Beauregard School Board chooses leaders for 2026

Published 3:50 pm Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The Beauregard Parish School Board elected Scott Sandifer, District 1, as its new president during its Jan. 8 meeting and Garrett Greene, District 3B, as the new vice president for 2026.

Outgoing president Heather N. Weldon, prior to vacating her seat, thanked the board and the community for letting her serve as president.

“It has been an absolute honor,” Weldon said. “I’m very humbled and very blessed to have gotten to serve for you guys as your president and I know that each year we have our challenges and issues that we face, but as a board we have done wonderful and so has this parish,” Weldon said.

Isabel Palermo, 2025 student representative, gave her last superintendent’s report during the meeting before the board introduced the 2026 student representative. Palermo is a senior at Singer High School and said she is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have shared the many successes happening in Beauregard schools as the student representative.

“Recognizing the accomplishments of students was a top priority for me, as well as the hard work put into the many events and activities happening in our schools every day,” Palermo said. “It truly was a wonderful experience and while I’ll definitely miss giving my monthly reports, I have no doubt the new representative will do a fantastic job.”

The 2026 student representative is Mackenly LaFleur, a junior at South Beauregard High School.

“I’ve always wanted to go into education and to get to see the inner workings and get to be a bigger part of the community is unbelievable,” LaFleur said.

DeRidder Mayor Michael Harris presented a proclamation during the meeting recognizing the Beauregard Alternative Program. Harris said he visited the school for a Veterans Day program last year and was impressed by the faculty, staff, leadership and students.

“I want to tell you (Beauregard Parish School Board) that I really appreciate having the program; it’s changing lives,” Harris said.

The school was recently awarded exemplary status for the Alternative Education Sites by the Louisiana Department of Education, which places Beauregard Alternative Program among the top tier of alternative education programs in Louisiana.

“These educators go above and beyond their duties each day, creating a safe, supportive and empowering environment where students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning, build confidence and realize their potential,” Harris said.

The Beauregard Parish School Board will meet again at 6 p.m. Feb. 12.