Superintendent Ken Oertling sums up his leadership philosophy with an acronym: ICE. It stands for “invest, communicate, engage.”
“I think it’s important that you are constantly communicating because sometimes negativity fills a void when you’re not communicating often and you’re not transparent and open,” says Oertling, who leads St. Charles Parish Public Schools outside New Orleans.
Oertling maintains several district “engagement committees” that keep him exchanging ideas regularly with staff, students, local business and industry leaders, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and local legislators, among other community stakeholders.
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“This community truly supports its public school systems by millages and taxes that have been passed,” says Oertling, recently named Louisiana’s 2025 Superintendent of the Year. “Our results and commitment to high achievement reflect our community.”
The district’s business ties resonate in a parish split in half by the Mississippi River and home to major corporations such as Dow, Shell, Valero and Behr. Executives, plant managers and engineers from those and other companies sit on the board of the school system’s satellite CTE center and assist in developing curriculum and training opportunities.
“We have incrementally increased the number of students leaving with dual enrollment credits and industry-based certifications aligned to regional workforce initiatives,” he points out.
“We have a responsibility not just to support the workforce initiatives of our community, but also our the surrounding region, state and country. So we’re very forward-thinking when it comes to those opportunities for our students.”
K12 funding forecast
State funding has been a persistent challenge for district leaders in Louisiana, which has among the highest poverty rates in the nation. Louisiana is also home to a high concentration of parochial and charter schools that compete for policymakers’ attention.
Oertling has seen the funding discrepancies firsthand in his role as president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents. State revenues have not increased significantly, leading to inequities in K12 services and achievement, he contends.
It creates a vicious cycle as parents—particularly more affluent families—pull their children out of public districts that suffer when funds are diverted to charters and other systems. This leaves administrators to contend with higher concentrations of poverty.
“I’ll speak on behalf of those other systems in our state that are less fortunate from a revenue standpoint because they can’t increase teacher salaries,” he explains. “They can’t engage in some of the opportunities that we’re able to.”
