School board sets procedures if new super is needed

Procedures on the hiring of a new superintendent were approved by the St. Mary Parish School Board Tuesday in a special meeting.
The current superintendent, Dr. Donald Aguillard, is a finalist for the same position in Lafayette Parish.
He and another finalist Francis Touchet, a state Department of Education official, are being interviewed by the Lafayette board today at 5:30 p.m.
A third top candidate, Carlos Sam, an associate superintendent in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, has been offered a contract by the East Feliciana Parish School Board and told the Baton Rouge Advocate that he will withdraw from tonight’s interviews of Lafayette’s finalists.
The interviews are slated to take place in public, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Parish School Board office. Each interview is expected to last about an hour and 20 minutes, said School Board Vice President Dawn Morris.
The agenda was amended Tuesday morning to allow the board to name a superintendent Wednesday, if it chooses to do so, according to reports in the Lafayette Advertiser.
Actions Tuesday by the St. Mary school board to be prepared if Aguillard is selected included:
—Approval to hire the Hammonds & Sills law firm on an as needed basis during the superintendent search at the state regulated fee of $225 per hour, not to exceed $6,000.
—Approval to advertise for a superintendent search in the Banner-Tribune, Daily Review, Advocate and Advertiser as well as on the following websites of the school board, the state school board association and the state Association of School Superintendents.
—Approval of the timeline and publishing of the advertising.
—Approval of the application for superintendent.