Until 2014, members of the Caddo Parish School Board (CPSB) were not term-limited. That means that could serve any number of consecutive four-year terms.
But since 2012, they are limited to 3 consecutive four-year terms. Some of the Board members were “grandfathered”.
Dottie Bell’s tenure on the board may total 20 years. This assumes that she is re-elected this year and in 2022. And the same is true for Barry Rachal.
Steve Raill, Mary Trammel, and Jasmine Green could serve 16 consecutive years.
Five of the board members are limited to 2 more four-year terms. They are Margaret Brown, Susannah Poljack, Dr. Bonita Douzart, Raymond Green, Denee’ Locke, and John Albritton.
Durwood Hendricks, who was appointed this year, can serve 3 consecutive four-year terms.
Members of the Caddo Commission can serve 3 consecutive four-year terms. Shreveport City Council members may only serve 2 consecutive four-year terms.
The school board elections are in November along with the Shreveport mayor and council members.
The Caddo School district operates 58 traditional school campuses and 4 charter/alternative programs for a total of 62 schools. The number of students for the 2017-2018 school year was over 40,000.
The school board budget is approximately $490 million annually.
As the largest recipient of taxpayer dollars in Caddo Parish, the CPSB is indeed an important position. The school board generally receives less publicity than the Shreveport City Council or the Caddo Commission. And similarly, the “political importance’ assigned to serve as school board member is the least appreciated.
Many citizens believe that the longtime board incumbents should be replaced since the quality of Caddo public education has not improved substantially during their terms. Unfortunately, most of these longtime members will probably have no opposition this year.