Cecil Picard

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"... The last thing I wanted to be was a schoolteacher"

Louisiana's new superintendent of education, Cecil Picard, didn't get rich as a state lawmaker over the past 20 years - his salary averaged only about $25,000 annually in recent years.

However, Picard is likely to reap a financial windfall as a result of taking over as state superintendent of education.

In addition to enjoying a $115,000-a-year salary and $12,000-a-year housing allowance as state education superintendent, Picard is building a lucrative pension.

State law allows Picard to continue in the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System, count his 20 years experience as a lawmaker and add his time as state superintendent.

As a result, his pension will increase dramatically because LASERS calculates retirement benefits on an individual's average pay for the highest consecutive 36-month period.

If he finishes this term, according to LASERS, Picard will receive at least 79 percent of his combined $127,000-a-year salary and housing allowance, based on 3.5 percent for every year of service in the Legislature and 2.5 percent for every year of service as superintendent.

Picard has had to suspend the undisclosed amount he has been receiving in a pension from his 21 years as a teacher, coach and principal until he steps down as state education superintendent.

That comes to an estimated pension of about $100,000 a year from LASERS when he retires if he finishes three years as superintendent with that salary package.

"I won't be hurting," Picard said. "Hopefully, it will be worth all the blood, sweat and tears."

To get to this point, Picard spent more than two decades as a teacher, coach and principal in Vermilion Parish schools.

Over the past 16 years, Picard served in the Senate, chairing the Senate Education Committee for about three years and serving on the Southern Regional Education Board for 16 years. Previously, he served four years in the House.

Education roots

Picard said he was born into an "educational family." He grew up in Maurice, where his father was principal at a school that included grades 1-12.

Picard said he was raised "just several feet from my first-grade classroom."

Picard said he considered himself "a B student" at Maurice High School, where he played in the band for eight years and was on the varsity basketball and track teams for four years.

Picard said he didn't play football because "we did not have football in those days."

"We went to the state playoffs in basketball," Picard said. "I won first place in the high hurdles and the low hurdles and the discus at the district level and qualified and went to the state track meet here in Baton Rouge. I did not win the state championship. I think I placed, but I did not win."

In basketball, Picard said, his team went to the state playoffs three of the four years he played but didn't win the state championship.

And one thing was for certain - he didn't want to be a teacher.

"I remember telling my parents during my sophomore or junior year that the last thing I wanted to be was a schoolteacher," Picard said.

However, Picard said he "automatically gravitated" to the profession after he enrolled at Southwestern Louisiana Institute - now the University of Southwestern Louisiana - and he ultimately majored in upper elementary education.

Picard said once he became focused on the education track, he became a "real good student" and that he did "exceptionally well" in graduate school.

Picard graduated from SLI in May 1959 and immediately started teaching at LeBlanc Elementary in Vermilion Parish, handling a class of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.

He remained at LeBlanc Elementary until the school was consolidated in 1962. Picard then began working at Maurice High School as a basketball coach and junior high classroom teacher. His father was still principal there.

By that time, Picard had earned a master's degree in education from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

Picard also met his wife, Gaylen David, in 1962 on a double date - she wasn't his date - in which he and a teacher friend took their dates to a Parent Teacher Association meeting and then to a pizza parlor in Lafayette.

"I did not get along too well with my date," Picard said, so he asked his future wife to go to an LSU football game and she later accepted.

"That did not work out too well," Picard said. "We just did not seem to be compatible. That was a one date. I took her home."

Two years later, Picard asked her for another date.

"We went out every night thereafter and got married in November," Picard said. The two have been married 32 years and have two sons - Tyron, 31, who's running for Congress, and Mark, 28, who's a wildlife specialist.

At Maurice High School for the three years until 1965, Picard's boys basketball team didn't advance beyond the district playoffs, although it did defeat some higher classification schools and win some tournaments.

During the 1965-66 school year, Picard became basketball coach at Erath High School and made the playoffs in his one year there but didn't win the state title.

In 1966, Picard's father died unexpectedly because of a heart attack, and Picard was appointed principal of Maurice High School, where he served from 1966 until 1969.

"That was the time that Vermilion Parish schools were integrated, and we had a very smooth integration at Maurice High School," Picard said.

Picard said he was appointed principal of Abbeville High School in October 1969 and remained there until he retired in 1980.

"At Abbeville High School, there were some very serious problems with integration," Picard said. "I think working with the community, both black and white, students, parents and the school board in making integration work, I think probably was the greatest achievement that I had there."

Into the Legislature

Picard was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1975, beating an incumbent of 16 years.

Picard left the House after being elected to the Senate in 1979 and he served in the Senate until last Monday.

Picard said his proudest achievements in the Legislature have to do with education, noting he has handled the education packages for Gov. Mike Foster and former Govs. Edwin Edwards, Dave Treen and Buddy Roemer.

"It mattered not who was governor," Picard, a Democrat, said. "It was a matter of how serious they were for education."

Picard said one of his best achievements was getting the Legislature to pass the Professional Improvement Program, which he said was an "outstanding program that became very politicalized."

The program allowed teachers to return to college, pick up some refresher courses and be compensated for it, Picard said.

Eventually killed by the Legislature, the program is still paying a total of $40 million a year to teachers who participated.

Picard said he's pleased that he played a part in working with BESE to put into effect many of the standards the state has today, such as requiring teachers to pass the National Teacher Examinations to be certified and removing tenure for administrators.

The source of the story

[NewsCopy]

Before Hurricane Katrina, state school Superintendent Cecil Picard, a man who made his political career as a patient negotiator, had spent months pulling together an unprecedented agreement among the state, the Orleans Parish School Board and the high-powered New York corporate turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal. In crafting a delicate balance that allowed the board to share power and save face, Picard had forged an unlikely partnership where political warfare had raged. Drawing on decades of experience as a deal-maker, he'd accomplished what many others had considered impossible: persuading an embattled school board to cede substantial power over its own budget. Right after the storm, however, Picard dropped the conciliatory approach and pushed a more drastic agenda: the forced state takeover of 102 of the 117 campuses the Orleans system operated before the storm, many of which may never reopen. He did so, he said, after watching the School Board return to bitter infighting over who would run the decimated system after the hurricane: Alvarez & Marsal or Orleans Superintendent Ora Watson. Picard now needed only the state Legislature to sign off on the unprecedented plan, and he sensed, correctly, that he'd have little trouble getting the votes. In doing so, Picard also has supported the chartering of newly reopened schools on the West Bank and opened the door for the widespread chartering of other schools that will slowly reopen as families return to New Orleans. Meanwhile, Picard preserved the privatization of the system's financial management by reworking the $17 million contract with Alvarez & Marsal to address disaster-management issues such as insurance claims and real estate. Picard, 67, has emerged from more than a year of intense political scraps much more clearly the friend of competitive pressure as a force for school reform than conservatives had expected or liberals feared. And yet Picard, a Democrat, would bristle at being pigeon-holed by either camp. Throughout his career, both as a government administrator and before that as a state legislator, he has regularly opposed both charter schools and school vouchers, which he dismisses as "silver bullets and red herrings" that distract from the core mission of well-financed and locally controlled public schools. At the same time, he has been a champion of strict accountability in student and teacher performance. In fact, Picard became a prime mover in the state takeover quite reluctantly, after years of ignoring heated calls from state legislators to do just that. He only moved to assert state authority over the system when the federal government forced his hand after discovering early last year that the New Orleans system couldn't properly account for tens of millions in federal grant spending. The ensuing political storm drew Picard into one of the most high-profile and contentious periods of his 50-year career. But what few have noticed, and Picard rarely mentions as he has worked through long and frustrating days, is that he's simultaneously worked through a separate personal crisis: a life-threatening disease. The rest of the story By Brian Thevenot TImes-Picayune

[RaginRash]

Good read. Thanks for the article link. Peace be upon the Picard household.

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Cecil J. Picard Louisiana Superintendent of Education State of Louisiana 2001 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Former teacher, coach, principal, State Representative and Senator, Cecil J. Picard, became Louisiana's 21st State Superintendent of Education on July 1, 1996. Citing his top priorities of accountability, early childhood education, alternative programs, and leadership development, Picard welcomed the challenge of providing leadership and guidance to the state's 1,400 public schools in the 66 school districts across the state. His tenure as the State's chief education officer should be bolstered by the riches of his experiences in education and State government. Superintendent Picard received his formal education from Maurice High School and continued his educational pursuits at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (bachelor's degree), Sam Houston State (master's degree), and Louisiana State University (30 plus graduate hours). He began his career in the teaching profession as a classroom teacher in 1959 in the heartland of Cajun country, the Vermilion Parish School System. Following nearly 7 years as a teacher in elementary and secondary schools, Picard was promoted to the rank of principal (Maurice High School, 1966-69 and Abbeville High School, 1969-1980). Coupled with the rigors of his principalship, Picard was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1975. In 1979 he was chosen by his constituents to represent them in the State Senate consecutively until his selection as Superintendent. cpicard@mail.doe.state.la.us Carolyn, (225) 342-3602 The rest of the story

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BATON ROUGE - Cecil Picard, who dedicated his life to improving education for Louisiana's children, died Thursday afternoon after a 21-month battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 69. As state superintendent of education, Picard is credited with instituting sweeping reforms that gave the state accountability standards that led national rankings. His public career spanned three decades in which he served as state senator and state representative, but before that he was an educator in Vermilion Parish. During his life, he was described as "a giant," "a statesman" and "a warrior." Everyone from the governor to his former students expressed sorrow at word of his death Thursday. Picard's funeral is at 11 a.m. Monday in Maurice, his hometown. "Cecil fought a heroic fight, and we will deeply miss his spirit and determination," said his wife, Gaylen David Picard. "He loved his state and especially the children of this state so much. He knew the only way for Louisiana to flourish was for us to nurture our youngest minds. I am comforted in knowing that his legacy will live on through improved educational opportunities for thousands of children in our state." "Today, Louisiana lost a giant in the field of public education," said Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who urged the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to renew her longtime friend's contract when she was elected three years ago. In Abbeville, alumni of Abbeville High remembered Picard on Thursday as the man who led the school through a tumultuous time during integration. "He was a real good principal," Mike Boudreaux said. "It was the first year of integration and he was really fair to everyone." Glynn Hebert, who consistently voted for Picard, remembers being a student at Abbeville High during integration with Picard at the helm. "We were going through so many changes and he came in and with integration he had a lot to deal with and he did a great job," Hebert said. Hebert, who continued his friendship with Picard after he graduated in 1970, said Picard was the kind of man that never forgot anyone. "He knew everybody. He remembered everybody. He would always call you by name. Very personable," Hebert said. "I always felt he was fair and nice," Hebert said. "He was a great administrator. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the kind of career he did." In a 2005 interview, the superintendent said he never really wanted to be a teacher, a coach or a principal. He grew up actually living on the grounds of Maurice High because his father was principal and the school provided housing. He said he hated it. But he became a teacher in 1959 and when his father died seven years later, he tried to give the keys to the school back to the parish superintendent "but he wouldn't take them." So, he became a principal, too. "Life has a funny way of guiding you to your destiny," he said. Picard was appointed superintendent by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1996 with the strong support of former Gov. Mike Foster, who served with Picard in the Senate and observed how he ran the Senate Education Committee. Picard also was in the running to become Senate president. Foster said he was saddened by Picard's death because "he was a good friend, a fellow senator. I'll miss him. "We made a lot of headway" toward improving education, especially implementing an accountability program that ranks top in the nation, Foster said. "He did a good job, and I never heard anyone say he didn't." BESE member Mary Washington of Lafayette said losing Picard was "a sad day for education in Louisiana. Cecil was a friend, a strong educator. I don't think there is ever going to be another in my lifetime." Link broken Mike Hasten mhasten@gannett.com Staff writer Amanda Harris contributed to this report.

[Turbine]

I know this is very belated but I wanted to share my Cecil Picard story.

First of all I was very sad to see him go, when he was diagnosed I would see him walking many mornings just south of Maurice. Cecil Picard was a good friend and a good man.

Half way through my junior year at Abbeville High I decided/ hoped to graduate mid term the next year. Problem was I was short a science.

Principle Picard allowed me to jump out of an elective and take the last half of the required course my junior year and the first half of the class my senior year.

He didn't have to do it, I am still grateful. It was the kind of person he was.

Thanks Cecil Picard

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BATON ROUGE - LA4, the state's highly acclaimed pre-kindergarten program, should bear the name of its most ardent promoter, members of the House Education Committee said Monday. With support from Gov. Kathleen Blanco, the committee unanimously approved HB595 by Rep. Don Trahan, R-Lafayette, which would rename LA4 "The Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program." Trahan, who was Picard's legislative assistant when he served in the House of Representatives in the mid-1970s, said "It's ironic" that after the program was established and proved it would work, "I told him 'LA4 is the best thing you've ever done and you need to be remembered for it. When you leave, your legacy is going to be LA4.' "Unfortunately, we have to do it a lot quicker than I thought we'd have to do it," Trahan said. Picard died Feb. 15 after battling Lou Gehrig's disease almost two years. Blanco said "Louisiana certainly is a better place for Cecil Picard being tapped to be superintendent of education. We are better off because our children are better off. ... Cecil Picard stands as a true Louisiana champion for educational excellence." The rest of the story Mike Hasten mhasten@gannett.com