Education names top staffers

Staffers to implement teacher evaluation changes

State Superintendent of Education John White announced Monday morning that five education officials will work with local school districts to implement tougher classroom courses and new evaluations for public school teachers.

The five are outgoing Zachary Community School District Superintendent Warren Drake; Kerry Laster, deputy superintendent of literacy; Gayle Sloan, district support officer for the department; Melissa Stilley, chief academic officer for the Tangipahoa Parish School Board; and Francis Touchet, principal of Erath High School.

Salaries were not listed in a prepared statement issued by the department.

White said previously that Drake would be paid about $150,000 per year.

The state superintendent planned to hold a 1 p.m. conference call with reporters.

“We are changing the way we work with districts through tailored support rather than top-down programs,” White said in a prepared statement.

“We can work better and more efficiently by consolidating multiple offices into teams that customize support for school districts,” he said.

The push for more rigorous classes stems from a nationwide campaign for what officials call common core standards.

The new reviews for public school teachers will link half of a teacher’s annual job evaluation to student performance. The other half will be based on classroom observations by principals and others.

The announcement is the latest in a series of personnel moves as the department undergoes its second reorganization in two years.

State Superintendent of Education John White announced Monday morning that five education officials will work with local school districts to implement tougher classroom courses and new evaluations for public school teachers.

The five are outgoing Zachary Community School District Superintendent Warren Drake; Kerry Laster, deputy superintendent of literacy; Gayle Sloan, district support officer for the department; Melissa Stilley, chief academic officer for the Tangipahoa Parish School Board; and Francis Touchet, principal of Erath High School.

Salaries were not listed in a prepared statement issued by the department.

White said previously that Drake would be paid about $150,000 per year.

The state superintendent planned to hold a 1 p.m. conference call with reporters.

“We are changing the way we work with districts through tailored support rather than top-down programs,” White said in a prepared statement.

“We can work better and more efficiently by consolidating multiple offices into teams that customize support for school districts,” he said.

The push for more rigorous classes stems from a nationwide campaign for what officials call common core standards.

The new reviews for public school teachers will link half of a teacher’s annual job evaluation to student performance. The other half will be based on classroom observations by principals and others.

The announcement is the latest in a series of personnel moves as the department undergoes its second reorganization in two years.