Governor Edwards of Louisiana Elected Chair of the Southern Regional Education Board
Edwards also leads new commission on teacher preparation
Little Rock, Arkansas — June 26,
2016 — Governor Jon Bel Edwards of Louisiana was
elected chair of the Southern Regional Education Board at the
organization’s annual meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas, on
Sunday.
As chair of SREB’s 80-member Board, Governor Edwards will lead
the collaborative work of governors, legislators and state
education leaders to improve public education at every level,
from early childhood through doctoral education. He succeeds
Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, 2015-16 SREB chair and head
of SREB’s Commission on Computer Science and Information
Technology. Board chairs are elected to one-year terms.
Governor Edwards is also leading the new SREB Teacher Preparation
Commission, which began work at the SREB meetings this week.
“As the new chair of SREB, I am looking forward to elevating
the dialogue in Louisiana and other member states around the
importance of strengthening student learning and preparedness at
every educational level,” said Governor Edwards.
“Louisiana, in particular, is at a turning point when it comes to
funding for education, and SREB has the distinction of being the
only regional organization that spans early childhood through
higher education. The partnerships established by this
organization will be invaluable to Louisiana and the entire
region as we work to reinvest in education to provide students
the opportunity to succeed.”
“We are grateful for Governor Edwards’ leadership on behalf of
education in our states,” said SREB President Dave Spence. “This
is a particularly important time as SREB commissions explore
teacher preparation and continue to focus on college
affordability.”
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, SREB was created in 1948
by Southern governors and legislators who recognized the link
between education and economic vitality. Member states are
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.