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Board authorizes president to negotiate one-year contract with superintendent while search proceeds
Summary
The Board of Directors of the Louisiana Special School District voted unanimously on March 24 to direct the board president to negotiate a one-year employment agreement with Superintendent Shirley Lewis effective March 24, 2026; the board also tasked its personnel committee to develop a search plan for a permanent superintendent by May 5.
Patrick Quinn, a board member, moved that the board "direct and authorize the board president to negotiate terms of an employment agreement that establishes a one-year contract with Dr. Lewis" that would begin March 24, 2026 and include performance measures while the board continues its search.
The motion, amended on the floor to require that the board vote on contract terms at the May 5 meeting, passed on a roll-call vote with Liam Dole, Sandy Holloway, Maria Annis, Vicky Smith, Audrea Muslo Hicks, Darlene Budgewater, Patrick Quinn and Jessica White voting yes.
Legal context: Tai Maner, general counsel for the Louisiana Special School District, briefed the board on statutory authority and bylaws, citing "Louisiana revised statute title 17 section 145.1" and discussing Title 17 Section 54 as a recommended model for search procedures even though those local-district rules do not formally apply to this state educational agency. Maner advised that the board’s bylaws require a quorum and a majority of that quorum for hiring decisions and suggested the personnel committee present a recommended search framework to the full board by May 5.
The personnel committee — composed for now of Patrick Quinn, Liam Dole and Sandy Holloway (with Maria Annis tentatively added) — was directed to develop search procedures including a position description, outreach plan, applicant screening approach and recommendations on whether to use an outside search consultant. Board members emphasized the importance of full board representation during the search; several public commenters had urged filling two vacant seats that are normally held by members of the deaf community.
What happens next: The president will negotiate a proposed one-year agreement with Dr. Shirley Lewis; contract terms are to be presented for board approval at the May 5 meeting. The personnel committee will meet in public before that date to prepare a formal search plan and a recommended handoff point to the full board.
No objections to the motion were recorded during the roll call; the board recorded the decision as a formal action and set follow-up steps for both contract approval and the companion search process.
