Kim Powers Speech at Swearing in Ceremony

Good morning, everyone!   On behalf of my girls, Ella and Sara, I want to thank you so much for being here today and for your support in this campaign!  I am especially grateful to my army of moms who worked so hard in this campaign and to Attorney General Jeff Landry for being the leading voice among our elected officials to stand strong for the Constitution — and for swearing me in today!  

After walking our neighborhoods and meeting our citizens face to face, I realize better than ever that Central is a wonderful place to live, work, and go to school!  I want to dedicate myself to making this community and our school system even better — for the parents and students of District 4 and for our entire city!

The past two years have presented great challenges — not only to our health but, more importantly, to our liberties.  Our victory in the election Saturday is part of a larger picture.  What we saw in Virginia and New Jersey, we saw here in Central — average Americans standing up against unconstitutional edicts, lockdowns, closures of churches and businesses, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates.  It is all part of an attack on the United States Constitution, the Louisiana Constitution, and  the rule of law itself.  No!  Neither the governor nor the President can make a law or assume the powers reserved to the individual citizens of our state.  Nor can a governor usurp the authority of local school boards.  In fact, the governor has no power at all over the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or local school boards.  If that matter is not settled everywhere for all time, at least it should be settled in Central.  I hope my election in Central sends a strong message here to always remember that we are citizens, not subjects.  Do not try to mask us or vaccine us against our will — and keep your hands off our children!  They deserve the right to breathe free and function as normal human beings.

I trust there was also a message about taxation.  Our most important issue in this campaign was that we do not consent to having our taxes raised without a vote of the people.  How powerful is that issue?  Very powerful indeed!  That is what the American Revolution was in large part about.  No taxation without our consent.  Of course, the people in government must be reminded of that from time to time.

Last year, our little family learned a lot.  Because of virtual school, we learned what is actually being taught in the classroom, and in some cases, I was sorely disappointed.  As your school board member, I will stand for traditional values.  We will not, if I can help it, promote alternative life styles, rewriting American history, mocking our Christian heritage, or Critical Race Theory.  I also favor teaching traditional mathematics that students can actually use and making sure that students can write in cursive.  Paper and pen are critical parts of learning, and we should not go overboard on the use of computers.

The family and the church are — or should be ­— the center of our lives, and as the Louisiana Children’s Code declares, parents should always play the central role in making decisions for their children.

At the invitation of Superintendent Jason Fountain, I will be visiting all five of our public schools in Central very soon.  I look forward to meeting the administrators, teachers, and students!

So many supporters have contacted me to say they are counting on me to make big changes and have a dramatic impact on our school board and our schools.  Of course, no one person can do all those things.  But I will be offering proposals and reaching out to our other members of the school board — all of whom are good people — so that we can work together to make much-needed improvements.

Meanwhile, there is one thing I can do right now.  The school system has had some negative attention recently on the issue of bullying.  I do not have the information to say who is right and who is wrong in that case.  However, I believe it is important for school board members to actively monitor issues like this and weigh in with policy changes at the appropriate time if justified.  I want to invite every parent who runs into an issue of bullying to text me as they work their way through the process.  Keep me abreast of your problem and how it is being addressed.  Text me at 225-921-8784.  While respecting the privacy of all, I will work with the Superintendent and the board to make sure every problem is addressed and resolved fairly.

What an honor it is to also have my friends Rep. Valarie Hodges and Clerk of Court Doug Welborn with us today.  They are wonderful friends.  

I want to thank my pastor, Rev. Tony Spell and Sister Spell and the congregation of Life Tabernacle Church, for all their many kindnesses to me and our family and for hosting this event at Revolution Square today.  They are a great blessing to this community, to our state, and to our family!