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Newcomer beats New Orleans school board member. 2nd seat goes to runoff

KaTrina Chantelle Griffin, an accountant, has won a seat on the Orleans Parish School Board.
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KaTrina Chantelle Griffin, an accountant, has won a seat on the Orleans Parish School Board.

KaTrina Chantelle Griffin will represent Algiers and parts of the Marigny, Bywater and French Quarter on New Orleans' school board, while the other seat up for grabs heads to a runoff.

The board's seven spots were up for re-election, but only two races were contested. All of the candidates were Democrats.

Griffin, who a pro-charter school group backed, beat Donaldo Batiste with 60% of the vote. She fundraised over $63,000, nearly three times as much as Batiste.

While she has allies who oppose the district's decision to run a school itself, something Batiste strongly supported, Griffin told the Times-Picayune/Advocate her focus is on school quality.

"I don't care if you're district-run or charter-run," she said. "I support good schools, and we need more — it's just that simple."

Griffin works as an accountant and volunteers with several groups. She has two children who graduated from New Orleans public schools.

No candidate received more than 50% of the vote for the other seat, representing Gentilly, New Orleans East and the Upper 9th Ward.

Eric "Doc" Jones received 44%, followed by Gabriela Biro with 30%. The two will be on the ballot again on Dec. 7. The winner will replace Ethan Ashley, who is not seeking re-election.

Chan Tucker, an Entergy executive, received 26% of the vote. The same pro-charter group backed him as Griffin, and he out-fundraised his opponents.

Both Jones and Biro support the city's new direct-run school and have suggested they hope it's the start of something new.

Aubri Juhasz covers education, focusing on New Orleans' charter schools, school funding and other statewide issues. She also helps edit the station’s news coverage.

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