Superintendent highlights new-teacher induction, names administrators ahead of fall semester
Summary
Superintendent Javi told the school board finance committee that more than 200 new teachers attended induction and announced several administrative appointments, including a new director of maintenance and curriculum supervisor, as the district prepares to open schools.
Superintendent Javi said at the Saint Tammany Parish School Board Finance and Administrative Committee meeting on July 10, 2025, that more than 200 new teachers attended new‑teacher induction and that the district is “ready to open school.”
Javi said the district prioritized onboarding and summer staffing work and played two short videos highlighting new‑teacher induction and a robotics summer camp. He also announced several administrative appointments, introducing Gary Hoover as the new director of maintenance and custodial services and Sherry Jones as the new curriculum instruction supervisor. The superintendent presented additional parishwide assistant principal appointments and acting principals appointed to fill vacancies before the start of school.
The announcements followed a short summary of this summer’s onboarding activities and district priorities. Javi said new‑teacher induction covers pedagogy, behavior management and technology supports and praised the human resources and curriculum teams for the work done during the summer. “We had over 200 people in the auditorium for the first meeting,” he said.
Hoover, introduced as the new director of maintenance, addressed the board and said, “It is an honor to serve as director of maintenance and custodial services,” and thanked his family and maintenance staff. Sherry Jones thanked board members and district colleagues after being named curriculum instruction supervisor and pledged to bring “passion and dedication to the role.” Several other appointees — Taylor Conway, Katie Grubb, Kate Horridge and Amber Spurgeon — were introduced as parishwide assistant principals or acting administrators; each spoke briefly and thanked family and colleagues.
The district also previewed specific maintenance preparations underway to open schools, including air‑conditioning checks, summer flooring and sidewalk projects, and 60 portable air‑conditioning units purchased as backups for outages. The superintendent named staff who will take acting roles for the coming year so schools can open with leadership in place.
Board members did not take a formal vote on the appointments during this portion of the meeting; the introductions were presented as recognitions and administrative updates.
Why it matters: those staffing decisions and summer work directly affect schools’ readiness on the first day of classes and the district’s capacity to start the year without leadership or facilities gaps.
Looking ahead: the superintendent said administrators’ conference is imminent and that the district will continue to post assignment details and school placements for the appointees in the coming days.
