Superintendent Cole told the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on July 17 that East Baton Rouge schools are preparing for the 2025–26 school year with a focus on operational readiness, completing master schedules, and targeted supports for seniors.

“All master schedules are expected to be finalized by July 23,” Superintendent Cole said during his update, and he reported that school-level master scheduling was about 85% complete districtwide. He urged families to enroll students promptly so schools can finalize schedules before the first day.

The superintendent summarized several operational items that affect families and school leaders: 18 of 21 planned school moves tied to district realignment had occurred; the district’s public realignment dashboard showed 77% of required tasks complete with another 22% on time; facilities cleaning and site upgrades were in progress; and a new Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts will reopen at its Acadian Drive location pending final walkthroughs.

Staffing and vacancies

Superintendent Cole said the district’s instructional and support staff was 96% staffed with 161 vacancies remaining and 18 days before school start; he added that 104 of the vacancies were teaching positions. Realignment schools were staffed at about 91% with 49 teacher vacancies across those zones. The office of human resources hosted a mid-summer job fair on July 15 with more than 150 attendees and continues targeted hiring efforts.

College and accountability

High school counselors return July 21 to audit senior transcripts and prepare individualized graduation plans, Cole said, noting, “We want to ensure all of our seniors who enter on the first day as a senior student is able to graduate on time and walk across the stage with their peers.” He also said LEAP assessment reports were released earlier in the month and that staff will present district and state LEAP results at the board’s August Committee of the Whole and regular August meeting, along with a briefing on changes to the accountability model.

Start-time pilot, transportation and enrollment

Six district schools — Mary Rose Capital Elementary, Capital High, Meridale (sic), Glen Oaks Park, and Glen Oaks High School — were named as phase 1 sites for a school start-time initiative, and community conversations are being scheduled. The superintendent said more than 700 families had responded to the transportation opt-out survey, and staff established three new bus collection sites to reduce travel time for student commutes. Cole said the district is working with partners to add another collection site for families in the Southeast region.

Facilities and realignment

Cole said site moves are scheduled to finish by July 23 and that summer cleaning is complete at more than half of the schools, with the remainder to be finalized by July 22. He thanked facilities staff and partners for their work on moves and rebranding projects connected to district realignment.

Next steps and reporting

Superintendent Cole said staff will return to the board with detailed LEAP data and a joint presentation on the new accountability model in August. He also told the board that staff will continue targeted hiring efforts and provide updates to ensure class schedules and staffing are in place for the start of school.

Quote on preparation

“Preparation is just not about logistic, it's about reestablishing our standards and defines who we are and what we expect from our students and staff,” Superintendent Cole said in the meeting.