NEW ORLEANS - Dr. Bethel Cager, a career educator who has spent more than 29 years in education, has been named the principal of Lake Area High School.

A native of New Orleans, Dr. Cager has impacted student learning from Pre-Kindergarten to the University level. Dr. Cager was born and raised in Gentilly and comes from a family of educators.

"There's no place like home," said Dr. Cager. "I am thrilled to be part of the New Beginnings/Lake Area family."

Lake Area High School is committed to developing educational pathways directed to opportunities in College and/or Career. Our students are being prepared to positively contribute in our great city.

"Supporting academic success for students is my number one priority," said Dr. Cager. "I am excited to work with the wonderful staff at Lake Area and I am eager to engage in collaborative planning with teachers, parents, and community members to support Lake Area's mission of college and career
readiness."

Devoted to students first, Dr. Cager continues to pour her expertise into her vision of excellence for students and families of New Orleans.

"Dr. Cager brings strong leadership skills and a wealth of accomplishments to this role," said Michelle Blouin-Williams, CEO of New Beginnings Schools Foundation. "I am excited to engage in this work with her, as well as for our students, families and employees to connect with their new school leader."

Dr. Cager encourages new ideas and thoughts, and has demonstrated strong skills in planning and implementing new initiatives that will serve Lake Area well going forward.

Dr. Cager began her career in education with New Orleans Public Schools serving in the capacities of Classroom Teacher, Title I Coordinator of Instruction, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Executive Director/Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools. In the local post-secondary sector, Dr. Cager also served as Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at Dillard University and as an adjunct professor at SUNO.

Dr. Cager spent the last 12 years as an instructional leader outside of Louisiana, where she served as a Principal, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, Associate Superintendent for School Leadership and Development, and Superintendent of Schools.

Dr. Cager holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts Degree in Education Administration from Xavier University of Louisiana, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

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NEW ORLEANS - A "DAY OF PRAYER" has been scheduled on Monday, July 10th at 12:30 p.m. to stand together as we pray for peace and an end to violence. Crimestoppers is working with our Project Good Samaritan Churches, as well as over 26 area Catholic Churches, who have agreed to ring their church bells at 12:30 p.m. to promote our standing united in prayer for our neighbors, victims of crime and law enforcement. We invite everyone to join us in this 5 minutes of prayer by either visiting our Crimestoppers GNO Facebook or our Crimestoppers GNO website to participate or individually to personally offer your intentions, as we lift up our communities in prayer. Archbishop Gregory Aymond and Pastor Antoine Barriere will lead the online prayers. 

CRIMESTOPPERS Day of Prayer

 

Please enjoy the video announcing this Day of Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Bw86s5w0Y

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I recently read the nola.com article entitled: 37 juveniles shot in New Orleans in 6 months. While, I am not completely surprised by the amount of violence suffered by our youth, I am completely overwhelmed with anger! As a newly elected school board member and juvenile justice advocate, I have had the hardest time adjusting to the amount of young people who are shot and killed in our great City. I am heartbroken by the amount of funerals and memorials we have had for our young people since my inauguration in January. I am maladjusted to the amount of moments of silence we have taken to remember and pay respect to the young lives lost due to murder. I am disturbed by the amount of graduations that I have attended where a seat is left open or a life size cardboard cutout is placed at the edge of the stage in memory of a student lost to violence. Above all, I am disgusted by my silence.

Dr. King said "our lives begin and end when we become silent about things that matter." As a newly elected official who is younger than my peers, I often times battle with holding my tongue, not because I do not have feelings one way or the other, but because I do not want to exacerbate the situation. However, on today, I have decided that I must live in my truth, live in my voice, and live in the fact that I am not ok with the senseless loss that we are experiencing with our children. This is not okay! I am not okay! We are not okay!

Our kids deserve better! We need to provide more services and activities for our youth. We must provide proactive services that include mental health supports, mentoring, and recreational activities. We must increase the wages in our city or we will continue to drown in poverty, which manifest in violence and murder. We can no longer blame one person or a system, nor can we wait on one person or system to save us. We must acknowledge that we are all at fault and that there are multiple systems in need of correction. Our systems must learn to speak to one another and seek the best outcome for all citizens, but especially our most vulnerable. We must learn to LOVE in a tangible actionable way! Above all, we can not be afraid to speak up and say that this is wrong.

I am not one for speaking without having solutions and I know that this problem is larger than me, but today my first step is to let my people know that I believe this is wrong and that we must strive for, create and demand better outcomes for our youth. I do not want to have to explain to our Maker when my life is over why I let the greatest leaders die before they were ever able to reach their full potential. I know that our responsibility as adults is to protect our youth at all costs. Will you join me in breaking our silence on this issue? To voice your opinion and or connect with me on creating next steps, please visit www.ethanashley.org .

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NEW ORLEANS - Last week Mayor Mitch Landrieu and New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Michael Harrison announced proposed changes to the department's pay and job classification structure, specifically designed to increase the number of officers on the street by addressing long-standing retention issues and to incentivize long-term careers on the force.

This effort is the latest by the Landrieu administration to strengthen the NOPD and increase the number of officers protecting neighborhoods. Since 2010, the NOPD has received a 15-percent across the board pay raise; an additional 5-percent pay raise for homicide detectives; and has launched 13 new recruit classes adding a total of 334 new officers to the force. The four key elements of this proposed pay and job classification plan are as follows:

"We believe this new pay plan is the best way forward to compensate our hard-working men and women in the department appropriately, and to attract and retain the kind of experienced, accomplished police officers we want to be protecting the people of New Orleans," said Chief Michael Harrison. "I am grateful to Mayor Landrieu for giving our team the resources we need to strengthen the department and better serve the community. In the weeks ahead, we will be bringing the full details of the plan before the Civil Service Commission and the City Council to seek their approval."

Councilman James Gray said: "We are determined to reduce crime in our city. Enlarging the police force is one of the things we need to do to achieve that end. Attracting and retaining police officers is important to our overall crime-fighting strategy. The proposed new pay structure has the full backing and support of all three police unions.

Captain Michael Glasser, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, said: "The Police Association of New Orleans is pleased to stand with the Superintendent in support of a new Pay Plan for the NOPD that we have both worked diligently to develop. This plan is much more than a simple pay raise for police....it is an aggressive and innovative change in career philosophy that will significantly diminish attrition, improve morale, and encourage recruitment to the benefit of public safety citywide. It is a long-term step in the revitalization and future success of the NOPD in serving the public needs for safety and security."

Donovan A. Livaccari, spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police Crescent City Lodge, said: "As the representative organization for over 90 percent of all active NOPD officers, the FOP is excited about working with the administration to develop a pay plan that will help solve some of the recruitment and retention issues we currently face."

Melanie Talia, CEO of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, voiced the support of their organization as well: "The proposed NOPD compensation plan and classification structure is designed to bolster recruiting and retention initiatives through competitive salaries and opportunities for career growth and development. We fully support the initiative, making our law enforcement and public safety priority one."

The new pay plan is one part of ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the NOPD. Department leadership has given officers the technology and tools they need to provide superior services for our citizens, including the purchase of 300 long rifles for potential engagement with an active shooter, and take-home cars for every patrol officer residing in Orleans Parish. New computers in patrol units, as well as at police headquarters and each district station, represent substantial infrastructure investments, and the new pay plan is part of that strategy.

The administration's citywide security plan, announced earlier this spring, is moving ahead. Crime cameras have begun going up in hot spots selected by NOPD district commanders for maximum impact, and new license plate readers are being installed over the summer. The False Alarm initiative, which went live on May 1, has freed up NOPD officers to dedicate more manpower to the crucial work of protecting the public.

This summer, the NOPD is partnering with fellow law enforcement agencies to expand its deployment. The Louisiana State Police will be expanding its work with the department to take part in proactive patrols in neighborhoods across the city.

The new pay plan is part of the NOPD's commitment to getting its officers every resource they need to ensure the safety and security of citizens of and visitors to New Orleans, and not only attract - but retain - the very best men and women for the job.

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