New BESE Board Sworn In, Seeks New Superintendent

The new Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was sworn in yesterday and was immediately tasked with finding a new Superintendent of Education to replace the departing John White.

District Seven-member Holly Boffy says the board is confident in the direction they are heading and as such as seeking someone with strong organizational skills who can implement their agenda.

“What I hear from my fellow board members is an interest in continuing to building on what we are working on. We are looking more for an implementer as opposed to a visionary,” says Boffy.

The next Superintendant will need approval by two-thirds of the BESE Board.

White overhauled the ways schools and teachers are graded in Louisiana, and as such Boffy says the new Superintendent will be judged by that new criteria.

“Student growth is now a factor in our accountability system, and by doing that we have a better understanding of the trajectory of our schools,” says Boffy.

Boffy says BESE has formed a working group to find a new Superintendent, and thanked White for his service to the state and says he left Louisiana in a stronger position.

“If you follow Superintendent White’s tenure, Superintendent White is certainly a visionary who supported the development of a strong plan for our state,” says Boffy.

White’s resignation is effective March 11^th, and Boffy says they will be using that date as a “milestone” for finding a replacement.