Summit called on education

Goal is to get community talking

LAFAYETTE — What are your aspirations for education in your community?

That question is among the first meant to spark conversations among community members, business leaders and education officials during “Public Education Summit 2012: A Community Dialogue” in Lafayette on Feb. 28.

The event is a “listening opportunity” for public education leaders to learn what issues are important to residents and leaders, said Angela Morrison, United Way of Acadiana’s chief of community impact.

Everyone has a stake in public education, Morrison said.

“Public education impacts not only children in the school system, but our whole community and not only economically, but as well as safety issues and other issues,” she said.

Public input gathered through the event will be used to build a “common vision for advancing public education in Acadiana through community collaboration and business partnerships,” according to the United Way, one of the event sponsors.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center and is also sponsored by Acadiana Technical College, Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, South Louisiana Community College and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The event is open to the public and targets the eight-parish Acadiana area: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion.

“We all need to get public education on our radar,” Morrison said. “As we hear more and more about education reform, we all need to come to the table and understand what that means. … I think we all want to make sure that means quality education for every child.”

School system superintendents from the Acadiana area have committed to attending or sending a representative to the event, Morrison said.

Community leaders will also offer presentations on the impact of education on the workforce and economic development.

Featured speakers include: Bill Fenstermaker, chief executive officer of Fenstermaker & Associates Inc.; Billy Stokes, director of the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning; Gregg Gothreaux, president of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority; Rob Guidry, president of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce; Margaret Trahan, president of the United Way of Acadiana; and a luncheon keynote by Joseph Savoie, president of University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Morrison said John White, the state’s new school superintendent, has been invited.

Morning sessions will focus on discussions about aspirations, current status of education and what is needed to realize those aspirations.

In the afternoon, attendees will break out into groups by parish to continue discussions about specific needs in their own communities.

Morrison said the goal is for school districts to hold similar community outreach sessions that include educators who cannot attend the school day event.

The timing of the event coincides with new educational leadership in Lafayette Parish: new district school Superintendent Pat Cooper, new South Louisiana Community College Chancellor Natalie Harder and new Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Holly Boffy, the secondary education representative.

“Expert knowledge is very important, but as we have these new leaders coming into our region, this was a good opportunity for key stakeholders in the community to lend a voice to their plans,” Morrison said.

At the end of the event, a panel of education leaders including Savoie, Harder, Cooper and Boffy will offer their responses to the community’s comments.

The United Way of Acadiana held similar discussions with its “Community Conversations” — small group sessions last year to gauge concerns and hopes for public education. The nonprofit agency will soon release a report of its findings, “Voices for the Common Good: Acadiana Speaks Out on Education,” and one common theme revealed was a community desire to help, Morrison said.

“They want to plug in. They just need to be told what to do,” she said.

Those who attend the summit should leave with plans of action for their own communities and with a “feeling that they’re empowered to work together,” Morrison said. “... It’s a jump start to continuing the conversation once we get home.”

The fee for the summit is $20 and includes lunch. Registration is required at: http://www.lafchamber.org.