Why Olin is running.
I am truly honored to serve as your Orleans Parish School Board member and am proud of the work we have accomplished together.
I have dedicated my first four years on the Board to expanding access to mental health services for students, improving student safety, and helping our students and schools recover the learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In my four years on the Board, including two as Board president, we have:
Expanded access to mental health services via a $10 million partnership with Children’s Hospital of New Orleans and the City of New Orleans to create ThriveKids. In its first year, ThriveKids has increased mental health staffing at 15 schools with the highest concentration of poverty and performed ~4,000 therapeutic sessions for at-risk students
Received recognition as one of the only urban school districts in the country to surpass its pre-pandemic achievement levels and a Top 6 designation for Mastery Growth as a district from the Louisiana Department of Education. Additionally, four NOLA-PS schools were recognized as Top 20 for academic growth in the entire state. Two of those schools--John F. Kennedy HS and Success @ Thurgood Marshall--are in District 3!
Drafted and implemented a Student Safety and Well-Being policy that ensures our students receive education on bullying prevention, suicide prevention, internet and cell phone safety, dating violence, and other important topics that children face today.
Established a restorative teen gun violence interruption program with the Center for Restorative Approaches and Tulane University to engage students and families and resolve differences before a conflict escalates to violence in the community.
Opened a $40 million facility for Career & Technical Education at the New Orleans Career Center, which provides high school students with the ability to earn advanced credentials and employment in high-wage, high-demand fields right out of high school.
Passed four consecutive balanced budgets and significantly reduced the audit findings inherited from previous Boards.
Significantly increased community engagement via undertakings such as the School Renaming process, the Superintendent Search Process, community-wide efforts to address truancy, and district-wide surveys.
Stabilized school facilities funding for the next 20 years by leading a successful millage renewal campaign that passed with 64% of the vote and helped reduce districtwide property insurance costs by $5 million annually.
Secured funding for state-of-the-art, community-based facilities by partnering with local, state, and federal entities to build structures such as a new Willie Hall Playground at McDonogh #35 and a new football stadium at George Washington Carver HS.
Expanded access to fine arts and Gifted/Talented programming through the passage of a new Charter School Accountability Framework and partnerships with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
These bullet points represent just a fraction of the work that has been completed in the last four years. And while I am immensely proud of our students, teachers, and Board for the progress that has been made, I recognize that there is plenty of work left to be done.
That’s why I am asking for your support--so that I can continue to work hard every single day for the students and teachers of Orleans Parish.
Thank you for taking the time to consider me as a candidate for School Board. I promise to continue working every day to earn your vote.
