Member of School Board, District 1

Answers to issue questions limited to 500 words total.

Ira Thomas

NAME: IRA H. THOMAS
YOUR CAMPAIGN WEBSITE ADDRESS: http://www.IraThomasonBoard.com
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION:
Address: 5573 Stillwater Drive, N.O.La. 70128
Phone: (504) 319-9331
FAX:
E-mail: ithomas@aol.com
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
PROFESSION: Facilities Management Technician
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION (if self-employed, what type of business)
D C Recovery Systems- A Facilities Management Company
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION (include graduation date):
Bachelor Degree, Certified Police Education Instructor
APPLICABLE TRAINING:
Administrator, Manager, Law Enforcement, Police Education Instruction, Business Owner
CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Founder, Seeds for Success-a nonprofit organization for Mentoring at-risk youth, Community Activist.
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS:
Unsuccessful run for the Office of Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff in 2004.
Worked several other political campaigns.

1. What experience have you had viewing and /or approving large organizational budgets?

I served as the Executive Administrator of Security and Investigations for the New Orleans Public School System. I prepared and managed a $4,000,000 dollar annual budget for my division. I'm also the former Administrator of the city of New Orleans For Hire Transportation Bureau. This annual budget was also just over $4,000,000 dollars.

2. How have you shown your support of public education in New Orleans in the past?

I am a proud product of New Orleans Public Schools. I attended Edwards Elementary, G.W. Carver Middle and G.W. Carver Senior High Schools. My two children are both graduates of McDonogh Senior High School and I have two step-sons now attending McDonogh Senior High School. While serving as president of my police organization I implemented a program to provide school supplies to public school students at the beginning of the school year. I accepted the position as Executive Administrative of Security and Investigations of New Orleans Public Schools because I was concerned about the lack of a safe learning environment for our children. I took on the challenge and implemented several initiatives and security strategies which ensured that our children would dwell in an environment conducive to learning and our teachers and other employees would feel that their working environment was also safe and secured.

3. What is your position on adequate funding for charter schools which would include costs of adequate special education services and renovation and/or construction of permanent facilities?

I support adequate funding for charter schools which would include costs for special education and renovation of facilities. However, with reference to plans for construction of permanent facilities they should be presented to the local governing board.

4. What position will you take with the Louisiana state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Louisiana legislature on the unification of the New Orleans Parish School Board and the New Orleans Recovery School District?

The RSD was intended to be a temporary measure to restore public education and rescue failing schools in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The Orleans Parish School Board is the elected governing board for public schools in New Orleans. I believe that local control should return to this board through an approved process as schools in the RSD are no longer considered failing.

5. What concrete, measurable goals will you propose to your fellow board members for the coming school year?

I would propose the following:
-That the board makes a commitment to Transparent Management which ensures openness, communication and accountability.
-That the board work to develop positive relationships with RSD and Charter School Districts, state and local officials and community leaders to determine the best path for our public school system placing children first.
-That the board makes improvements to the dropout prevention programs in our system of schools to return students to the class.
-That the board review and improve preparations for LEAP testing that will afford more students the opportunity to do well.
-That the board work to implement career development programs for non-college bound students.
-That the board work to develop plans to build high-tech State-Of-The-Art schools, at least one in every school district.

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