BATON ROUGE — Kevin George, one of two remaining finalists for the Superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, has withdrawn his name from the running for the parish's top education job.

In a letter to University High patrons, George said that after a second delay in the school system's selection process, he had opted to stay with the LSU Lab School.

"After speaking with my family and my school family, along with much prayer and meditation, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for the position and remain at the best school in the United States. Let’s get ready to have another amazing year and Geaux Cubs!" he wrote.

He said he had sought the East Baton Rouge post because it presented an opportunity to work with a large number of children.

"From my earliest days working in a juvenile detention center, I have always strived to better the circumstances of those most vulnerable. In fact, that is what led me to education," he wrote. "Providing an exceptional school experience can save lives and uplift an entire community. I could not pass up the chance to have an impact on over 41,000 students; however, this is the second postponement of this process.

East Baton Rouge school board member Dadrius Lanus responded to the exit saying the announcement wasn't a surprise after Thursday's contentious meeting. 

"At this particular time, and at this particular place the community has spoken," Lanus said. "Now we have to work as a board to make a very difficult decision."

The lone remaining finalist is Andrea Zayas, who most recently served as the chief academic officer for the Boston School System. Krish Mohip withdrew previously after being named among the three finalists. He spent most of his career in Chicago, but more recently helped turned around the Youngstown school district in Ohio.

George's withdrawal comes days after petitions were filed to remove five school board members, which itself followed a contentious School Board meeting on Thursday that led to no candidate being selected. 

Many members of the public showed up last Thursday to express support for Adam Smith, the interim superintendent. His tenure as temporary leader of the school system expires July 23.