Just hours after winning the job, newly appointed East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Sito Narcisse flew in from Washington D.C. and went on a whirlwind tour of a community he said he intends to learn quite well.
As part of that tour, Narcisse visited Glen Oaks High School, where he held a press conference to introduce himself to his new home.
“It’s important to get to know what’s going on right now,” said Narcisse, who is chief of secondary schools in the D.C. school district.
Narcisse was not alone at the microphone. He was joined by Louisiana Schools Superintendent Cade Brumley, two members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and two members of the parish School Board. Mayor Pro Tem LaMont Cole was also present, representing local government.
Sito Narcisse, chief of secondary schools in Washington, D.C., was chosen as East Baton Rouge Parish superintendent Thursday night, edging out…
Mayor Sharon Weston Broome had planned to be there as well, but bowed out due to the death of a family friend.
Standing off to the side, watching, was Interim Superintendent Adam Smith, the man Narcisse edged out on Thursday night for the job in a 5-4 vote by the parish School Board. Before the press conference Thursday, Narcisse said he sat down with Smith and top staff to learn more about the parish school system, which has more than 5,000 employees and 40,000 students.
“There’s a lot of great work that’s already been started,” Narcisse said, “I just want to accelerate that.”
He said he would build upon current initiatives, paying special attention to improving early literacy so children can read well by third grade.
Narcisse won the job despite a strong push to promote Smith, a well-liked 24-year veteran of the school district. Both local teacher unions and several groups affiliated with public education pushed the board to hire Smith, as did many current and former school employees.
Brumley, who knows firsthand what superintendent searches are like, said they “are never easy” but they serve a purpose.
“Through that process, we learn a lot about each other,” he said. “And I hope those lessons that are learned throughout that process are helpful as unity begins to take place throughout the system.”
Brumley pledged to help Narcisse so that “Baton Rouge can be the city that it has the potential to become.”
Cole is also familiar with superintendent searches. A veteran educator himself, Cole almost a year ago unsuccessfully applied for the same job Narcisse has landed. Cole is also close friends with Smith.
Cole urged people who might be upset to stay engaged in public education.
“Every child in our community deserves a high quality education, and if we don’t support our new superintendent, and if we don’t work together and engage with this process we cannot hold people accountable,” Cole said.
Speaking through a white mask with Mardi Gras-colored stripes, Narcisse talked broadly Friday about his education plans. He said he'd like to have universal prekindergarten, improve career programs, and make sure every neighborhood has quality schools and options.
Narcisse still has steps to take before he can assume his new job. He said he’s beginning negotiations on a superintendent contract. He’s willing to start “as soon as possible,” but has yet to settle on a start date.
He also needs to wrap up his affairs in D.C.
Narcisse also said he’s in the process of dealing with the fact that he falls short of the qualifications required in Louisiana to be a public school superintendent. He has just three years of classroom teaching experience, when the law requires five.
Narcisse wouldn’t say whether he will seek a waiver from the teaching requirement or whether he will hire a chief academic officer who can qualify for the credential he lacks. He said his 18 years of experience, most of them as a school administrator, more than compensate.
“I’ve been a teacher. I’ve been a vice principal. I’ve been a principal in two cities,” he said. “I have the experience around education.”
