Louisiana's State Education Board Has A New President

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana's top school board has a new president.

         The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has eight new members on the 11-member panel. The board voted Wednesday to place the only three returning members into leadership roles.

         Jim Garvey, a lawyer from Metairie, was named president. Garvey is in his third term on the education board. He succeeds Chas Roemer, a Baton Rouge member of the education board who didn't run for re-election to the panel.

         The education board, called BESE, sets policy for more than 700,000 public school students and writes the annual funding formula for public schools.

         Holly Boffy, of Lafayette, was selected as vice-president. Kira Orange Jones of New Orleans was chosen as secretary-treasurer.

         All three officers serve one-year terms.