Aguillard will apply for Lafayette superintendent post

Staff Report
St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Donald Aguillard plans to apply for the Lafayette Parish superintendent position next week, he said this morning in an email.
The Daily Review confirmed this morning with St. Mary Parish School Board President Ginger Griffin that Aguillard told the board earlier in the week of his intention to apply for the job.
Aguillard forwarded The Daily Review the email he sent to school board members Tuesday informing them of his plans to submit his application next week for the Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent search.
In September 2011, Aguillard previously applied for the Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent. On Nov. 6, 2014, the Lafayette Parish School Board voted to fire former Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent Pat Cooper effective immediately, according to The Advocate.
In Aguillard’s email to the St. Mary Parish School Board, Aguillard said, “I have truly enjoyed my nearly eleven years of service to the district. As my tenure winds down, I realize that I want to work several more years before retiring.”
If appointed, Aguillard is “confident that the district is in good hands with several strong individuals available to continue the instructional path we have pursued,” he said.
“If I am not selected, I plan to continue working through the remainder of my current contract,” Aguillard said.
According to Aguillard’s bio on the St. Mary Parish school system’s website, Aguillard began his tenure as Superintendent of Schools for the St. Mary Parish School Board July 1, 2004.
As chief education officer, Aguillard manages the district’s $83 million budget and a staff of more than 1,400 employees.
The school district has 23 campuses to provide educational services for about 9,600 students, according to the website.
Prior to Aguillard’s appointment as St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent, he served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, area director and district administrator in the Lafayette Parish School System for 28 years, according to his bio.
The Lafayette Parish superintendent job came open in November, when the parish’s school board fired Pat Cooper.
The dismissal followed a long series of arguments over personnel hirings, legal counsel for the board and other issues.
A major source of disagreement was Cooper’s decision to hire Thad Welch as an aide in charge of maintenance.
Welch lacked the high school diploma required by the job description.