Inside Report for Jan. 19, 2012

Pat Cooper, the new Lafayette Parish school system superintendent, said he plans over the next few weeks to spend time in meetings with employees, parents, students, business and civic leaders, and community groups to hear what folks think can be done to help the district’s students.

Before the School Board began its search for a superintendent, the public offered feedback in forums and via an online survey about what they hope the new leader’s priorities would be.

Their responses were outlined in a report by University of Louisiana at Lafayette communications department faculty, and shared with the School Board before it began its interviews for a new leader in October. The report included responses from 120 people who attended focus groups, and responses from 218 more who completed an online survey.

While no “clear top priority” for the new superintendent emerged from the feedback, a majority indicated the new district leader should work on improving management of the district’s finances and human resources and improving student performance and quality of life, and community relations.

Part of that better management should include a systemwide plan with “measurable objectives and follow through” and cutting “dead weight” or “ineffective” teachers and staff, according to the public responses. The people who responded also asked for transparency and accountability.

Cooper has said he plans to reorganize the central office to “create clear lines of accountability.” He’s also said he wants to change the existing deputy superintendent of instructional services position to an assistant superintendent for academics and accountability. The reorganization plan is designed to provide more direct support to schools, Cooper has said.

The report included anonymous comments documented in the public forums. Forum participants called for a “vision” for the district, while others requested a more formal plan to improve student achievement.

As part of Cooper’s contract, he’s required to deliver district goals in writing within his first 90 days, and the document will serve as a benchmark in his annual job evaluation. The contract also requires Cooper to deliver a “state of the district” report at least once each fiscal year on the district’s performance in meeting those goals.

The superintendent could work toward improving student performance and quality of life by repairing schools, preventing bullying, improving student discipline, addressing overcrowding and developing curriculum that requires critical thinking, according to the report. So far, Cooper’s time in Lafayette has been limited as he wraps up his job as the director of a New Orleans-based foundation. He’ll start full time in Lafayette at the end of the month and plans meetings with each school’s faculty.

Cooper’s plan to boost student performance districtwide includes implementing school health and wellness teams to address discipline and other issues stemming from children’s physical and emotional health issues. He’s said his goal is to have a nurse and therapist at each school by August.

The members of the public who responded to the surveys also said they want a superintendent who gets involved in the community, visits schools on a regular basis, reaches out to parents, and works to rebuild the public’s trust, according to the report.

Cooper, meanwhile, said in a recent interview that he wants to go through a similar public-input process on his own with the community. “I want to go through that again because I want to build relationships with people,” he said.

Marsha Sills covers education for the Acadiana bureau. She can be reached at [e-mail].