Hello, My Name is Ben Banchs

Proud Husband, Father, Veteran, and St. Tammany Resident

First, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a little about who I am and why I want to serve as your School Board Representative.

I first moved to Louisiana in 1985 and I've called St. Tammany home since May 2005. I come from a family dedicated to public service. My father, a Vietnam Veteran, served in the Marines, Army, and finished his career with the Louisiana Army National Guard. My mother was a Registered Nurse, and both concluded their careers at the New Orleans VA Medical Center, serving our Nation's Veterans. I have three brothers; one served in the Army and the other is still in the Navy, while the third supports public service in his civilian role. Public service is not just a family legacy; it’s a responsibility.

I am a product of public education. Due to my father's service in the US Army, I attended public school in Virginia, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and then here in Louisiana. We eventually settled down in Metairie where I graduated from Grace King High School, part of the Jefferson Parish Public School System. I firmly believe that a good public education is the foundation a person builds everything else on, no matter where they start.

In February 1991, I joined the Louisiana Air National Guard, where I served for 27 years working on F-15 fighter aircraft, first in the weapons load shop and then in the avionics flight line section, before retiring as a Master Sergeant (E-7) in 2018. I served overseas, deployed in the days after 9/11, and answered the call for nearly every hurricane from Katrina forward, helping keep Louisiana families safe. Today I serve as Business Manager of Laborers' Local 1776, a public-employee union representing National Guard civilian employees across ten states and the territory of Guam — a role I've held since 2010.

My wife, Rhonda, and I have been married more than 30 years and raised our three daughters — Bailey, Emily, and Ally — right here, all of whom came up through St. Tammany public schools, including Abita Elementary and Middle, Fontainebleau Junior High, and Fontainebleau High School. I coached my girls' softball teams at the Abita ballpark for years, helped launch Abita Springs' first Christmas tree lighting and a Fourth of July celebration at the Trailhead, and serve as Second Vice Commander of American Legion Post 307, where I chair the Children & Youth Committee — last year we awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships and Boys and Girls State sponsorships to local students. In my off hours, I'm a local singer who performs with several bands around the New Orleans area. I also speak Spanish fluently.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about who I am and why I want to serve as your School Board Representative. I am ready to serve every family in District 7.

Why I'm Running

To Give Back to the Community & Continue Serving the Public

I've always believed in public service. For most of my career — in uniform and as a federal employee — ethics laws prevented me from running for office. Now that I'm retired from the National Guard, I finally can, and I'm ready.

My first involvement with this school board came years ago, when attendance lines were being redrawn as Lakeshore High opened. The way they were first drawn would have put many local kids on buses for well over an hour a day. So I showed up, spoke at every hearing, and worked alongside other parents until the board made adjustments to the attendance boundaries. It wasn't perfect, but it was clear that speaking up and getting involved made a difference not just for my family, but for my friends and neighbors. More recently, I stood up and spoke when the board moved to cancel its employees' collective bargaining agreement — an issue that crossed every party line and brought the whole community together to protect the pursuit of a quality work-life balance for district employees who are charged every day with influencing the education of our children.

Those experiences taught me what I'll bring to this seat: someone who shows up, listens, and makes decisions in the open. I'm not here to fight culture wars or play red-versus-blue. We're Americans, Louisianans, and St. Tammany neighbors first — and almost everything a school board actually does lands right in the middle, where most of us live. I'll bring a fresh, outside perspective as a concerned parent, veteran, and taxpayer, and I'll keep our focus where it belongs: on students, teachers, staff, and the families who pay for it all.

Standing Up for District 7 Schools

District 7 serves our Lacombe and eastern-Mandeville communities — the schools that feed into Lakeshore High: Chahta Ima Elementary, Woodlake Elementary, Bayou Lacombe Middle, Mandeville Middle, Monteleone Junior High.

District 7 is at a crossroads. The school board's own 2024 demographic study projects our Lakeshore-area schools will lose more students over the next ten years than any other community in St. Tammany — and declining enrollment is exactly what future boards point to when they start talking about closing schools or redrawing attendance lines. I know that fight firsthand: it's the one that first brought me to the school board.

Education is the key to success, both individually and as a community. I want to bring a new perspective and fresh ideas to the table to ensure our community and our public schools are ready to prepare the next generation for that continued success. So I want to hear from you because I don't presume to know your concerns better than you know them. If I have the opportunity to serve District 7, every vote I take will be made based on input from those I represent.