Karla Bendily for Ouachita Parish School Board District A

08/29/2026

🍎A heads up for parents this school year!

The following Ouachita Parish Schools will NOT be providing FREE breakfast and lunch to ALL students through the CEP program this year (as opposed to previous):

•Calhoun Middle School
•West Monroe High School
•West Ouachita High School
•West Ridge Middle School
•Good Hope Middle School

I had a quick conversation with the director of Child Nutrition Services after the last school board meeting, and she explained that with the recent economic development in our area the average household income has increased. As a result, fewer of our schools meet the qualifications for CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) which is what allows schools to provide FREE meals to ALL students regardless of individual household income.

Just wanted to make sure parents at these schools had this on their radar!❤️

08/28/2026

I attended a presentation from Ouachita Green this morning hosted by the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, and as a proud Adopt-a-Road sponsor through Keep West Monroe Beautiful this was right up my alley!🗑️💚

A couple things to put on your radar:
🍂Fall Family Fun Fest is coming up in October!
♻️AND Blake Wheelis - State Farm Insurance Agent and Peggy Sullivan - State Farm Agent are bringing back their plastic bottle recycling contest for our West side Ouachita Parish elementary schools!

I’ll share more details as we get closer!

08/28/2026

When TODAY’S groundbreaking for the NEW Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum comes with a surprise $250,000 gift from St. Francis Health!!🤯🥹💜

What an incredible investment in the children and families of Northeast Louisiana! This new museum is going to be such a special place for kids to learn, play, explore, and just be KIDS - and today made it feel that much more real.

So exciting to see people and organizations in our community investing BIG in our kiddos and their future.🥰

08/27/2026

🚌Okay, parents…would this be helpful or what?!

I heard that Darbonne Woods Charter School is using an app called “My Ride K-12” that lets parents keep up with their kids’ school bus.

You can see things like bus info, stops and estimated arrival times, and depending on what the school has set up, even see where the bus is and get updates.👀📍

Ummm…yes please?!😂How many mornings have you wondered if the bus is late…or if you somehow missed it?!

I have NO idea what something like this costs or what would be involved in getting it set up, but it definitely caught my attention!

Would y’all like to see Ouachita Parish Schools look into technology like this for our buses??🚌📱

And if you’ve actually used “My Ride K-12”, tell me what you think!

08/27/2026

The Louisiana Supreme Court FINS-AP is hosting a FREE statewide four-day conference on TBRI Sept 29-Oct 2 in Alex, LA.

The training focuses on understanding trauma, behavior, relationships and truancy including how those things can affect a child’s attendance and ability to succeed in school.

There will be a Family Services Track specifically geared toward school personnel and others who work directly with children and families.

💰Registration is FREE
🥪Lunch is provided each day
⚠️Seating is limited!

I’m sharing the flyer with all the details and registration information. Please share this with a teacher, counselor, administrator, social worker, or other school employee who might benefit!💙

08/27/2026

Yesterday I got to attend part one of the Monroe Chamber’s Leadership Lab - and of course I had to snag a pic with some of my old Leadership Ouachita peeps!🥰

This session was all about working with people across different generations and understanding how the era we grew up in can shape the way we communicate, work, and approach different situations.

It was really interesting to look at the why behind some of those generational differences. Sometimes people aren’t necessarily difficult or doing things “wrong”…they just see and approach things differently because of their experiences.

We have multiple generations of teachers and staff working together, parents from different generations, AND a whole new generation of kiddos we’re all trying to understand.😅

Learning how to communicate with people who may think differently than we do can only help us work better together - for our kids and our community.❤️

08/24/2026

This was my fourth neighborhood cleanup to put on in the last year, and it was a joy to have students from Trail Life USA Troop LA-0316 and Neville High School Key Club join in yesterday!

08/22/2026

Thoughts??

El Paso ISD central office administrators are heading back to the classroom this school year under a new plan the district says could save millions while also reconnecting decision-makers with the campuses they serve. https://bit.ly/4imRF8f

08/18/2026

I could go for a ribeye right about now!🥩

It's a WOHS Fundraiser Day/Night at Texas Roadhouse! Head on over TODAY from 2:45- 10:00! A portion of the sales will go to benefit WOHS!