Board told principal selection delayed
NEW ROADS — School Superintendent Linda D’Amico had hoped to present the Pointe Coupee Parish School Board with a recommendation for a new principal at Rosenwald Elementary on Thursday night, but said that ended up being unfeasible.
D’Amico told the board that the committee and leadership team that would be conducting the second round of interviews was in instructional training last week, which set back the timeline for the new hire.
That development didn’t sit well with board member Chad Aguillard, who told the superintendent the school district needs to “move as quickly as possible” to fill the vacancy so the new principal could have adequate time to prepare for the job.
“There are a lot of things that person is going to be responsible for,” Aguillard said. “We have to do something about Rosenwald. We have to move that school forward or we’re going to lose it.”
Officials reported 14 people submitted applications for the position. The superintendent said she hopes to have the job filled by the middle of July.
“I think it’s important that the leadership team has a play in this because they are the people (who) are at Rosenwald,” she said. “I would not want the decision to just be made by supervisors.”
Aguillard said it would only be fair that the district give the new principal some flexibility when a decision is made as it relates to staffing Rosenwald, since the job would most likely be filled in the middle of summer.
“In the last couple of years at Rosenwald, I’ve seen people come and go,” he said. “I think it’s time we look at a local person. Someone (with) ties to the community and is more likely to be here when times get tough.”
Among the 14 who have applied, officials said, two prospects are local candidates.
When asked if the district plans to re-advertise the position, D’Amico replied she would be less inclined to do that because there is such a short amount of time left before the start of the new school year.
“We need to re-look at the candidates in a different light and see what we can do and then make a recommendation after that,” D’Amico said.