 BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer A review committee will meet several times beginning this spring to recommend revisions to Louisiana's content standards for education. The guidelines outline the knowledge and skills public school students are expected to learn from kindergarten through 12th grade. These were last updated in 2016. In the English learning standards, State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley wants to emphasize phonics and other elements of the so-called science of reading. In math, he wants to focus on foundational skills. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Ronnie Morris said he hopes the updates will make the standards fresh for a new generation of students. “We want to re-imagine the entire education experience,” he said. Want to be a part of the process? Find out more about the proposals and how you can join the review group.
Shashonnie Steward is the new president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, with Mike Gaudet serving as vice president. The pair were elected by fellow board members Thursday night. The board, which oversees a school district of nearly 40,000 students, has now changed its top leaders for three years in a row. Read about how the vote went down.
Gov. Jeff Landry has elevated Scott Ballard, one of the owners of PJ’s Coffee, to chair the LSU Board of Supervisors. Ballard raised a substantial amount of money for Landry during the 2023 governor’s race. Landry also named Roderick “Rico” Alvendia, a politically active trial attorney in New Orleans, to the board. Neither man graduated from LSU. Read about the benefits that come with serving on the board. | 
