FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION CECIL PICARD HONORED
COLUMBUS, OH – Former State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard was recognized by his peers across the country on Friday night during the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Annual Policy Forum and Business Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Picard’s family accepted the Council’s most prestigious award, the Distinguished Service Award, on his behalf.
The Distinguished Service Award is given annually to a person or persons outside the membership of CCSSO, who have shown leadership and/or contributed to the advancement of education. For 48 years, the Council has presented the award to outstanding Americans including: Virginia Governor Mark Warner; President Bill Clinton; The Milken Family Foundation; Bill and Melinda Gates; U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy (MA) and James Jeffords (VT); former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt; former U.S. Representative William F. Goodling; former American Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker; and former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.
In presenting the award to Superintendent Picard’s son Tyron, Missouri Commissioner of Education Kent King praised Superintendent Picard’s vision and love for not only the children in Louisiana, but for students across the country.
“Those of you who knew Cecil well know that he would be incredibly humbled by this award and if he were here, would tell you there were others more deserving, but he would be wrong,” said Commissioner King.
“Cecil Picard knew his purpose in life was to impact the lives of children by offering them the best possible education available,” said Tyron Picard. “He knew that this would both advance their lot in life, and provide the business community an educated and literate workforce. Even though his 69 years were far too few, they were filled with much laughter, abundant friendships and an ever present sense of duty to serve his fellow man, particularly children. It was a life well lived and I thank you on his behalf.”
Picard began his career in education as a teacher, principal and coach, and always believed that education needed to be a top priority in Louisiana. He served in both the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Senate authoring more than 50 pieces of legislation and championing numerous education reform initiatives aimed at improving education in Louisiana, including the Educational Employees Professional Improvement Program (1980), the law requiring mandatory kindergarten (1984), the Children First Act (1988) and the law creating Louisiana's first Early Childhood Opportunity Program (1992).
In 1996, Picard was named State Superintendent of Education. He became the third longest serving State Superintendent of Education in Louisiana history, and the catalyst for many nationally recognized educational initiatives including Louisiana’s Accountability Program and the LA 4 Pre-K initiative. He worked closely with 5 governors and 8 administrations. Picard died on February 15, 2007 from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. He was 69 years-old.
Picard’s legacy will continue through work done at the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The Center is a multi-disciplinary group of evaluation and research professionals that focus on early childhood, K-12 education, and life-long learning. The Center provides high-quality, rigorous evaluation of programs that are implemented to address learning from birth through adulthood. Applied research is continually conducted in all areas of child education, health, and well-being to ensure a prosperous and healthy future for all of Louisiana's children.