After helping her son continue his education following a life-changing accident, the longtime St. Gabriel resident wants to advocate for students facing disabilities, academic struggles and difficult circumstances.
For Tonette Todd, running for the Iberville Parish School Board is more than a political decision. It is the continuation of a deeply personal fight to ensure that difficult circumstances never determine how far a child can go.
Todd has qualified as a Democratic candidate for the District B seat. She will challenge incumbent board member Catherine Williams in the November 3 election.
The Iberville Parish School District currently identifies Williams as the District B representative, making Todd the challenger in the race.
Todd’s campaign is built around a direct and inclusive message: “Every Child Matters.”
She believes every student deserves an opportunity to learn, grow and succeed—and someone willing to continue believing in them when they struggle to believe in themselves.
The Experience That Shaped Her Mission
Todd’s commitment became deeply personal when her son was involved in a serious car accident at the age of 14.
The accident left him paralyzed and confronting a future that suddenly looked very different from the one he had known.
After everything he had experienced, he told his mother that he no longer wanted to attend school.
Todd understood his pain and recognized that the road ahead would be difficult. But she also understood how important education would remain to his future.
“You are going to finish school,” she told him. “Giving up is not an option.”
She refused to allow his disability to define his potential or permit one tragic moment to take away his dreams.
The experience taught Todd that children facing overwhelming circumstances do not always need to be treated with sympathy alone. They also need encouragement, advocacy and adults who refuse to abandon them.
“Sometimes our children don’t need someone to feel sorry for them,” Todd said. “They need someone to believe in them, advocate for them, encourage them and refuse to give up on them.”
Turning a Family’s Fight Into Advocacy
That lesson now forms the foundation of Todd’s school-board campaign.
She says she wants to advocate for all students, with particular concern for children with disabilities, students experiencing problems at home, children struggling academically and those who may feel forgotten by the educational system.
“I want to be a voice for all children,” Todd said, “including children with disabilities, children facing challenges at home, children struggling academically, children who feel forgotten and children who simply need someone to say, ‘I believe in you.’”
Her family’s experience gives her campaign a perspective grounded in the realities parents can face when a child’s educational needs suddenly become more complicated.
Supporting such students may require accessible facilities, appropriate services, strong communication with families and a willingness to examine whether existing policies are meeting each child’s needs.
Business Education and Community Experience
Todd is a longtime St. Gabriel resident. According to her campaign materials, she holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and a Master of Business Administration.
She believes that education can help her contribute to the financial oversight, accountability and long-term planning responsibilities of the board.
The Iberville Parish School Board is the governing body responsible for establishing policies for the administration and management of the parish’s public schools.
Its members help oversee budgets, facilities, staffing priorities and educational programmes. They also work with the superintendent responsible for managing the district’s daily operations.
If elected, Todd says she will focus on ensuring that students receive the opportunities, resources and support they need to move forward.
Strong Schools, Strong Families
Todd’s broader message connects educational success with family and community strength:
Strong Schools. Strong Families. Strong Future.
That connection is important because a child’s education does not take place inside the classroom alone.
Students benefit when schools communicate effectively with parents, identify challenges early and help families understand the services available to them. Teachers and administrators also benefit when community members participate constructively in the school system.
A school-board member must help create policies supporting those relationships while remaining accountable to students, employees, families and taxpayers across the parish.
Todd says she is seeking the position because she understands what it means to fight for a child whose circumstances could easily have limited his future.
“I have lived the fight,” she said. “I know what it means to refuse to give up. And I want to bring that same determination to the children and families of our community.”
A Personal Perspective in the District B Race
Todd’s candidacy introduces a deeply personal perspective into the District B contest—one shaped by motherhood, disability advocacy and a belief in the potential of every child.
The race gives voters a choice between Todd and Williams, an incumbent with direct experience serving on the board.
Over the coming weeks, District B residents will have an opportunity to compare their priorities, qualifications and plans for Iberville Parish schools.
At Saint Gabriel Spotlight, our role is to help residents understand the people seeking to represent them and the responsibilities connected to each public office.
District B voters will make their choice on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the election date confirmed by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
