Ronnie Morris for his service; Morris told members he appreciated the opportunity to serve and thanked staff and the superintendent for their support. The chair also acknowledged the state superintendent and invited the board to continue coordinating ahead of the legislative session.

The swearing in was conducted as a formal item on the agenda; members approved the agenda and other routine business earlier in the meeting. The ceremony concluded with the newly sworn officers and board members receiving congratulations and brief biographical introductions outlining their experience in public service, education and governance.

BESE ended the ceremonial portion and moved on to awards and program presentations scheduled later in the meeting.