The St. Tammany Parish School Board appears to be plowing forward in their search for a new superintendent of their 39,000-student system, as tomorrow they will interview five educators who want the job, all of whom are current employees of the school system. The all-insider field, which includes two principals and three administrators in the central office, has prompted some concern, including from a School Board member, who want to slow down the process for choosing the new leader.
In an email Monday, School Board member Shelta Richardson said she was concerned that the opening created by the departure of Trey Folse this summer had drawn so few candidates and that none of the applicants were from outside the school system.
The St. Tammany School Board has never hired an outsider for the job. The system has had 13 superintendents since 1900.
After Saturday’s public interviews, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the system’s administrative complex in Covington, the board’s next meeting is Oct. 8, when board members could vote to hire someone, choose finalists for more interviews or decide to readvertise the position.
