SLS 16RS-1666 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 79
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
COMMENDATIONS. Commends D.C. Machen Jr. on his many accomplishments in public
education and on his retirement from the Bossier Parish School Board.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To commend D. C. Machen Jr., superintendent of schools for the Bossier Parish School
3 Board, for his many contributions to public education, for numerous improvements
4 in classroom instruction and efficiency, and for forty-two years of invaluable public
5 service in the teaching profession.
6 WHEREAS, it is with great pride that the members of the Legislature of Louisiana,
7 recognize D. C. Machen Jr. as an outstanding teacher, principal, and administrator and
8 congratulate him upon his pending retirement from the Bossier Parish school system in July,
9 2016; and
10 WHEREAS, D. C. Machen has worked tirelessly for the benefit of public school
11 education by improvements in classroom experiences, with application of new technologies
12 and critical thinking skills, and the furtherance of STEM curricula that includes advanced
13 pursuits in science, engineering, and mathematics; and
14 WHEREAS, these academic benchmarks were achieved, in part, with new
15 approaches to classroom instruction which allow for more concentrated instruction time and
16 study with fewer interruptions; and
17 WHEREAS, D. C. Machen believes that a partnership exists between academics and
18 leadership development and that energies expended toward leadership training for students,
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1 parents, faculty, and administrators reaps the greatest rewards; and
2 WHEREAS, under his tutelage, scholastic achievement has been augmented with
3 character education and a community service initiative, "Helping Hearts: The Power of We";
4 this service project exposes the student to a high level of personal commitment to the
5 community and contributes positively to the fulfillment of a well-appointed individual; and
6 WHEREAS, his odyssey in education began in 1974, when D. C. obtained a Bachelor
7 of Arts in Elementary Education from Northeast Louisiana University, now known as
8 University of Louisiana at Monroe; and he would later garner a master's degree in
9 Educational Administration from Louisiana State University; and
10 WHEREAS, his teaching career originated at Plantation Park Elementary where he
11 taught science and social studies and coached athletics, then he later coached football,
12 basketball, and track at his alma mater, Rusheon Junior High School; and
13 WHEREAS, his ascent in leadership began as administrative assistant and later
14 principal at Greenacres Junior High, then principal of Airline High School; in 1999, he was
15 named assistant superintendent of administration and personnel at the board and in 2009,
16 was promoted to superintendent of schools in Bossier Parish; and
17 WHEREAS, D. C. Machen was instrumental in the development of the Long Range
18 Planning Committee, a task force assembled to study student overcrowding and provide
19 effective utilization of school facilities; those efforts brought about the passage of two
20 separate bond elections that approved nearly $300 million in new construction, repairs, and
21 improvements to school properties; and
22 WHEREAS, D. C. was well known for his application of enhanced educational
23 technologies that included mentoring programs in junior high, successful administration of
24 Prospective Administrator Leadership Seminars (PALS), a program to better prepare future
25 leaders for positions in the school administrations; implementation of the parish-wide
26 Positive Behavior Support Program, and establishment of the Over-age Eighth Grade
27 Program at Butler Educational Complex; and
28 WHEREAS, he has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions that
29 include being named Outstanding Young Educator by the Bossier Jaycees and selection as
30 Bossier Parish High School Principal of the Year in 1997 and 1999; and
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1 WHEREAS, D. C. has created a Christian home and a family of teachers; his wife
2 and Bossier High School sweetheart, Maria Bouso is a retired teacher, and their two
3 children, Kyle and Leigh, are also educators; and
4 WHEREAS, during his tenure, D. C. Machen has affected the learning opportunities
5 of two generations of Bossier Parish school students and has shared a lifetime of invaluable
6 knowledge with teachers and administrators in development of educational leadership; and
7 WHEREAS, D. C. Machen has proved himself to be a man of many talents, a man
8 of his word, and a man whose dedication to education has left a priceless gift to the citizens
9 of Bossier Parish and to the state of Louisiana.
10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
11 commend Superintendent D. C. Machen Jr. for forty-two years of service to Bossier Parish
12 and its school board, and for his many accomplishments made on behalf of the betterment
13 of public education and the teaching profession.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
15 congratulate D. C. Machen Jr. upon the occasion of his retirement from the Bossier Parish
16 School Board and wishes for him the very best in all his future endeavors.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
18 Bossier Parish School Board Superintendent D. C. Machen Jr.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Suzi Montague.
DIGEST
SCR 79 Original 2016 Regular Session Peacock
Commends D. C. Machen, superintendent of schools for Bossier Parish School Board on his
years of service and his retirement.
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