LEESVILLE, La.--Education will be a primary topic of conversation during the upcoming March 3 Listening Session with the Department of the Army concerning a possible troop reduction at Fort Polk.
Fort Polk Progress has invited administration and educators from local school districts and higher education institutions to provide comments concerning recent achievements, plans for improvements and the impact a reduction of force would have on educational opportunities in the area.
"Our school districts have been very faithful in creating educational environments that provide cutting edge opportunities to our citizens, soldiers and their families," said Michael Reese, chairman of Fort Polk Progress. "It's our goal to make sure that the Army is very aware of these achievements and our plans for the future.
"These partnerships and the pursuit of constant improvement in the school systems that support Fort Polk are a model in the Army. In addition to the focus on quality education, the local taxpayers have made a significant investment in new facilities in response to the Army's request to do so."
"Vernon Parish Schools are very pleased to be partners with Fort Polk in the Fort Polk Progress Education Initiative," said James Williams, superintendent of Vernon Parish Schools. "We are very proud of our educational achievements which include being an "A" rated school district and again one of the top rated school districts in the state. We look forward to continuing on the pathway of moving our school system forward with the support and collaboration of our partners in the Fort Polk community and Fort Polk Progress."
"We appreciate the students, parents, and employees provided to the Beauregard Parish School System by the community of Fort Polk," said Superintendent of Beauregard Parish Schools Timothy J. Cooley. "They are all tremendous assets that we take great pride in working with on a daily basis."
During the Listening Session, Fort Polk Progress will feature a short video concerning continued investments into the local educational systems, recent accomplishments and the enduring partnerships that exist among institutions to provide students with a head start on success.
The March 3 Listening Session with the Department of the Army represents the last step in the evaluation process before the Army makes a final decision on troop cuts. The maximum potential cut at Fort Polk is 6,500 active duty soldiers and civilian employees.
The Listening Session in Leesville will also be complemented by concurrent sessions in Alexandria and Lake Charles which will be streamed via the Internet to the Leesville Listening Session.
All three sessions will begin promptly at 6 p.m. with doors opening early for seating. We encourage you to attend the session that is closest to you geographically and to arrive early and to be seated as soon as possible so that there is no delay in beginning the sessions. If you would like to make a public comment, attendees at each session will make every effort to accommodate you.
Please call Deborah Randolph at the 318-442-6671 for more details on the Alexandria Session or click here to sign your group up to attend the Alexandria Session.
Please call Avon Knowlton at 337-433-3632 or click here to sign your group up to attend the Lake Charles Session.
If you would like to sign up for the Leesville Session, please click here, or call Tammy Sharp at 337-378-9329 for more details about the Leesville Session.
Attend a Session
We'd like to make sure we don't have an empty seat at any of the three sessions. Please let us know which session you'll be attending and how many are in your group by signing up here.Signing up here does not constitute making a reservation. Seating is on a first come, first served basis except for a few reserved seats for elected officials.
Individuals who require an accommodation of a disability in order to attend any of the the Listening Sessions are asked to contact the appropriate person for each location. Contact Tammy Sharp (at 337-378-9329 or [email protected]) no later than Feb. 27 for the Leesville session so that we may facilitate attendance.
Here are other ways you can be involved:
Line the Streets
On the day of the session, we want to fill the 5.5 mile route between Fort Polk and the First United Pentecostal Church with supporters. A strong showing of the Vernon and Beauregard communities will be key to convincing the Army officials to keep our soldiers here.
Click here to let us know where you and your group will be located along the route. Please begin lining the streets at about 4:30 p.m. on March 3.
Get the Word Out
We need approximately 2,000 people to show up at the Leesville Listening Session and hundreds more to show up in Alexandria and Lake Charles respectively. Click here to see the various ways to prepare for the upcoming session. Please click here to download flyers, digital signs and suggested social media posts that are relevant to your region to help us spread the word.
Send us a Video
Fort Polk Progress is considering how best to create a video segment of public comments to be shown at the listening session. You are welcome to send your 1-2 minute video commentary to us for inclusion.Click here for tips on how to make a video and how to send it.
Schedule a Speaker
Click here to schedule a Fort Polk Progress board member to educate your group on the importance of the listening session and how you can be involved in the listening session.
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