Morris elected president, Harris vice president, Melerine secretary-treasurer
Today the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) elected its Board officers for 2024 at a special called meeting in Baton Rouge. Members elected District 6 BESE member Ronnie Morris president, elected District 5 member Lance Harris vice president, and elected District 4 member Stacey Melerine secretary-treasurer.
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.
The 2024 BESE includes eight new members officially sworn in on January 8, 2024. Newly elected in fall 2023 were Harris, Melerine, District 1 Member Paul Hollis, District 2 Member Sharon Latten Clark, and District 7 Member Kevin Berken. Last week Governor Jeff Landry named Conrad Appel, Dr. Judy Armstrong, and Simone Champagne as appointees to the Board. Reelected to BESE were Morris and District 8 Member Preston Castille, returning for a second term, and District 3 Member Sandy Holloway returning for a third term.
Members of the 2024-2027 Board are as follows:
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President, District 6 Member
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Mr. Ronnie Morris
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Vice President, District 5 Member
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Mr. Lance Harris
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Secretary-Treasurer, District 4 Member
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Ms. Stacey Melerine
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District 1 Member
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Mr. Paul Hollis
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District 2 Member
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Dr. Sharon Latten Clark
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District 3 Member
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Ms. Sandy Holloway
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District 7 Member
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Mr. Kevin Berken
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District 8 Member
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Mr. Preston Castille
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At-Large Member (appointed by Governor)
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Mr. Conrad Appel
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At-Large Member (appointed by Governor)
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Dr. Judy Armstrong
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At-Large Member (appointed by Governor)
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Ms. Simone Champagne
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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.