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First‑round interviews for Saint Mary Parish superintendent center on enrollment, CTE and desegregation case
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Summary
Three finalists for Saint Mary Parish superintendent presented plans April 30, emphasizing career and technical education, facility consolidation to cut costs, and strategies to reverse accelerating student enrollment declines; the board will decide next steps at its May 7 meeting.
Saint Mary Parish School Board completed its first round of interviews April 30 for the district’s next superintendent, hearing two experienced internal candidates and the interim superintendent outline competing plans to address declining enrollment, budget pressure and an active desegregation case.
Mr. Aina, a 26‑year district educator and current Franklin Junior High School principal who also serves on the parish council, framed the job as balancing three urgent priorities: “academic momentum that must be protected, enrollment and fiscal pressure that must be reversed, and legal reality that must be respected,” he said in his opening remarks. He told the board the district’s October MFP enrollment stood at about 6,720 students and that enrollment has fallen roughly 5% a year, which removes “millions in MFP revenue” from the district.
Aina outlined several near‑term tactics for stabilizing finances and boosting the local workforce, including consolidating underused facilities and expanding career and technical education (CTE). “We have 21 facilities and about 7,000 students — that comes out to about 330 students per facility,” he said, arguing some sites could be repurposed into a centralized CTE center to eliminate duplicated programs and operating costs. He also proposed partnering with the Delta Regional Authority and other workforce grants to expand CTE offerings.
James Lee Russell III, who described a 29‑year education career that includes principal and supervisory roles, emphasized community and extracurricular engagement as tools to attract and retain students. Russell proposed marketing pre‑K and kindergarten options, strengthening extracurricular opportunities to boost parental involvement and exploring a district‑run virtual academy to recapture students currently enrolled in commercial distance‑learning programs.
“I would like to establish a focus group to analyze the impact of creating a virtual learning academy,” Russell said, adding such a program could enlarge enrollment and the district’s MFP funding if implemented with required in‑person supports.
Interim Superintendent Rachel Sanders, who has led district operations on an interim basis, stressed system alignment, consistent messaging and preparation for imminent legal and accountability changes. Sanders noted the district’s student population (which she said totals 6,952) and urged the board to “play offense” in promoting the district’s academic and extracurricular offerings to compete with private, charter and home‑school options. She also advised the board the district faces a pending desegregation court action and significant accountability formula changes from the state that could affect funding and reporting.
Board members repeatedly pressed candidates on three recurring themes: whether and how to consolidate facilities or CTE offerings to reduce duplicated costs; how to use the recently renewed 0.45¢ sales tax to provide recurring pay increases for teachers rather than one‑time stipends; and how a superintendent would handle staff performance and community criticism. In response, candidates described conservative fiscal approaches, restorative professional development for marginal employees, and transparent, data‑driven decision making.
No hiring vote was taken. Staff explained the board will place action on its May 7 regular meeting agenda to choose among options: proceed to hire after an executive session, call a second round of interviews, or take other steps. The meeting ended after a voice vote carried a motion to adjourn.
