SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Caddo Parish parent Kisha Newsom is looking to make her first run for elected office in November, seeking the District 1 seat on the Caddo Parish School Board.
The district includes the northwestern corner of the parish over to the Red River and all the way down to Cross Lake, including schools from Rodessa to Mooringsport, Belcher, Blanchard, and North Shreveport.
The current representative for District 1, Steve Riall, is not seeking re-election. Newsom and Steve Umling, both Republicans, are looking to fill the seat.
It might be Newsom’s first time running for the school board, but Newsom says her life experiences have prepared her for this opportunity.
“I am inspired by my son, Clark,” Newson said.
She says she was motivated by the struggles of the pandemic and how they impacted her son’s academic journey and wants to not only become a voice for him but for other parents in the school district.
Newsom says she chose to homeschool her son after he was diagnosed with autism and decided to take action and make a difference.
”After being absent from the classroom for already one whole school year when he was homeschooling, that was a problem for me. So, he’s what’s made me start turning my ideas toward the possibility of running for school board.”
She believes she brings a unique perspective as a parent and hopes to make positive changes.
“I understand you, I see you, I hear you, I am you,” Newsom said. ”I feel like to best represent the people I’m chosen to represent would be to have some sort of advocacy board that works with me to say, ‘These are the needs in my school, these are the needs in my classroom.’”
While Newsom hopes to win the seat, she also acknowledges she’ll have a lot to learn about the scope of her responsibilities.
”There’s a lot of talk about what can be better. Until I sit in the seat, I won’t fully understand it to say what fully needs to be done.”
Early voting begins Oct. 25 and continues through Nov. 1, except for Sundays, from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Election day is Nov. 8.
