Gov. Jeff Landry came to the West Baton Rouge Career Academy in Port Allen on Thursday morning, Oct. 8, and held up the district as his example.

"If there's an exhibit A that Louisiana has succeeded, it's right here," Landry told a crowd of students, teachers, business leaders and state lawmakers.

The event showed off Be Pro Be Proud, a skilled-trades program that parks a mobile workshop at schools. Inside, students try simulators for equipment like excavators and cranes. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state's largest business advocacy group, sponsored the stop.

The district's numbers

Superintendent Chandler Smith opened the program with the district's results.

Technical training enrollment at the Career Academy grew from 98 students in 2023 to 369 now. The academy sits between the School Board office and Port Allen High School and serves students from both Port Allen and Brusly high schools.

Smith said daily attendance is averaging 95.5% and chronic absenteeism is under 13%, which he said is back to where the district was before COVID.

"Our kids are showing up," Smith said.

On LEAP tests, Smith said the share of students scoring mastery or above rose from about 30% five years ago to more than 40%. He said that puts West Baton Rouge 18th in the state.

Smith also said:

• West Baton Rouge is one of four districts in Louisiana to grow enrollment over the last 10 years.
• The share of students earning industry-based credentials jumped more than 10% in one year.
• The district now offers eight advanced credentials, including EMT training, Autodesk Inventor and NCCER Electrical Level 2.

Through a grant partnership with LSU, the district formed an alliance with Baton Rouge Community College and Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes. Students in the three parishes share classes and resources.

Landry on TOPS

Landry turned to the legislators in the audience and said the state's spending on TOPS and higher education needs to change.

"When you look at the amount of money that we pour into TOPS and how much we send to higher ed and what we're sending to, like, that has to change," Landry said. "It absolutely has to change."

He said a student coming out of the Career Academy "can walk out of these buildings and make twice as much as those that are walking out of the doors of LSU today." He did not say where that comparison came from. He also did not lay out a specific proposal.

TOPS is the state's merit scholarship program. Several bills to change it stalled during the 2026 legislative session. Lawmakers instead passed House Resolution 17. It directs the Board of Regents, Louisiana Works and Louisiana Economic Development to study what the state gets back for its TOPS spending, including whether recipients stay in Louisiana and what they earn.

A workshop coming in 2027

Andrew Parker has led Be Pro Be Proud since it started in Arkansas in 2016. He said a Louisiana workshop will start touring in 2027 and should reach 14,000 to 16,000 students each school year.

LABI President and CEO Will Green asked employers, educators and policymakers to help bring it to schools statewide. Landry asked the companies investing in Louisiana to help pay for it.

"We need them to invest in this," Landry said.

No one said what the Louisiana workshop will cost or who will pay for it.

Who was there

Local officials in the crowd included Port Allen Mayor Terecita Pattan, West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola and Sheriff Jeff Bergeron.

State officials included:

• Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, whose district includes West Baton Rouge
• Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma
• Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell
• Rep. Chasity Martinez, D-Plaquemine
• Louisiana Works Secretary Susie Schowen

After the speeches, students and guests lined up to go through the workshop. Green joked that they had to drag Kleinpeter out after he got on the excavator simulator.