Awash in Crises, New Orleans Searches for a New Superintendent — Again
When it formally kicked off its hunt for the next New Orleans superintendent in late January, the Orleans Parish School Board outlined a three-month search process intended to culminate in early April with public interviews of the top candidates and, in quick succession, a vote to extend a contract to one of them.
From community listening sessions to a plan for advertising the post, each step was standard operating procedure except one: An asterisk at the bottom of the PowerPoint laying out a timeline stated that the board reserves the right to stop the process at any time and simply appoint someone.
That note did little to quell concerns among leaders of the city's schools — all but one of them independent public charter schools — who are still reeling from the fractious events that led up to the abrupt November departure of Avis Williams. The former superintendent resigned after a series of missteps that included an accounting error that obscured a deficit of at least $36 million.
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter
Separately, district leaders have asked a court to enforce the terms of a $90 million settlement in a 2019 lawsuit filed against the city of New Orleans. The suit argues that the city illegally skimmed up to $150 million in taxes owed to schools. Among other things, at stake is an initial payment of $20 million, which district and board leaders planned to use to offset some of the $36 million budget shortfall.
Williams became superintendent in the sixth year of New Orleans's experiment as the nation's only all-charter district. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city had rebuilt its entire school system — at the time, one of the nation's worst — into a totally new kind of system in which every school lived or died according to its performance contract. This autonomy-for-accountability bargain has led to better outcomes for students, even as it remains controversial.
A year ago, Williams — who had no prior experience with charter schools — mishandled a school closure, reversing her own decisions several times and leaving families scrambling to find alternatives. Critics argued the chaos was the result of her lack of understanding, two years into the job, of how NOLA Public Schools' unique system worked. In the end, she solved the problems created by the botched process of revoking the charter of a failing school by replacing it with a traditional, district-run school — a move some board members had been pushing for.
Related
The challenges left unresolved — including the budget crisis, an overdue downsizing and longstanding problems with the district's centralized enrollment system — will make the next superintendent's job even more daunting, some members of the charter community say. They believe this makes it imperative that the next district leader is very familiar with the issues and the system's capacity to address them.
Typically, the initial vetting of superintendent candidates is not done publicly. But two names circulating widely in New Orleans's tight-knit education community potentially present a stark choice between a native of the city who helped to create the current system and a veteran administrator who was hired two years ago by Williams.
The first, Sharon Clark, is a charter school network leader who played a prominent role in developing the city's charter system and an elected member of the state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is the principal of Sophie B. Wright High School, which had just become one of the city's first charter schools when Hurricane Katrina hit. Clark was able to reopen the school within months, to serve the children of first responders. Last year, the high school earned a B overall on state report cards but an F for student performance on state exams.
Related
The second, NOLA Public Schools Interim Superintendent Fateama Fulmore, is a seasoned administrator who had little charter experience before being brought on by Williams two years ago. She has held top jobs in Omaha, Philadelphia and North Carolina, and last fall was a finalist for two other superintendencies.
The members of the board that might or might not let the search play out have conflicting visions for the future of the school system. Some want the district to return to operating schools traditionally. Others are more concerned about downsizing and the financial crisis — uncovered last fall by charter finance officers — that threatens the schools' ability to provide quality services.
Board member Olin Parker has said Fulmore would be a very strong candidate to lead the district on a permanent basis. But Caroline Roemer, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, says Clark is a better pick, particularly given the urgent issues before the district.
'We need someone with zero learning curve when it comes to relationships — community relationships, school relationships,' she says. 'What is important now is to have someone from New Orleans.'
According to a report in The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, most community members who attended a January public meeting told the board they wanted a native of the city who grasps the complexities of the district's decentralized structure.
Outside of people who have worked in the schools, precious few truly understand the unique nature of New Orleans's system. The NOLA Public Schools leader's powers are limited by state law, so the superintendency is not a job for a conventional leader looking to make a mark. There are also complicated racial legacies.
All this makes filling the district's top job a tall order.
When Williams was appointed in 2022, she was given contradictory mandates by board members and failed, despite repeated entreaties, to forge relationships with the charter network leaders who have long worked with the district to troubleshoot common issues.
By law, the district is constrained from dictating how individual schools educate students. So NOLA Public Schools leaders have fewer, but more distinct, responsibilities than administrators in typical districts. They distribute local, state and federal funds, which schools may spend as they see fit, and they monitor whether individual schools are performing well enough to merit renewal of their charter.
When Williams was hired, she was asked to tackle an ambitious list of novel problems that included figuring out how to downsize the district in the face of declining enrollment — a process that necessarily would require the cooperation of charter operators. She also was charged with fixing a centralized system for matching students with schools and confronting rising absenteeism and mental health issues.
From the start, the New Orleans education community questioned whether Williams could make progress without collaborating with people whom traditional superintendents view as subordinates. Most of her daunting to-do list remains unfinished.
Related
A year ago, after a series of missteps involving the expected revocation of the Lafayette Academy Charter School's permission to operate, Williams ceded to pressure from then-board vice president Leila Jacobs Eames to open a traditionally operated school in its place — something the superintendent had previously said the district was ill-equipped to do.
During an October meeting with district administrators, a number of charter school finance leaders realized NOLA Public Schools had miscalculated the amount of tax revenue it was set to receive from the city by what would later turn out to be at least $36 million. Williams resigned in November.
A month later, the broadcast outlet Fox8 discovered, via a public records request, that the board had approved a $335,000 settlement with Williams, which both parties had agreed not to disclose to the public.
The CEO of Crescent City Schools, Kate Mehok helps coordinate the School Leadership Forum, a network of charter operators who have long met regularly to hammer out solutions to common problems. Many of New Orleans's most effective innovations were hatched by the network.
Mehok says school leaders have told board members that they would like to meet with the candidates. 'We're hoping they choose to do this so that it's clear to whoever becomes the superintendent that we're an important constituent group,' she says. 'Our thoughts about it matter, so we have asked to be formally included in giving feedback to the board.'
Dana Peterson, CEO of the school improvement and policy group New Schools for New Orleans, says he has told board members that they should spend time now clarifying what they want the next superintendent's priorities to be.
'Maybe [Williams] didn't have the right set of experiences, maybe she didn't have the right disposition towards our system,' he says. 'But it was also true she was unclear on what direction the board wanted her to go on certain things.'
Applications for the position are open until March 16. Four days later, the board is scheduled to decide whether to interview any of the candidates. If finalists are selected and the process continues as planned, public interviews could take place at board meetings over the following three weeks.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Topsham-area voters approve $57.9 million school budget
Jun. 11—Voters passed a $57.88 million budget for the Topsham-based School Administrative District 75 Tuesday. All four towns that contribute to the budget — Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham — voted in favor of the budget and voted to continue school budget referendums for another three years. The fiscal year 2026 school budget reflects a 5.52% increase from the previous year, attributed to an increase in current services and additional resources, position additions and capital maintenance. Under the new budget, Topsham contributes the most to the school district at more than $14.2 million, an 8.09% increase from the current fiscal year. Harpswell contributes $11.27 million, followed by Bowdoinham at $4.66 million and Bowdoin at $4.25 million. Taken together, local school assessments increased by $2.83 million, or 8.96%. The change was attributed to state property valuations and student enrollment. Significant increases in costs this year included salary and benefit increases, health insurance premiums, software costs and rising property values, according to budget documents. New positions have also been added, including a social worker, a board-certified behavior analyst, two pre-kindergarten teachers and an elementary school teacher. Additionally, $50,000 has been set aside to purchase Yondr pouches for the middle and high schools to reduce cell phone use during school hours, and $20,000 will go toward an instructional AI platform for teaching and learning. The budget also sets an allowance of $700,000 for capital projects, including replacing fire alarms at Woodside Elementary, roofing improvements at Williams-Cone Elementary, replacing carpeting and flooring at Mt. Ararat Middle School, and district-wide safety initiatives like lock and alarm improvements. Reductions to the budget this year include eliminating unfilled positions, including four paraprofessionals, one bus aide, one mechanic apprentice and two transportation positions. Debt service costs have also decreased this year by roughly $60,500 as bonds continue to be paid down. The state subsidy increased by nearly $205,000 and is contributing to balancing the budget. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas Law Targets Education Emergency of Uncertified Teachers in the Classroom
Texas has a teacher problem that mirrors a national crisis: Too many classrooms are staffed by educators who haven't been properly prepared. About 1 in 8 teaching positions nationwide are unfilled or occupied by someone who is not fully certified. The numbers are starker in Texas, where one-third of teachers hired in the 2023-24 school year were unlicensed. This isn't just a staffing issue; it's an educational emergency that demands a fundamental shift in how America regards teaching as a profession. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Unlike other career paths, such as medicine, law or engineering, teaching has never been fully professionalized. It is possible for an individual to walk into a classroom with minimal training and be called a teacher. True professionalization of teaching would require significant changes to the system, which features a hodgepodge of quick certification programs and temporary credentials across different states. Instead, every teacher should be required to complete comprehensive preparation that includes professional practice with expert feedback. This preparation period would be both rigorous and standardized — similar to medical residencies or legal clerkships — ensuring that all new teachers enter classrooms with proven skills to go along with their good intentions. Professional teachers should also engage in continuous learning throughout their careers, which means regularly updating their skills and knowledge as new research emerges about effective educational methods. Schools should also offer clearer pathways for career advancement, making it easier for excellent teachers to take on leadership roles or mentor newcomers. Outstanding classroom teaching requires sophisticated leadership and communication skills that take years to develop. The relative lack of ongoing training and career development for teachers once they've entered the classroom has created a vicious cycle where underprepared educators struggle in classrooms and leave the profession quickly. This creates more vacancies to be filled by people who also haven't been sufficiently trained. Texas' House Bill 2, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 4 and taking effect in the fall, attempts to break this cycle by setting specific limits on how many uncertified teachers districts can employ. Starting in the 2026-27 school year, no more than 20% of a district's teachers would be allowed to work without proper certification in core subjects. That percentage would drop each year until it reached just 5% by 2029-30. The law is a serious step toward treating teaching like the skilled profession it is. It was critically important that the bill be passed and signed, because the consequences of the current system are devastating for students. In Texas, having an unprepared teacher is equivalent to missing over one-third of the school year: research shows that Texas students taught by new, uncertified teachers lose about four months of learning in reading and three months in math. Meanwhile, students taught by teachers who recently completed Relay Graduate School of Education's rigorous preparation program gain an extra five months of progress in reading progress and three months in math. This is equivalent to gaining more than half a school year's worth of learning in both subjects. States facing similar shortages of qualified teachers in their classrooms should pay attention to Texas' experiment and consider their own approaches to professionalizing teaching. The stakes are too high to continue with quick fixes and emergency measures. Transforming teaching into a true profession would require a coordinated effort from multiple stakeholders. State governments must set and enforce rigorous certification standards while funding comprehensive preparation programs. School districts need to create supportive working environments that treat teachers as valuable professionals rather than interchangeable workers. Universities must redesign teacher preparation to emphasize practical skills and classroom experience. And the profession itself must embrace higher standards and accountability. Students deserve teachers who have been thoroughly prepared for the complex and important work of delivering a great education.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Homeowners tax credit bill killed, no relief for low-income homeowners
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A bill designed to save Louisiana residents money on their homeowner's insurance is dead at the state legislature. As the legislative session winds down to Thursday's adjournment, the House vetoed Senate Bill 235, which would have assisted low-income homeowners in tax credits. City of New Orleans, Orleans Parish School Board back in court involving $90M negotiation Senator Royce Duplessis, who sponsored the bill, called it unfortunate. 'I can assure you that the people of Louisiana would have wanted this bill to pass,' Duplessis said. 'And if the people of Louisiana had a voice and a vote, they would have passed it overwhelmingly. So, unfortunately, another good policy was shot down by justifications that are not good enough.' Families of four making less than $64,000 could have been eligible to claim up to $2,000 in a tax credit. Those making less than $25,000 would receive a cash rebate to help cover their insurance costs. Housing Louisiana President Andreanecia Morris says this was an immediate need to help people, especially as we see population loss. 'We're seeing thousands of people leave Louisiana, some voluntarily and some not voluntarily,' Morris said. 'A lot of people gotten a notice just in the last few weeks and have seen their insurance rate for the second, third, fourth year in a row, significantly increase.' Louisiana bill would allow concealed guns at parades Originally the bill was capped at $10 million but the House dropped it, capping it at $1 million. Morris calls it a slap in the face to the people who, time and time again, are told to be resilient after a storm. 'People are tired of that word being applied to them by leaders who could make their communities resilient, who could put resilient systems in place so that they don't have to just roll with the punches,' said Morris. Duplessis said he will continue to fight for insurance relief. 'We're going to continue to have conversations and work on solutions to try to bring relief to people,' Duplessis said. 'But we are getting towards the final hours of the session. So, we're going to continue to have conversations to see what could potentially be.'Partners for Stennis and Michoud raise concerns about proposed NASA budget cuts Heavy rain moving through Tuesday evening Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' gets boost from LA immigration protests Homeowners tax credit bill killed, no relief for low-income homeowners Police arrest man accused of woman's shooting death in Baton Rouge Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.