BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Wednesday unanimously voted for Lamont Cole as the next superintendent and Adam Smith as deputy superintendent.

The decision would end a tumultuous period for the district, which saw three previous superintendent finalists back away — two of them after interviewing with board members and the public.

"It's been a dark place around here the last couple of weeks," board member Cliff Lewis said ahead of the vote.

"I'm really sad at how this process went," said Emily Soule, who joined the panel this year.

The panel discussed a plan to have board leadership negotiate a contract to be presented Aug. 1, but not without a significant disagreement over who could take part in the talks. Board member Nathan Rust accused his colleagues of devolving into politics as usual.

It wasn't immediately clear when Cole would start his new job or resign his position on the Metro Council.

Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, who met with the board Monday, issued the following statement on Cole's selection:

“I’m encouraged by the board’s decision to come together around a new superintendent. Choosing a system leader is a core responsibility of a board, but the true work lies ahead. Too many students lack a basic education and graduate without the skills to lead a productive life. Too many teaching positions go unfilled. Too many families are trapped in failing schools. For Louisiana to succeed, we need East Baton Rouge to succeed. The Louisiana Department of Education offers its full support to the board and new superintendent as they take up the critical mission of improving academic outcomes for the 40,000 students of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools.”

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The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board quickly eliminated nine applicants from contention for its vacant superintendent position and decided that it will interview only Metro Council member Lamont Cole for the post.

Eleven people had applied for the post after the board voted Tuesday to reopen the application process. Former Superintendent Sito Narcisse withdrew his candidacy just moments before the board met Wednesday afternoon, and then the board named Cole as its only "finalist."

The board is seeking a replacement for Narcisse, who left last winter after his contract wasn't renewed.

In a brief statement, Narcisse said it was better if he didn't pursue the job, given the tumultuous effort to replace him. Many teachers and members wanted interim Superintendent Adam Smith to replace him, but Smith withdrew from contention, too.

"In order to unite the city and get back to the work of focusing on kids, it is better for me to withdraw and for us to rally around the board and staff to choose the Superintendent," Narcisse said in an email. "I look forward to seeing our city and children succeeding."

School district spokesman Perry Robinson said just before the interviews began that Narcisse was out.

East Baton Rouge Parish school leaders began Wednesday hoping the day would include their final sprint in the effort to name a new superintendent after a months-long marathon failed to produce any results.

Cole entered the race Tuesday, telling WBRZ he hadn't applied previously because Smith, his friend, was in the running. Smith fell out of favor with the board after being named a semifinalist, and Cole opted to hop in.

"I'm going to apply for this job because it's the right time at the right place," Cole said.

The board previously had a list of 17 candidates that it whittled to three finalists, but each of those dropped out. The new list had 11 candidates, including four from the previous round. Smith was not on the new list, but Narcisse was until his late withdrawal.

Smith's second temporary stint ended Tuesday, a week after four school board members issued a letter criticizing his tenure.

The initial list of candidates to qualify ahead of the noon deadline on Wednesday included:

- Fabby Williams
- Corwin Robinson
- James Finney
- Verna Ruffin
- Sito Narcisse
- Donald Green
- James Kador
- Lamont Cole
- Rochelle Washington-Scott
- Sean Thorpe
- Robin Harris

The board said it intends to pick a new leader Wednesday night. Its leaders met with state School Superintendent Cade Brumley on Monday. Brumley, without offering specifics, said he would take action Thursday if the board didn't find a new leader.

Members of the public who backed Smith interrupted board proceedings this month after he failed to make a list of finalists. He has not spoken publicly about the ordeal. 

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and seven of Cole's 11 colleagues on the Metro Council endorsed his candidacy for the superintendent's position.

Williams, Robinson, Finney and Ruffin were among 17 candidates who submitted a previous application for the position, though none were among the board set of five semifinalists selected June 18. Smith was, but he did not make it to the finalists' round and now is completely out of the running.

Finalist Krish Mohip, a longtime Chicago educator who turned around the Youngstown, Ohio, school district, withdrew on July 6.

LSU Lab School Director Kevin George withdrew next, days after School Board President Carla Powell Lewis suggested that he "run the hell away from here" during a tumultuous meeting. 

Andrea Zayas, the former chief academic officer of the Boston schools, withdrew after failing to pick up any votes from board members. As she exited, she said that the possibility of success was "near non-existent."