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