Wednesday, January 7, 2015

This Was About the Teachers But For Our Kids

To the entire community of Terrebonne Parish, thank you! Through the successful passage of the ½ cent sales tax, you have taken a bold step forward in the support of education in our parish. With the revenues realized from this tax, needed resources will be generated that will bring teacher and employee salaries from some of the lowest in Louisiana to a level more in line with our neighboring parishes. It was an issue of great importance to our schools and to our parish and on behalf of Terrebonne’s 2,300 teachers and employees, and the more than 18,000 students under their care, we offer our most sincere thank you.

Going forward, we are committed to attracting and retaining the very best educators to our school system. This endeavor is a core component of our plan, not merely to hold our position as one of the top performing districts in the state, but also as the foundation of our plan to become the top performing district in the state. We know that the single most important factor in a student’s education is a qualified, certified teacher in the classroom; and while we have some of the best, most creative and most dedicated educators anywhere, we need more like them. Your vote to support the sales tax also supports our teachers in another way – they feel appreciated for the important work they do.Our pledge to the community is that we will do everything we can to recruit and attract qualified professionals to Terrebonne Parish. The future of any community relies on the strength and vitality of its public school system, and we believe that Terrebonne Parish can be the premier school district in Louisiana.

And finally, to all who gave so much of themselves in these recent months in dedication to this effort, we offer our most sincere thanks as well. Your commitment to education and to our kids has been inspiring.

Philip Martin
Superintendent