Lisa Bacala Named Director of Secondary Education

     Ascension Public Schools named Lisa Bacala the new Director of Secondary Education effective Jan. 25, 2016. The current director, David Alexander, is retiring and taking a new position with the Pelican Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC Pelican).

     "Lisa has been a part of our system for a long time serving as a special education teacher, a middle and high school assistant principal and in central office administration. I am excited to have her on our team in this new capacity. She has a broad K-12 perspective, a generous heart and the ability to see things from other points of view. She will be an asset to our leadership team," said Ascension Public Schools Superintendent Patrice Pujol.

     "I am really humbled by this appointment and vow to do my best. Thank you to Dr. Patrice Pujol and assistant superintendents Denise Graves and Dr. Steve Westbrook for giving me this amazing opportunity to continue doing what I love. Our team is going to miss David, and I have really big shoes to fill but hope that I can do a great job serving our high schools," Bacala said. 

     Bacala began her career in Ascension Parish in 1986 as a special education teacher at East Ascension High School (EA). She served one year as a Classroom Assistance for Atypical Behavior teacher for seven schools before becoming assistant principal of Gonzales Middle School in 1999. From 2001-2005, she served as assistant principal of EA before moving to central office administration.

     Over the last 10 years as supervisor of secondary education, Bacala worked in all four high schools and the alternative school.  For the last three years, her job duties expanded to include serving as an Instructional Leadership Partner in two primary schools, the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, the Virtual Learning environment, and Advanced district accreditation.

     She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Nicholls State University, and 30+ graduate hours in special education at Louisiana State University.

     She and her husband of 29 years, newly elected Louisiana State Rep. Tony Bacala, have three children and four grandchildren with a fifth due in February. All three of their children are products of Ascension Parish and two currently teach in Ascension Public Schools.