In early May, candidates will start applying to become the next superintendent of Baton Rouge public schools. Yet even as those applications begin to roll in, school leaders will be racing to settle on strategic goals and a fresh vision for the state’s second-largest school district.
The original plan was to swiftly complete this goal-setting process — punctuated by a lightning round of community meetings —Ի showcase the results to prospective superintendents before the job application went live.
That timeline, however, has slipped.
Much of the delay stems from a recent clash over a $35,000 proposal from a Baton Rouge consulting firm to organize this public outreach effort.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on March 7 voted to set aside the Emergent Method proposal and instead formally request proposals from interested firms. The debate pitted board members looking to move quickly against colleagues who worried that a rushed search process would damage public trust.
Board members ended up selecting , which is best known for accrediting schools and colleges, to handle the work.
The vote, . Board member Cliff Lewis abstained, while board member Dadrius Lanus was absent.
The board previously voted to place ads for the vacant superintendent’s position no later than May 6, ads which by law need to continue for at least 30 days. The board, though, has yet to settle on whether it will hire outside help to conduct the search or to handle it all on its own.
Sito Narcisse served as superintendent of the school district for three years before accepting a voluntary buyout on Jan. 23. Longtime district administrator Adam Smith was immediately appointed interim superintendent, but by law can serve no more than six months in that role, or until mid-July.
Cognia, formerly AdvancEd, has a big presence in Louisiana. East Baton Rouge Parish is one of many school districts that are accredited with the accrediting body.
Cognia was one of three “responsive” applicants for the job. proved decisive. The other two firms, Ի of New Orleans, were each asking for much more — $85,000 — to do the work.
Emergent Method opted not to submit a fresh proposal.
Franklin Associates, led by its president, Perry Franklin, has previously done similar work with the school system, most notably in 2017 it organized community meetings to gather public input for a new school construction plan that voters approved in April 2018.
, Franklin teamed up with , which also has a long history of working with the school system, including conducting a 2022 employee compensation study.
Board President Carla Powell-Lewis and Vice President Patrick Martin V rated the proposals in five areas: qualifications and experience; staff member credentials; approach and methodology; project timeline; and cost/fees.
Powell-Lewis and Martin , 190 out of 200. Franklin was second with 168 points, while K. Allen Consulting was third with 160 points.
Cost/fees was where Cognia shined, earning 20 out of 20 points. The other two proposals received just eight out of 20 points available in this area.
Fairleigh Jackson, a member of the district’s parent advisory council, urged the board to accept the Franklin Associates proposal despite its higher price.
“I’ve been up at this microphone many times being a penny pincher on your behalf. This is not one of those times,” Jackson said. “This is a very important process. Our community deserves the best process.”
Jackson objected to how much of the information about the three proposals was not posted online until 30 minutes before Thursday’s board meetings. She said Franklin has a superior approach and that the money the school system spends with that firm would stay in Baton Rouge.
“That might not be as important to some of you, but as a taxpayer that’s really important to me,” she said.
Powell-Lewis defended the need to keep costs down given current budget concerns in the school system.
“These past few months we have definitely talked about how we really need to penny pinch, but at the same time we have to take care of our business," she said.
She said Cognia is capable of doing the job.
“They have an educational background as well as a community engagement background,” Powell-Lewis said.
