Three Louisiana natives, including interim Superintendent Adam Smith, are semifinalists in the search for the next leader of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, as are two out-of-state educators who made their careers in the Midwest and the Northeast.
The parish School Board picked the five semifinalists Tuesday night at a special meeting.
Smith, a 28-year veteran of the school system making his third bid for superintendent, is locally the best known of the semifinalists. Two other prominent Louisiana educators also were named: Kevin George, director of the LSU Lab School; and Patrick Jenkins, chief operations officer for the Jefferson Parish school system.
They were joined by Krish Mohip, a chief education officer for the Illinois State Board of Education, and Andrea Zayas, former chief academic officer of Boston Public Schools.
On Tuesday, gathered in the cafeteria at Southeast Middle, board members wrote their semifinalist choices on small sheets of paper. To advance, applicants needed to be named by at least three board members.
When the sheets were tallied, Smith’s name appeared on the lists of seven board members. Only board members Nathan Rust and Emily Soulė did not pick him.
George, who previously spent six years as superintendent of schools in St. John the Baptist Parish, was next, nominated by five board members. Jenkins, Mohip and Zayas each were named four times.
Five more candidates were nominated but fell short of the needed votes: James Finney, a math instructor at ITI Technical Institute in Baton Rouge; Nichola Hall, chief human resources officer for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system; Adrian Hammitte, superintendent of Jefferson County, Mississippi, schools; Jerry Gibson, a veteran school superintendent from the Houston area; and Verna Ruffin, superintendent of Waterbury, Connecticut, public schools.
Smith was at Southeast Middle School for the community meeting but stepped out of the room once the discussion began on semifinalists.
Zayas also attended the special meeting. Zayas, who works as an educational consultant, said she has a residence in New Orleans. She worked in the Crescent City from 2013 to 2018, including two years training school leaders with KIPP, a prominent charter management organization with a big presence in New Orleans. After leaving New Orleans, she spent three years in prominent administrative jobs with Boston Public Schools, home to more than 46,000 students.
Mohip, previously superintendent of schools in Youngstown, Ohio, is the only semifinalist with no work history in Louisiana. Mohip, however, did earn a master’s degree in business administration in 2022 from LSU-Shreveport while working his day job with the Illinois State Board of Education.
The ongoing search was necessitated by the departure of Sito Narcisse, who accepted a voluntary buyout in January, six weeks after the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted 5-4 to not renew his contract. Narcisse left three years after he was hired.
Smith, who first began with the school system in 1996, immediately stepped in as interim superintendent, a job he can legally hold for only six months, until July 23. Smith served as interim superintendent previously but was edged out by Narcisse for the top job in 2021.
A few audience members spoke Tuesday, almost all in support of Smith.
“He checks all of the boxes for me,” said Hannah Amoroso, an active parent. “He has an excellent relationship with the teachers. He’s been in our district forever and has paid his dues. And I believe deserves the opportunity to show us what he can do at the helm.”
“You all know who I want. I want Adam,” said Storm Matthews, an outspoken teacher who is active with the East Baton Rouge Parish Association of Educators.
Robin White Clark, a pre-K teacher, said she watched all the recorded preliminary interviews of the prospects and read all their applications — and remains a Smith supporter. She recalled him years ago telling her and other teachers, “Don’t be good, be great.” That helped encourage her to pursue National Board certification.
“He has been water in our glass, whatever the shape. Allow him to continue his work,” she said.
Such sentiments, however, have often failed to sway those elected to serve on the School Board.
Charlotte Placide, who served as superintendent from 2004 to 2009, is the only one of the nine most recent superintendents who was a veteran employee promoted from within. Warren Drake, who held the job from 2015 to 2020, was a veteran employee of the school system but spent 13 years elsewhere, including 10 years as superintendent of top-ranked Zachary schools.
Next week, the five semifinalists will sit for a second round of interviews, conducted virtually. Up to three will advance to yet another round of interviews, live before the parish School Board.
The timeline for the final selection remains in flux, either July 1 or July 11. The School Board plans to consider both alternatives at its regular monthly meeting on Thursday.
