The St. Charles Parish School Board has one new face – the District 4 winner – after Tuesday’s election, with a second seat – the District 2 spot – set to be filled in next month’s runoff.
In District 4, Karen Boudreaux and William Fahrig Jr., each of Des Allemands, battled for the spot. Boudreaux was victorious, clenching 51 percent of the 2,122 votes cast. Only 48 votes separated the two candidates.
Boudreaux said her decision to run for the board came after a year of careful consideration and a conversation with the then current representative of her district.
“When discussing the true role and responsibilities of the position, it confirmed that my education, experience, community service and current involvement as a parent in the school system would be an asset to the board,” Boudreaux said. “I believe my military service, community service and continued education make me uniquely qualified for this seat. As a veteran, I understand following the chain of command that is necessary to honor and respect the teachers and the administration. Having an MBA, I can also navigate the business side of our school system to include the budget. My current degree program in counseling will be an asset to effective communication with the other board members, parents, staff, stakeholders, and the kids.”
She added that it is important to acknowledge that St. Charles Parish Public Schools continues to operate and achieve at high levels.
“While I would be serving as one of eight board members, I will advocate for fair accountability, safe and secure campuses, high-quality teaching and learning, social and emotional wellness, special needs advancements, and fiscal responsibility,” she said.
District 2 saw Robert Faucheux of Luling, Barbara Fuselier of Luling, Raymond Gregson of Luling and Precious Singleton-Alexander of Ama compete to represent the area.
Gregson had 31 percent of the vote, while Faucheux earned 29 percent. The two candidates will battle for the spot in a December runoff. Fuselier earned 21 percent of the votes, while 18 percent of voters chose Singleton-Alexander.
Gregson said his personal interest in preserving and improving the quality of the school system led him to seek the District 2 seat.
“I am the father of three SCPPS students, and my wife is an educator at J.B. Martin Middle,” he said. “I want to be an advocate for the students of our parish. Our school system has a tradition of excellence. We have an opportunity to build and improve our district. I want our students and employees to come to school inspired every day.”
Gregson said he has a wide array of experience that uniquely qualifies him for the position.
“I’ve been a business owner, worked in the school services industry, served as a professional and college baseball umpire, and currently own a digital marketing firm,” he said. “I am a parent, which the St. Charles Parish School Board currently does not have on the board. As a digital marketing expert, I know the best communication practices using modern communication platforms proactively. I know how to reach the right audience and which data points to use as metrics to get the most out of the communication efforts. Additionally, as an umpire, it is my job to uphold the integrity of the game. I must be trustworthy, impartial, dedicated, and have the highest integrity. I will bring these skills to my service on the St. Charles Parish School Board.”
Gregson said if elected he would strive to increase community involvement in the school system.
“Our schools are a source of pride for our community, and we need the people of our parish involved at every level,” he said. “We have many graduates of Hahnville and Destrehan living in our community. We need to have alumni associations that involve our former students. School involvement shouldn’t end when a person graduates. These schools are our schools. They belong to the community, and the community should feel a sense of involvement.”
Faucheux said he has thought about running for 12 years, but that he made up his mind to run at his grandson’s ring night ceremony two years ago.
“I witnessed just how inappropriate that evening was and how far we have slipped into distasteful behavior disguised as a celebration,” he said. “I also began studying our school district’s equity policy. It is more hurtful to our school system than it is helpful. In addition to all of this, it’s time to answer the tough questions. Why is Louisiana at the bottom of the list in school rankings? Why is the average tenure of a teacher only five years? Why is there an increase in homeschooling? Is ‘inclusion’ really good for the entire classroom?”
Faucheux said there are several things that make him uniquely qualified to run.
“I am recently retired, which gives me the time and energy to devote to this position,” he said. “I am thoroughly familiar with our district’s 20 year strategic plan and will work tirelessly to achieve its goals. I think I may be the only candidate who had ‘town hall meetings’ over the summer with a number of our current and retired teachers. This gave them the opportunity to speak freely regarding the true issues facing our schools today.”
Faucheux said the biggest change he would like to bring back to the school district is discipline.
“And to take the burden off of our teachers to be social workers, emotional coaches and psychiatrists … thus allowing them to be what they choose to be – teachers,” he said.
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