It wasn’t so much a retirement party as it was a “thank you” banquet when Superintendent John Bourque was surprised by school board staff and personnel — past and present — July 11 at the Acadia Parish Alternative Education Center.
Bourque, the longest-serving superintendent in the state with 16 years in the Acadia Parish seat, retired at the end of July.
Bourque, who was escorted into the cafeteria by his successor, Scott Richard, was immediately greeted by his wife Peggy and grandson Logan Carrier, the latter of whom darted across the crowded room for a hug.
It was Gerald Hardy, supervisor of middle school education, who, as master of ceremonies, coined the “thank-you banquet” term for the event.
“We are here to thank Mr. Bourque for the things he has done for Acadia Parish,” said Hardy. “If you look at where Acadia Parish was in 2002 educationally and where it is now in 2018, you have to say, ‘job well done.’”
After everyone had spoken, Bourque, who had been moved to tears more than once during the program, addressed the capacity crowd.
“My career’s been great,” he said of his 52 years in the education field, including as a coach, a principal and superintendent.
But he was quick to add that he was not solely responsible for the forward strides the parish has experienced in the past decade and a half.
“I had a lot of help. Everybody stepped up and worked twice as hard as they had to help make me look good,” he said.
He especially thanked “all the board members I worked with” through the years, noting, “A superintendent is nothing without the support of his board members.”
Three of those board members spoke Wednesday.
Roland Boudreaux, who served under three different superintendents from 1995 through 2013, lauded the outgoing superintendent for his team-building efforts.
“When you came here, we had 16 board members with 16 different opinions on everything,” Boudreaux said, adding that Bourque’s first meeting as superintendent lasted nearly four hours.
“Probably one of the most important things you did when the board reduced to eight members was to make us feel like a team working for the betterment of Acadia Parish.”
Current board members John Suire and Rev. James Proctor complimented Bourque’s organizational skills.
Suire, who also served under three superintendents, said, “This one has made our jobs so easy by always putting out t he little fires for us.”
Proctor, the newest board member in terms of years of experience, said Bourque was a “great team builder” in that he had a knack for “always being able to pull the right people and put them in the right spot.”
During his remarks, Bourque also cited the support of local elected officials and the business community for the growth of the parish school system.
He said he knows of no other superintendent in the state that has “support from city hall” like we do here.
He added, “Probably the biggest mistake I made was, when I first started here, I went to Ted (Carmichael) and Donna (Corley) and asked them to tell me what was wrong with public education in the parish.
“They did.”
But Carmichael said it was that up-front attitude that endeared Bourque to him.
“We have a great school system now,” Carmichael said. “We have made great improvements because Johnny cares and he loves the children and I’m proud to call him a friend.”
Corley said she has “never been so pleased with our principals and our school board” as she is currently.
She added that leaders at the private schools in the city are also complimentary of the working relationship that Bourque has with them.
Corley said when she learned Bourque was planning to retire, she went to his office and asked if he would consider staying on as a consultant.
“He told me, ‘Absolutely not.’ He said, ‘I have a little boy in my life and all I want to do is throw the ball with him in my yard.’”
Bourque was referring to grandson Logan, who now resides with his grandparents.
To that end, Corley presented Bourque with a brand new baseball and football. “I wasn’t sure what kind of ball you meant,” she explained.
Continuing his remarks, Bourque said he was recently asked if he’d had aspirations of becoming a superintendent when he entered the education field.
“I didn’t know what a superintendent was when I started,” he laughed.
Others speaking during the event included Margaret Jones, Mike Leonards and Dr. Doug Chance, all three of whom are now retired from the Central Office; Crowley City Judge M’elise Trahan; Ruby Privat, representing the Principal’s Association of Acadia Parish; Ellan K. Baggett, executive director; and new Superintendent Richard.
As to working with staff, Bourque said, “I was never a boss. All I ever did was to help you to do the best you can do.”
Referring to the parish student population, Bourque said it has always been his goal to “make them taxpayers, not tax-takers.’
He added, “When I was a coach, I had 30 or 35 kids. When I was a principal I had about 1,000 kids. As superintendent, I had close to 10,000 kids. Each one is special.”
