Decision day is Monday for hiring a superintendent

Decision day is approaching for the St. Mary Parish School Board.
The board will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Monday at the Central Office Complex in Centerville. On the agenda is the hiring of a new superintendent.
The first date the board can legally hire a new superintendent is Saturday, or 30 days after the departure of Superintendent Donald Aguillard for the same post in Lafayette Parish.
The earliest practical date seems to be Monday.
The board convened for another special meeting Saturday to interview the five remaining applicants. Two finalists emerged: Leonard Armato, the current St. Mary director of special education, and James Gray, director of school leadership in Vermilion Parish.
Saturday, each board member cast votes for two favorites. Gray was the top vote-getter with nine votes, followed by Armato with seven.
In media interviews, Gray said his strong point is his experience in working with schools both with at-risk student populations and with high-performing student populations.
Armato said he is familiar with curriculum needs at all levels.
He said the parish’s special education program has been successful in narrowing the achievement gap between special education students and their classmates.
Aguillard, who came to St. Mary from Lafayette 11 years ago, has been busy at his month-old job.
The Lafayette Parish School Board has already made plans to build a high school to serve the fast-growing Youngsville-Broussard area of south Lafayette.