OPSB narrows superintendent search to two

22nd December 2014   ·   0 Comments

By Kari Dequine Harden
Contributing Writer

After more than two and a half years without a permanent superintendent, the oft-divided Orleans Parish School Board members ap­pear to be very close to making a choice.

At last week’s meeting, the board met behind closed doors before announcing that they were inviting two candidates back for further interviews and assessment. There will also be an addition to the process intended to engage the community in the decision.

After a search last spring ended in a deadlock, without the required five board members needed to choose a candidate, this round looks more cohesive.

The two finalists are Debbra Lindo and Henderson Lewis, Jr.

Agnella Katrise Perera, a superintendent in Virginia and the third candidate in the last round of interviews, will not proceed.

Lindo comes from the San Francisco Bay Area and was most recently the superintendent of the Emery Unified School District in California.

She also served as the Director of Secondary Education for the Palo Alto Unified School District and was the CEO at the Oakland-based nonprofit College Track.

Lindo’s departure from Emery was not without controversy.

In 2012, the teachers union in the tiny two-school Emery district publicly blasted Lindo with an overwhelming vote of “no confidence” and accused her of destroying teacher morale and making harmful cutbacks.

She stated on her application that she “retired to pursue other endeavors.”

Lindo lists her home address as Escondido, CA, and states that she is currently self-employed as a consultant. Lindo has worked as a teacher and administrator, and her application includes a long list of awards.

She earned her master’s degree from Stanford University and her doctorate at St. Mary’s College of California.

On her application, Lindo wrote: “Recognizing Orleans Parish School District (OPSD) as an organization that strives to create conditions the success of all students, I believe that with my years of honed executive leadership experience, coupled with my site level administrative and teaching experience, I would prove to be a perfect match for OPSD . . . I am organized, transparent, and speak truth to power. My commitment to students first manifests itself in every leadership action I take. Moreover, I am not a stranger to New Orleans. I have ties to NOLA community through a 2008 partnership with the Urban League. I would love nothing more than to leverage my past leadership experiences in a school district that is in need of a committed executive leader who is willing to work for the long haul with the school board, charter operators, teachers, central office functional teams and school sites to solve the everyday problems facing OPSD.”

Lewis is the superintendent of the East Feliciana Parish school district and a member of the St. Bernard Parish School Board. Prior to his position in East Feliciana, Lewis served as the Director of Academies and Instructional Technology for the Algiers Charter Schools Association.

He earned his doctorate at Mississippi State University.

Lewis’ home address on his application is listed as Clinton, LA. He attended St. Bernard High School before the University of New Orleans, and has worked as a teacher and school administrator.

On his application, Lewis wrote: “Currently, I serve as Superintendent in a small rural district in Louisiana, which consist of six district schools and one district charter school. During my two and one-half years in the district, I have provided proven turnaround leadership to the district, which resulted in improved academic and financial performance. In addition, the community has evolved into a community which has confidence and supports the school district’s administration. My experience includes varied components of the educational system. I have been afforded the opportunity to work in a charter school in an urban district in the capacity of school and district administrator. In addition, I currently serve as a school board member in a suburban school district. As a board member I have garnered the propensity to understand the policies that schools are governed by and what is takes to have an effective school system in Louisiana.”

OPSB president Nolan Marshall, Jr. described the finalists as “two excellent candidates, either one of which would do a great job of leading the district.”

He said the board decided to take more time to differentiate between the two, as they have not yet reached a consensus on which one it believe is the best suited for the position.

Regarding the often-divided board, Marshall said he wished they had elected a permanent superintendent several years ago with the skill set to lead the board in more of a unified vision. However despite that lack in leadership, Marshall noted there was no disruption caused in the every day operations of the OPSB schools.

Other major decisions discussed during the meeting’s more than hour-long executive session included the determination to settle a special education lawsuit filed against the board.

The lawsuit was initially filed against the state department of education and the superintendent. The OPSB was later added as a defendant. The suit alleges that students with special needs were severely neglected and in some cases mistreated following the reform that swept the city after Hurricane Katrina.

The board also voted to move forward with litigation to sue the state regarding the authority of the Recovery School District to open new schools.

The RSD maintains that they do have the authority to reopen a school that has been closed (such as Sarah T. Reed and John McDonogh High School), a contention with which the majority of OPSB members disagree.

At the last Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) meeting, the RSD was given the authority by BESE to conduct the Request for Applicants (RFA) for John Mac—a move seen by critics as underhanded and illegal.

The OPSB is one of the listed applicants for John Mac.

Six board members voted to sue the state, with Sarah Usdin abstaining. Usdin has made a habit of abstaining or simply disappearing for votes with which she does not agree or want to publicly take a position. It was not clear why she abstained instead of voting “no,” but Usdin did say that she believes in working collaboratively with the RSD.

Usdin has been consistent in her support for the RSD when the two districts are pitted against each other.

Marshall said that he believes the board is very close to making a decision for a new superintendent. He said they are requesting more in writing from the two finalists, as well as an opportunity to watch them engage with the public.

The date of the community engagement element of the superintendent selection has not yet been determined.

This article originally published in the December 22, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.