Board hopes to hire new Terrebonne Parish public schools chief in April
The School Board is advertising statewide for a superintendent to lead Terrebonne Parish's public school system and plans to make a hire in April.
The new schools chief will replace Philip Martin, superintendent for the past 14 years, who plans to retire when his contract expires June 30.
More: Board names officers to lead Terrebonne schools through busy 2022. Here's what's ahead.
The Superintendent Search Steering Committee is made up of these members:
Stan Duval, School Board attorney.
Greg Harding, board president.
MayBelle Trahan, board vice president.
Stacy Solet, board member.
Clyde Hamner, board member.
Debra Yarbrough, supervisor of personnel.
Ramona Brunet, executive assistant to the board.
The board is advertising the position in newspapers in Louisiana's 10 metro areas. It ran ads seven days in December will do so again for seven days this month. The position is also posted on the School Board's website and is being advertised with the Louisiana School Boards Association Jan. 3-31.
Here's the process and timeline the board will follow:
Applications due: Feb. 16.
Opening of applications received by the Superintendent Search Screening Committee: Feb. 23.
Announcement and acceptance of applicants to be interviewed for superintendent: March 8.
Date for interviews: March 15.
Selection of new superintendent: March 22.
Begin negotiations and approval for superintendent contract: April.
Martin’s current pay is $185,000 per year.
More: Terrebonne Superintendent Philip Martin to retire after coming school year
The board “expects to negotiate a competitive salary and benefits package depending on the candidate’s experience, accomplishments and credentials” according to the job advertisement.
The superintendent will lead a system of 32 schools and more than 17,000 students.
Harding said the superintendent is the only person the board can hire or fire directly.
"We take that seriously. We take that to heart because that person basically is going to be the one we entrust our kids' lives to," Harding said.
At Tuesday's board meeting, parent Glenda Fanguy shared some of the characteristics she hopes the next superintendent will have.
“As a superintendent, would they teach a class if needed? Be the educator that we would expect to see in Terrebonne Parish? Be kind and compassionate? Following the golden rules are a good guide. Make decisions based on input from people who have skin in this game?” Fanguy said.
Fanguy said she also hopes to see the next superintendent address the need for new and updated school buildings, encourage study of the U.S. Constitution through all grade levels and ensure critical race theory is not taught in any form in school.
Critical race theory originally started as an academic concept developed by scholars in the 1970s that provides a framework to argue that racism is systemic and is embedded in America's legal system. The issue has since become a political flashpoint.
Officials have said there have been no plans to teach the theory in Terrebonne or Lafourche public schools. Critical race theory has never been taught in area schools.
More: Critical race theory will not be taught in Terrebonne and Lafourche schools, officials say
Chad Adams said he is surveying other parents and will compile a report so the School Board can consider the public's views as it chooses a new superintendent.
“I can't force them to do anything, but we wanted to make sure that at least the public was able to get in front of them,” Adams said.
Adams said that as of Thursday, the survey has received more than 500 responses from parents, teachers and other residents. Priorities for respondents have included advertising the superintendent position beyond Louisiana's metro areas, providing tangible support for teachers and school support staff and restoring community trust.
The survey, online at bit.ly/SuperSurvey2022, will be open until Sunday. Adams will then compile all results into a report made available to the board, its committees and the public and present it at the next board meeting.
“We have a great opportunity in front of us," Adams said. "And if we don't speak to the people that deal with this every day — because most of our School Board members do not have children in the school system anymore, so they don't really see what's going on — how do they know what we need?”
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne Parish School Board searches for new superintendent
