Race Heats Up for East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent: 17 Applicants Compete for Top Spot

BATON ROUGE, La. — Seventeen candidates, including Interim Superintendent Adam Smith, have submitted applications to become the next permanent leader of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the second largest in Louisiana.

The list of applicants was made public online late Tuesday afternoon. Notable names familiar to the local community include Angela Domingue, Nichola Hall, Kevin George, Patrick Jenkins, and Bernard Taylor. Domingue, currently the chief of schools for Helix Community Schools, has a notable history as a former district administrator and acting superintendent of City of Baker schools. Hall, since 2021, has served as the chief of human resources for the East Baton Rouge school system and previously worked in Bridgeport, Conn. George is the superintendent of LSU Lab School, with prior experience leading St. John the Baptist Parish schools. Jenkins, who led St. Landry Parish schools for seven years, is now the chief of operations for Jefferson Parish. Taylor, who was East Baton Rouge Parish superintendent from 2012 to 2015, is acting principal of Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh.

The job opening was advertised in mid-May, with the application deadline closing on Monday. Baton Rouge-based SSA Consultants, the hired search firm, passed the applications to the School Board, which redacted personal details before posting them online. A final vote on the new superintendent is scheduled for July 1.

Many of the applicants have experience leading school districts. Verna Ruffin, currently the superintendent of the 18,000-student Waterbury School District in Connecticut, has extensive experience in Lafayette. Fabby Williams, deputy superintendent for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina, oversees about 53,000 students.

The superintendent search follows the departure of Sito Narcisse, who accepted a voluntary buyout in January after the board narrowly voted against renewing his contract. Smith, a district administrator for 28 years, stepped in as interim superintendent, a position he can hold until July 23. Smith previously served as interim superintendent but was passed over for the permanent role in January 2021.

A series of meetings are scheduled to select the new superintendent:

• Tuesday, June 18: Selection of semifinalists for virtual interviews.
• Thursday, June 20: Finalist selection.
• Wednesday, June 26: Public introduction and “Meet and Greet” with finalists.
• Thursday, June 27: Live interviews of finalists.
• Monday, July 1: Superintendent selection.

The next leader will oversee a district with over 40,000 students and face significant challenges. Academically, the district is recovering from pandemic setbacks but lags behind the state average and has two middle schools at risk of state takeover. Financially, while currently stable due to a robust local economy and COVID relief funds, the district faces uncertainty as these funds expire this summer. Additionally, there are unresolved issues, such as a school transportation crisis and efforts to increase employee pay to remain competitive.

Complicating matters is the Louisiana Supreme Court's recent decision allowing the formation of a new city of St. George, which could lead to a new St. George school district being carved out of the parish system.

For more details and to view the full list of applicants, visit the school board's website here.