What public school stakeholders are looking for in a St. Mary superintendent

St. Mary Parish School Board members, teachers and parents want the school system to hire a new superintendent who will keep leading the school system in a positive direction, according to a group of them. School board members hope to select a new superintendent by mid-June.
“Overall we’re looking for an individual who can continue to lead this district academically, support a fiscally sound financial plan, and build strong connections between our school system, parents, and the community,” St. Mary Parish School Board President Ginger Griffin said in an email.
The school board’s goal is to advertise, interview and determine the next superintendent by mid-June, if possible, Griffin said.
The board began advertising for the position Wednesday after receiving Superintendent Donald Aguillard’s resignation letter Monday, Griffin said. Aguillard was selected as the new Lafayette Parish schools superintendent.
The selection process for a new superintendent requires the school board to advertise for the vacancy through public notifications, including the official journal, which must be completed at least 30 days prior to filling the position, Griffin said.
Griffin served as a board member when the board hired Aguillard as superintendent. This superintendent search will be somewhat different due to revisions in state guidelines, she said. But generally, the selection process will resemble previous superintendent searches, Griffin said.
School board member Marilyn LaSalle was board president when Aguillard was hired in 2004. LaSalle learned a lot leading that search, she said.
The candidates provided a written summary of themselves to the board, LaSalle said. Board members came up with a set of questions to ask all the candidates. The board eventually narrowed the candidate pool to three finalists, LaSalle said.
She remembers the process being “tedious,” but everything went according to plan, LaSalle said.
LaSalle wants a new superintendent with “a proven record of competency,” she said. LaSalle also wants the superintendent to be a person of “high moral character.”
Berwick Junior High English teacher Keri Hill, who serves as Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana president in St. Mary Parish, said in an email, that Aguillard worked diligently to help the school system grow significantly.
Hill believes the selection process of choosing the next superintendent should include forming a committee that represents all parties, including students, parents, community, school employees and other stakeholders, to ensure that the needs of all affected are met.
Hill hopes the candidate chosen will have a clear vision that will help “meet the demands of our continuously changing education system, while most importantly, keeping our students’ best interest at heart,” she said.
APEL is a non-profit organization that provides insurance and benefits to teachers so that they do not have to join traditional unions, APEL Executive Director Keith Courville said. APEL has about 300 members in St. Mary Parish.
Parent Kitty Hebert, who has two children attending Morgan City High School, believes the St. Mary Parish school system has made progress academically since Aguillard became superintendent.
Hebert wants the new superintendent to continue to provide teachers with the ability to keep up with new technology that becomes available, she said.
Morgan City High School teacher and parent Tana Guidry said in an email, “Our school system has done well in recent years due to the quality people that we have within our school district.”
Guidry hopes the next superintendent has strong ties to the community, strong people skills and communication skills, knowledge of how to lead a school district, and the ability to bring everyone together to make the district even stronger, she said.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.