Why Lafayette Parish Schools Landed On Forbes' Best List

(KMDL-FM) When you think of Forbes Magazine, the image your mind might conjure is that of Wall Street in New York City or some busy boardroom filled with concerned people wearing expensive suits and ties, not a public school system. But a Louisiana school system has earned a spot in "the boardroom," so to speak.

man standing in front of people sitting beside table with laptop computers — Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

True, Forbes does cover those topics related to big businesses and high finance, but they also cover topics that affect regular people, and in the course of doing that, Forbes has made a very special observation about the schools in Lafayette.

Here's Why Lafayette Educators Are Heroes To Me

I have never worked in education, but I am very close with many who have and who do. They will tell you that sometimes it's a thankless job, especially when parents don't support the educational initiatives and "blame the teacher" for poor parenting skills at home.

Working in that kind of environment must require a very special workplace. Forbes has identified Lafayette schools as one of those special workplaces in Louisiana. In fact, Lafayette Parish Schools are being mentioned in the same breath as some of Louisiana's largest and most respected companies when it comes to fostering a productive work environment.

Every year, Forbes releases a list of the Best Employers in All 50 States. They also break down the list in a state-by-state format. The list shows the ranking of employers based on employee satisfaction surveys focusing on working conditions, paths for career advancement, competitive benefits, and organizational community.

Lafayette Parish Schools were ranked at #10 in the entire state. Some other names on the list that you might recognize are Ochsner Health Care System and the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. The Louisiana employer at the top of the list? Raising Cane's. So you see, the Forbes list is all-encompassing in just about every aspect of employment.

How Many People Work in Lafayette Parish Schools?

Lafayette Parish Schools employ some 4,000 people. Their mission is to educate our children in a safe environment while making sure the needs of the individual child do not get lost in the enormity of the student body. That student body is estimated to be about 30,000, so you can see the undertaking is quite a heavy lift.

Francis Touchet is the Superintendent of Lafayette Parish Schools. Under his tenure, the school district has had to make some hard choices, some of them seemingly unpopular. But then again, almost every choice involving a budget or reallocating money always seems to come with passionate opposing positions.

Those tough decisions were made to keep the school system functioning toward the achievement of the mission statement: "The Lafayette Parish School System in collaboration with stakeholders is committed to developing productive citizens prepared to compete in a global community," and to keep the school system operating within the budgetary guidelines set forth by the School Board and, ultimately, you, the voting population of Lafayette Parish.

From where we sit, education is a very tough job. It's good to know that the highly skilled education professionals who have been tasked with enlightening future generations in Lafayette Parish have a place to impart their wisdom where they feel welcomed and encouraged.

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Congratulations to the Lafayette Parish School District; by the way, they've earned a spot on the Forbes list before. Now, let's reminisce just a little to back when you weren't the parent, but you were on the bus going on a field trip.

9 Louisiana School Field Trips Acadiana Still Remembers

For a lot of us who grew up in Acadiana, there was one day on the school calendar that always stood out...the annual field trip.

It didn't matter if you were headed to a museum, a nature trail, or...anywhere at all really. Climbing onto a school bus with your friends meant you were in for an adventure, and those memories have a way of sticking with you.

We asked you on Facebook to share the school field trips you remember most, and the responses were packed with nostalgia. Some places are still welcoming students today, while other places are sadly no longer in operation.

One destination, however, caught nearly everyone by surprise.

Gallery Credit: Michael Dot Scott