NEW ORLEANS – It was unanimous. Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) District 5 representative and OPSB president for the past year, managing partner at Bloom Legal LLC Seth Bloom, and OPSB Vice President Cynthia Cade were both reelected unanimously to serve another year.
The vote was taken among board members during the Tuesday, January 19, 2016, board business meeting held at McDonogh #35 High School Auditorium.
OPSB reps said Bloom was instrumental in last year’s hiring of new superintendent, Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. He recently served on Gov. John Bel Edwards’ education transition team.
“In 2016, we will be looking at many issues of importance to New Orleans students and their parents,” Bloom said. “One key initiative this year is the possibility of bringing many of the schools, which have been under the authority of the Recovery School District (RSD), back into the fold at the Orleans Parish School Board. I look forward to working with Superintendent Lewis and his team, along with school administrators, the RSD, Mayor Landrieu, the New Orleans delegation, community leaders and parents to finish the job of recreating a strong public school system in Orleans Parish.”
Having a mother who was a public school teacher impressed Bloom early about the need for and importance of having a strong public school system and it prompted him to seek election to the OPSB in 2008. He won the right to represent District 5, which encompasses much of Uptown, Central City and the Warehouse District, where Bloom lives and works, respectively. He has been recognized for standing up for the rights of Orleans Parish children in many debates that have arisen and has always put the goal of providing the best academic environment first.
Some of his many contributions as District 5 representative and board president include:
• Working with the other OPSB members – Bloom was instrumental in establishing fiscal policies that resulted in the OPSB achieving one of the highest bond credit ratings in the state as noted by Moody’s.
• Supporting an audit requested by the Orleans Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux – As chairman of OPSB’s legal committee, Bloom supported letting the investigation proceed to prove that the School Board had behaved properly and done everything correctly.
• Combining his expertise as a criminal lawyer and his knowledge of the school system to be a key player in creating improvements within the juvenile justice system in Orleans Parish.
• Creating anti-bulling protection including protection for students who are gay, bisexual, lesbians or transgender.
• Speaking out strongly in support of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program – Under the DBE program, the district set forth a goal that 35 percent of the value of its contracts should be awarded to minority-owned businesses.
• Leading the search committee for identifying and hiring a new OPSB Superintendent – Who would bring much needed fresh leadership and collaboration to the school system.
Bloom will be running again for a third term as District 5 representative in the fall of 2016.
