Lottie Beebe

Lottie Polozola Beebe, sometimes known as Lottie Beebe-Pearson (born October 1953), is the embattled superintendent of public schools in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.[2] In September 2018, the St. Martin Parish School Board declined to renew Beebe's contract as superintendent, but she showed up for work the next day on the advice of her lawyer, L. Lane Roy of Lafayette. Beebe claims the school board action is "illegal" and "political" in nature.[3]

Lottie Polozola Beebe
Member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for District 3
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2012
Preceded by	Glenny Lee Castagnos Buquet
Succeeded by	Sandy Holloway
Personal details
Born	October 1953 Melville St. Landry Parish Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democrat-turned-Republican
Spouse(s)	(1) Missing (2) Joseph Richard "Rick" Pearson, Sr.[1]
Children	Jeremy R. Beebe Tony James Beebe Stepchildren: Joseph Richard "Joey" Pearson, Jr. Eric Blair Pearson Carrie A. Pearson
Parents	Domminic and Betty Dukes Polozola
Residence	Breaux Bridge St. Martin Parish
Alma mater	Melville High School Louisiana State University University of Louisiana at Lafayette Southeastern Louisiana University
Occupation	School superintendent of St. Martin Parish

Beebe is a Republican former member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for District 3 in South Louisiana. She had been an intraparty critic of former Governor Bobby Jindal particularly in regard to educational policies.[4] District 3 includes all or portions of these parishes: Ascension, Assumption, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, and St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, and Vermilion.[5]

Background

A native of Melville in St. Landry Parish, Beebe was a daughter of the late Dominic Polotzola and the former Betty Dukes, later Betty Wyble (1935-2010).[6] Lottie Polotzola apparently dropped the "t" from her maiden name. She graduated in 1971 from Melville High School.[7] Known still as Lottie Beebe, from her first husband, she resides in Breaux Bridge with her second husband. She originally was a teacher in St. Landry Parish. For eight years, Beebe was an elected Democrat[8] on the St. Landry Parish School Board [9] in the District 5 position. While on that board, Beebe taught in St. Martin Parish, where she was, a principal for two years and the parish human resources officer.[10]

In 2013, she was promoted to superintendent of St. Martin Parish while remaining in her second year on the BESE board; the St. Martin position pays $121,000 annually.[11] Beebe obtained her master's degree from Louisiana State University.[1] She received her doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Southeastern Louisiana University Consortium.[12]

Beebe is currently married to Joseph Richard "Rick" Pearson, Sr. (born February 1952), formerly of Lamar in Johnson County in northwestern Arkansas, who ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the District 6 seat on the St. Martin Parish School Board. He was defeated by a fellow Republican, Robert E. Hollier.[13] Together the Pearsons have five children.[1]

BESE board

Days after joining the BESE board, Beebe in January 2012 cast the only dissenting vote to Governor Jindal's nomination of John C. White as the Louisiana state superintendent of education. She had called for a greater talent search in choosing a new superintendent.[4] White is considered a "wunderkind" type of educator, trained at Eli Broad's Superintendent's Academy,[14] and an advocate of a plethora of modern educational reforms and innovations, such as Common Core State Standards Initiative, expanded charter schools, educational vouchers, and enhanced teacher evaluations of instruction.[15] When the roll was called on White's confirmation, Beebe replied, "Emphatic, no."[16] Her BESE colleagues, however, have praised White for his willingness to tackle tough problems and his endeavors to bring dissenting groups together.[16]

Beebe won her seat from District 3 in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, when she unseated the Democrat Glenny Lee Castagnos Buquet (born 1926) of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, 68,079 votes (55.8 percent) to 53,986 (44.2 percent).[17]

Buquet, who carried Jindal's endorsement despite their partisan difference, had announced her support for John White as superintendent, one of the differences between the two candidates in the race. Upon her defeat, Buquet, who served on the board for twenty years, urged Beebe to back Jindal's reform agenda undertaken by BESE, particularly attempts to increase literacy and to enhance teacher evaluations of instruction.[4]

On April 10, 2012, BESE member Beebe appeared on The Moon Griffon Show, a statewide radio talk show program. In the broadcast Beebe told Griffon that she believed Governor Jindal had pushed for his educational reform package so quickly without proper dissent being aired so that he could attend the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, as a "shining star" of his party.[18]

Beebe remains the most outspoken dissenter on the BESE board, the president of which is Chas Roemer, older son of former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer. She argues that White has hired "inexperienced out-of-staters" in the state department of education. Beebe was the only board member who voted against White's in 2012.[19] Beebe said that she does not rely on teacher unions for her comments, as her critics contend: "My talking points are my talking points." She questions why so many BESE votes are nine-to-two and considers her colleagues, with the exception of Democrat Carolyn Hill of Baton Rouge, another frequent dissenter, "great people" [but] "rubber stamps" for the Jindal-White educational agenda.[11]

Known for her opposition to the Common Core program, Beebe was handily unseated in the primary election held on October 24, 2015, by another Republican, Sandy Holloway, an educator from Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish, 46,605 (38.6 percent) to 74,078 (61.4 percent).[5] Beebe's frequent ally, Democrat Carolyn Hill, was also unseated in her reelection bid.[19]

References

1. "Candidate Biography" (PDF). League of Women Voters. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
2. "Breaux Bridge Elementary on "soft lockdown", August 27, 2013". KATC-TV. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
3. "Board votes to fire superintendent, she shows up for work". KPEL Radio. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
4. "Matthew Albright, St. Martin teacher bests Houma resident in BESE race, October 23". Lafourche Parish Daily Comet. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
5. "Results for Election Date: 10/24/2015". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
6. "Betty Wyble". lafondardoin.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
7. "Lottie Polozola Beebe". facebook.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
8. "Results for Election Date: 10/6/1990". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
9. Active employees of a school district in Louisiana cannot serve on that school board, but retired employees may do so. School district employees may serve on a school board in another parish where they reside but are not employed by that school district.
10. "About Lottie P. Beebe". beebeforbese.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
11. "Will Sentell, Beebe, the loyal opposition on BESE, July 29, 2013". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
12. "BESE Member Biographical Summary: Dr. Lottie Beebe". bese.louisiana.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
13. "Results for Election Date: 10/2/2010". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
14. "Broad Superintendent's Academy". thebroadreport.blogspot.com. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
15. "John Cavanaugh, John White Appointed Chief of Louisiana Schools, January 11, 2012". Education Week. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
16. "Andrew Vanacore, State board of education votes overwhelmingly for John White as next state superintendent, January 11, 2013". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
17. "Results for Election Date: 10/22/2011". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
18. "BESE member reveals Jindal's motives, April 10, 2012". C. B. Forgotston. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
19. Will Sentell (October 25, 2015). "Backers of Common Core, other changes make clean sweep in BESE contests". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved November 15, 2015.

Preceded by Glenny Lee Castagnos Buquet	Member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Lottie Polozola Beebe 2012–2016	Succeeded by Sandy Holloway