Seth Bloom serves as an Orleans Parish School Board representative for District 5, which encompasses much of Uptown New Orleans and the New Orleans Warehouse District. Seth Bloom has been a dedicated and respected member of the Orleans Parish School Board since he first ran for the board in 2008.
Seth Bloom ran for the school board because of his strong commitment to improving and protecting public education in the New Orleans area. Seth’s mother was a dedicated public school teacher who stressed the importance of a quality education from a very young age.
Seth Bloom graduated from Loyola University Law School and went on to start his own law firm and become a small business owner in the New Orleans area. With a thriving and growing legal practice, he still wanted to give back to the people of New Orleans.
So, Seth Bloom decided to run for the school board to put forth his vision for improving New Orleans schools for students in District 5. With a strong grass roots campaign and numerous endorsements, his commitment to the goal of improving public education made him the choice of voters in the 2008 school board election.
After the election in 2008, Seth Bloom quickly became an active contributing member of the school board. He has weighed in on many important issues that affect students in the New Orleans area. In addition, Seth has been recognized for standing up for the rights of Orleans Parish children in many debates that have arisen and has always put the goal of providing the best academic environment first.
Some important actions of Seth Bloom during his first term include:
Anti-bulling protection including protection for students who are gay, bisexual, lesbians or transgender. As The Advocate writes, Seth Bloom defended anti-bullying protections for LGBT students during a contentious Orleans Parish school board meeting in 2013.
Supporting an audit requested by the Orleans Inspector General Ed Quatrevauz. As NOLA reported, the Orleans Parish School Board challenged the audit, although the requested audit was not wrongful or performed in response to any specific allegations. As chairman of the School Board’s legal committee, Seth Bloom supported letting the investigation proceed to prove that the school had board had behaved properly and done everything correctly.
Seth Bloom spoke out against a controversial measure by a new school board president, which aimed to nullify and renegotiate the contracts of an interim superintendent and Deputy Superintendent for Charter Schools. Serving as an attorney in addition to a school board member, Seth Bloom questioned why objections to the initial contracts had not been raised by attorneys at the time when the contracts were first drafted or signed.
Seth recommended that interim Superintendent Stan Smith’s contract should be reviewed and amended, if needed. This moderate approach to handling the contracts was adopted by other school board members instead of the more radical proposal that had been put forth by the new president. NOLA reports that the school board voted in favor of Seth Bloom’s motion.
Seth Bloom has spoken out strongly in support of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). Under the DBE, the district set forth a goal that 35 percent of the value of its contracts should be awarded to minority-owned businesses.
This includes all contracts, from large-scale products to contracts for food service and lawn care. Seth Bloom was quoted by WDSU as saying, “We put so much energy into it, [the DBE program], and I think we’re doing a really good job.” The program was established in October of 2012 during Seth Bloom’s first term on the Orleans Parish school board, and is expected to reach a larger range of businesses in coming years.
These are just some of the many important issues that school board member Seth Bloom has addressed. His advocacy is helping to make a real difference for students and families in District 5.
Seth Bloom’s impressive first term on the school board was recognized by his peers and by the voters.
Seth ran unopposed for the Orleans Parish school board in 2012. With his second school board term underway, Seth Bloom remains committed to representing the interests of children and families in New Orleans. His work for the students of New Orleans will continue as he helps to move education forward and make strong schools the bedrock of New Orleans’s rebirth.
During his second term as a school board member, Seth Bloom will be working with other board members to find a new superintendent for the New Orleans Parish School Board. The board is currently conducting a search for a new superintendent for the district, and school board members have recently narrowed their priorities for the search.
School board members believe that the next superintendent should be a strong leader, honest and accessible, understand the New Orleans culture and have the ability to communicate high expectations to students, NOLA reports. As an influential school board member, Seth Bloom will play a strong role in choosing the new superintendent.
In addition to serving as a school board member, Seth Bloom is also a full-service New Orleans personal injury attorney and criminal defense lawyer. His pro bono work and client advocacy as a legal professional is another way that he gives back to the community.
From serving on the school board to representing clients, Seth Bloom is passionate about helping the people of Orleans Parish.
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