Cathy Carmichael for School Board District 7

If you live in Baton Rouge, please vote in the tax renewal election scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 25, 2023. Vote YES on all four propositions. This dedicated property tax is a RENEWAL of an existing millage that will directly benefit the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and its employees, teachers and students.

https://ebrschools.org/2023/03/09/2023taxrenewal/

Happy election eve! Get ready to vote by researching at geauxvote.com and brvotes.org!

If you followed the EBR Schools race this fall, I would encourage you to read this article from today's The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) "Mike Gaudet, who was barely elected to a second term representing District 7, had the money spent on his behalf, about $202,000, to which he added $46,500 from his own coffers."

Outside, independent spending swamped locals in fall Baton Rouge school board races Donors, some of them rich and many of them anonymous, wrote big checks to support East Baton Rouge Parish School Board candidates this past fall, triggering a flood of mailers,

The EBR School board has a meeting tonight at 5pm! Here's the new school board list to help you keep track.
East Baton Rouge Parish School System

Friends,

My message to you today is very simple.

We aren’t at the end of the road. We are at the beginning.

Six months ago, I decided to run for political office for the first time, with little more going for me than an incredible base of passionate supporters and a deep love for public education. Several people told me privately that running was a bad idea. Politics is dirty, stressful, and time consuming; winning is really hard; and so on.

But then in November, we earned more votes than any other candidate in my race. And although the vote count is not yet certified, it appears that in the runoff on Saturday we may have come within 124 votes of winning the runoff. We achieved all of this despite many challenges: I ran as a Democrat in a traditionally Republican district; I ran against a sitting incumbent; my opponents were heavily funded by wealthy out-of-state political groups; and just before the runoff election I was the target of an attack ad and political dirty tricks. In spite of all that, we put a scare into the political establishment of Baton Rouge and very nearly won a victory for our kids. There’s no way we would have come anywhere close to winning without you my supporters, with all your tireless phone calling, postcard writing, flyering, and so on. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

What I have come to learn is that this political campaign was about so much more than just the 2022 contest for the EBRPSS District 7 School Board seat. It was about *awakening* District 7 voters to the promise—and the challenges-- of public education in Baton Rouge. I was blessed throughout this campaign to make connections with many students, parents, educators, retirees, and others who know deep down that strong, publicly accountable neighborhood schools are a pillar of our precious democracy. These people know that we shouldn’t be selling out our children’s futures to unaccountable private entities. They know that our public schools should aspire to nurture good citizens of this great country of ours—not one-dimensional worker droids. And they know you can’t provide an excellent education if you don’t have highly-trained, well-supported teachers.

When I started campaigning, I had no idea there were so many like-minded Baton Rouge residents who feel the way I do about true public education. I firmly believe that if all of us join together, we can turn around our public school system and make it start providing a high-quality, well-rounded education for every child in every neighborhood. Winning an election is nice, of course, but connecting with this large network of true public education supporters is maybe even more important than that.

That said, we have a lot of work to do. Many voters I talked to were not well informed about the School Board’s role and actions, the nationwide charter school takeover movement that has infiltrated our school system, and the Superintendent’s many blunders. Our job going forward is to tell the story of public education—present and future-- to all of Baton Rouge. We need to talk to all of Baton Rouge about the grim realities of the current moment as well as the promise and potential of our public schools. We have to balance challenge with hope. And no matter what challenges we face together, we have to do it in true Louisiana fashion, with flair, fun, and a little spice. In our fight for true public education, our arsenal will include tailgates, beads, crawfish, and snoballs.

After the holidays, I would like to share with you my vision for a new Baton Rouge pro-public-education network to turn our shared dream into reality. If we continue to harness the energy that propelled this campaign, there’s no way they’re going to stop us as we walk down this road together.

Happy Holidays!
Cathy

Y'all! Santa *is* watching. You've got one hour left to vote. Hop in the car and go do it. Remind your friends in District 7 they still have time! The polls close at 8pm. Geaux Vote!

Today is the day! Catching voters on Brightside Drive. The polls are open until 8pm!

Wake up and smell the coffee! ☕️ Get out and vote!

Rise and shine, Louisiana! Today is Election Day and the polls are open! Log in to our online voter portal at voterportal.sos.la.gov, or use the Geaux Vote app to find your sample ballot, polling location, and other important information. Voters who need assistance may also call the Elections Hotline at 800-883-2805.

Volunteers in action! ♥️ Keep up the good work!

I had a great time visiting the EBR Schools Science Fair today with my 5th grader!

Shout out to our awesome volunteers walking the streets on Election Day Eve! Tell your friends and neighbors to vote!

Election Day is tomorrow, Saturday, December 10th! The deadline for a registrar of voters to receive a voted absentee ballot is today, Friday Dec. 9 by 4:30 p.m.

Every Louisiana voter has something on the ballot for Saturday's election. Do you know what you're voting on? Download the Geaux Vote app or log in to the online voter portal at GeauxVote.com to find your sample ballot, polling location, and other important information.

I am honored by and proud of my endorsement from Step Up for Action Step Up for Action is committed to building political power to win education and economic justice for all. Our members “Step Up” and go beyond voting to campaign, organize from a racial justice perspective and hold political and community leaders accountable. We work in our own neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces to disrupt systemic oppression. We build the people-power needed to win in our state.

Mike had an awful lot to say when the attack ads were targeting *him*. Now that they’re targeting me? 🦗 Back then we both said Baton Rouge deserved better than this garbage. But maybe Mike was only ever thinking about Mike? 💁🏻‍♂️

I see Mike Gaudet's *out of state billionaires* are taking care of his dirty work. This is an attack ad. There are statements on the card that are not substantiated--they are vague and false. There is no smoke coming out of my ears, but this card screams fear--fear my voters will turn out in record numbers and we will win. I am a mother of three children in the school system and a citizen of East Baton Rouge Parish. This is an attack on me as a person.

On Saturday, December 10th, the polls are open from 7am - 8pm. Look at your calendar now and make your game plan for voting. If you missed the November election, you CAN still vote in the Runoff! Tell your friends and neighbors to vote! Check your sample ballot: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/

Thank you Power Coalition for hosting tonight's Candidate Forum! Remember to vote on Saturday, December 10th!

Remember that local elections are important!

Election Day is Dec. 10! Are you ready to ? If you're voting absentee, the last deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Dec. 6 by 4:30 p.m. Voted absentee ballots must be returned to your registrar of voters office by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9. Visit GeauxVote.com or use the Geaux Vote app to find more information.

My runoff election is featured on the front page of today's The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA). all the way to the end of the article and remember to "...wake up and smell the coffee and get up and vote on December 10..." https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/school-choice-friendly-candidates-could-win-a-supermajority-on-baton-rouges-school-board/article_ee92daac-727c-11ed-b570-03bacddc1e3d.html

That's a wrap on Saturday afternoon canvassing! Walking the neighborhoods amongst the holiday lights is a treat.

Today is the final day of early voting for the Dec. 10 election. Polls will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit GeauxVote.com or use the Geaux Vote app to find important election information.

Thank you Robyn for hitting the streets today! Today is the last day of Early Voting.

The current school board has spent almost $125,000 of taxpayer money on the redistricting process. We are using the 2014 School Board Maps for the 10th election. These maps are based on the 2010 Census. (District 7 has changed a lot in 12 years.) 5 of the 9 current school board members voted for the map that was tossed out by a judge. Read more about the saga here in the Advocate:

Legal setbacks shifting fight over Baton Rouge school board maps to future elections After losing last week in federal court, opponents of the election maps being used for this fall’s East Baton Rouge Parish School Board races are running out of options to

Good Morning from Pelican Lakes! We’ve got two more days of early voting.

Friends....On Nov. 8th, one of my colleagues ran a very close school board race. She lost by 21 votes. "...she's received calls from people telling her they would have supported her if they had known how well she'd do." --->Don't regret staying on the sidelines, like these people did. Get in the game! https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/elections/article_7a2fbcdc-6126-11ed-873d-ff61f064b9b5.html?fbclid=IwAR1_-ludyUvboVTQIGT8SKzvCYdoRfFIoj_HrEBZY-_wqnEwbbslXkJ92l4