LAPLACE — A pair of St. John the Baptist Parish Public School parents and LaPlace residents are vying to represent District 10 by fulfilling the School Board seat’s unexpired term.

Nia Mitchell, who is serving as the interim Board member following Rodney Nicholas’ resignation, said she was inspired to seek the office fulltime as part of a career path she has devoted to education.

Lisa Johnson Pittman said her recent volunteer efforts at East St. John High School brought her face-to-face with students’ needs and motivated her to provide a voice for young people on the School Board.

Pittman, originally from Reserve, said she works as a medical secretary in New Orleans and volunteers regularly with the school band and debate team.

Recent efforts with the debate team, helping the students and teacher launch a showcase, pushed Pittman to seek more.

“I really enjoyed working with the kids,” she said. “I saw how much pride and how much passion and how much opportunity they knew they had in life to go forward. That is what inspired me to go further.”

Mitchell, an associate executive director with Friendship Education Foundation, said her background as a former teacher, principal, mentor principal and school director prepared her to serve on the School Board.

“I aspired to become a school leader because, as a teacher, I could only impact the students in my classroom,” she said. “As a Board member, that territory has expanded but, more importantly, it encompasses my community. Essentially, being a Board member provides me the opportunity to hear from and advocate for the community in which I was reared and currently live.”

Pittman said the School District is in a strong position, enhanced by the many offerings available to high school graduates, something she said has improved dramatically since her son graduated from ESJH in 2007.

“Now, when the kids come out, they have technical degree opportunities or when they start college, they can be sophomores because the District allows them to go to college and get their prep courses. I would like to see them go further because some kids are college material and others are vo-tech material. It helps to have options so students can go into a job when they finish school.”

The district is moving in a positive direction, Mitchell agreed.

“School culture is shifting, holistically, to a culture of consistent teaching and learning,” she said. “I am proud to be a part of a system that is addressing academic as well as social and emotional needs of the students, where we are challenging our students academically and preparing them to be productive citizens, both locally and globally.”

Mitchell said the challenge is gaining greater community trust, where she says a lack thereof has resulted in students enrolling in the parish’s private education options.

“It’s something that has taken place over decades,” Mitchell said. “It’s imperative that we continue to do great things for our students like Advance Placement Courses and Dual Enrollment at both high schools.

“It is critical that we continue to offer all of the perks of a private school education for free to our students, knowing that over 80 percent of our students are considered economically disadvantaged and would otherwise not be able to partake in diverse high school experiences.”

Pittman said one of the District’s greatest challenges is reducing the number of students who drop out of the system.

“I am hands on with the children and listen to young kids as to what are their wants,” Pittman said. “Right now, we are only saying what we want for the students, but nobody hears what the kids are saying.”