The Cowen Institute and a host of other organizations hosted a forum for Orleans Parish School Board candidates Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. I live-blogged the event, and The Lens streamed video as well. Both are posted below.
Here’s the full list of candidates. To learn more about them, see The Lens’ previous coverage. And here’s a map of the districts.
District 1
- Ira Thomas, Southern University at New Orleans police chief (incumbent, Democrat)
- Heidi Lovett Daniels, former school board member from 2004 to 2008 (Democrat)
District 2
- Cynthia Cade, childcare center director (incumbent, Democrat)
- Durrell Laurent, insurance and real-estate agent (Democrat)
- Dwight McKenna, physician (Democrat)
District 3
- Brett Bonin, attorney (incumbent, Republican)
- Karran Harper Royal, advocate for special-needs students (no party affiliation)
- Sarah Usdin, founder of New Schools For New Orleans, a nonprofit that provides funding and support for charter schools (Democrat)
District 4
- Lourdes Moran, board vice-president and civic activist (incumbent, Democrat)
- Leslie Ellison, educational consultant with the Ellison Group (Democrat)
District 5
- Seth Bloom, attorney (incumbent, Republican)
District 6
- Woody Koppel, real-estate agent and former teacher (incumbent, Democrat)
- Jason Coleman, Democratic Party official and member of the Coleman Cab company family (Democrat)
District 7
- Thomas Robichaux, board president and attorney (incumbent, Democrat)
- Nolan Marshall, Jr., president of Nolan Marshall Studios, a photography agency (Democrat)
- Kwame Smith, substitute teacher and former basketball coach at Lusher Charter School (no party affiliation)
Video
(The recording does not include the last 25 minutes of the forum, but it’s in the live blog below.)
Live blog