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EBR School Board unanimously votes to select LaMont Cole as superintendent
BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board selected Metro Council member LaMont Cole as its next superintendent on Wednesday, its unanimous vote providing a surprising finale to a tumultuous six-month search for a new leader.
The decision ended a particularly harrowing stretch in which the district saw 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 selection wasn't without its problems, though. The panel seemed poised to approve Cole quickly, then the discussion devolved around who should negotiate a contract ahead of an Aug. 1 ratification. Board member Nathan Rust accused his colleagues of falling into politics as usual.
Once the panel agreed to let leadership work on a deal with Cole, the meeting turned into a modern-day version of "Queen for a Day," with accolades galore ahead of his coronation.
Even interim Superintendent Adam Smith, long a favorite of teachers and parents, stepped to the microphone.
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“If not me, who? I want no one else but LaMont Cole,” Smith said.
As the vote was imminent, he turned to Cole and said, “It’s time to bring your lunch pail. It’s time to go to work.”
Rust said he and Cole had opposed each other on other issues but that “I won’t be a hindrance to your success."
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, said he was encouraged that the district had stumbled to the edge of the abyss of not having a leader and then recovered its footing.
“I’m encouraged by the board’s decision to come together around a new superintendent," he said. "Choosing a system leader is a core responsibility of a board, but the true work lies ahead."
The board initially had 11 candidates for its latest round of interviews, including Sito Narcisse, whom the board essentially fired last winter. Narcisse pulled his name from contention just before interviews were scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday and the board quickly decided that it would only interview Cole.
"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."
Smith also asked to not be considered in the final round.
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. 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
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.
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."
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