The East Baton Rouge Parish school board again delayed its selection of a new superintendent on Thursday night following a tumultuous week that saw two remaining finalists withdraw their names from consideration.
When the board brought up the superintendent search around 9 p.m., members disagreed on a path forward. Some favored delaying the decision another week to consider more options. Others urged the board to award current interim superintendent Adam Smith a longer, temporary contract.
“We are wasting valuable time,” said Carla Powell-Lewis, board president. “We need to choose someone.”
Others, including member Michael Gaudet, argued the board needed more time to weigh options now that all finalists have withdrawn.
“If we take a little more time to consider it, we might be able to find a better solution that will not involve us having to advertise the position again and leave our students so uncertain what the future's going to be when school starts,” Gaudet said.
After more than 4 hours of public comment and deliberation, the board voted to move the discussion to next Thursday.
The move means the district will likely blow a July 23 deadline to appoint a permanent superintendent. State law limits the length of time an interim superintendent can serve. Adam Smith, a longtime district administrator, took over his interim role in January.
It’s unclear what type of fines or consequences the board will face once it runs past the state-imposed deadline.
The six-month long process has drawn criticism from many community members for its multiple delays and for excluding current interim superintendent Smith from the finalist round of interviews. Board members who oppose Smith have said they don’t believe he has the skills to improve the district’s “C” state letter grade. But supporters say he is a trusted leader with a strong track record in the district.
The board selected three finalists from outside the district in June.
One, Krish Mohip, dropped out earlier this month after accepting another job. Two finalists, Kevin George and Andrea Zayas, withdrew their names after a tense July 11 meeting where board members deadlocked on a top pick.
In a letter sent to the board Thursday morning, Zayas, former chief academic officer of Boston Public Schools, said she “prayed for guidance and analyzed the complex situation” ahead of her decision.
“However, given procedural anomalies and delays, my purpose-fueled drive to equitably serve the children of EBR is misaligned with the current focus of the board,” Zayas wrote.
Board members have faced criticism for the dysfunctional nature of the search process. On Thursday, Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge’s mayor, urged board members to make a decision on a permanent leader for the district.
“The current superintendent search process at EBR Schools has drawn the attention of many who are concerned about the direction of our school system,” Broome wrote in a statement. “I understand political factions and differing opinions, but it is paramount that we remember the impact on our students and teachers.”
East Baton Rouge board members have been searching for a replacement for former Superintendent Sito Narcisse since last December, when they voted not to renew his contract due to low employee morale and disagreements over a large salary increase.
Whoever takes the helm officially will have to oversee schooling for more than 40,000 students, help improve tepid academic scores and navigate a potential loss of funding and pupils due to the formation of the city of St. George.
