This week the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) elected its Board officers for 2023. Members elected District 7 BESE member Dr. Holly Boffy president, elected District 8 member Preston Castille vice president, and elected District 6 member Ronnie Morris secretary-treasurer.
Boffy is the principal of W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette and is the 2010 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year. She is among the longest-tenured BESE members, previously serving as secretary-treasurer and vice president.
“I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” said Boffy. “My goal is to unite our Board and our state in serving our students through incredible education opportunities. Our schools are the only place some of our students find hope. We owe them our best.”
Castille and Morris began their terms on BESE in 2020, with Castille serving as chair of the Board’s School Innovation and Turnaround Committee in 2020 and 2021, and Morris serving as chair of the Academic Goals and Instructional Improvement Committee in 2021.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve as an officer on the state Board and look forward to working with all stakeholders to create new opportunities for students and teachers that will move Louisiana forward,” said Morris.
“I am grateful to my fellow BESE members for this opportunity to serve as vice president of the Board,” said Castille. “I have the great fortune of serving with some of the smartest, most dedicated men and women in Louisiana, and I look forward to building on our accomplishments to better serve the children and families of our state.”
BESE elects its officers each calendar year, and the Board’s new leadership team will be officially sworn in at the March 8, 2023 BESE meeting. BESE is composed of 11 members. Eight members are elected, one from each of the state’s eight BESE districts, and three members are appointed by the governor to represent the state at-large. Board members serve a four-year term that runs concurrently with the term of the governor.
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For more information, contact:
Kevin Calbert
kevin.calbert@la.gov
BESE is the administrative policymaking body for elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. The Board sets key education initiatives and works to outline an education agenda to achieve continuous improvement of public education as measured by student and school achievement