Leaders of two teacher unions in East Baton Rouge Parish say they are no longer calling for a first-day-of-school sickout on Aug. 8 in the wake of the hiring of Metro Councilman LaMont Cole as superintendent.
The Advocate has spoken with Valencea Johnson, president of the East Baton Rouge Parish Association of Educators, and Angela Reams-Brown, president of the East Baton Rouge Parish Federation of Teachers.
These two sat next to each other on July 8 at a press conference saying they would hold an Aug. 8 sickout that might continue for longer if the board failed to promote Interim Superintendent Adam Smith to permanent superintendent.
Both Johnson and Reams-Brown say that they are calling off the planned sickout in deference to Smith, who pulled his name from consideration Wednesday and threw his support behind his friend Cole. Both said they were disappointed by Smith’s decision to give up pursuing the office he’s sought twice before, but are respecting Smith’s wishes.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board ended up voting unanimously Wednesday night for Cole, who just applied for the job Tuesday. The board briefly reopening the application process are stalemating over who from the original crop of 17 applicants to name as their next superintendent.
Smith was not included among the three finalists selected on June 28, falling one vote short. That move sparked fierce backlash from employees in support of Smith.
As a consolation to Smith, the School Board on Wednesday named Smith as the new deputy superintendent. In an unusual move, the board is employing Smith directly in his new gig, taking advantage of a rarely used 1968 law that allows the board to directly hire such a person. Almost all other people are hired and fired by the superintendent.
Cole is a 26-year veteran educator who has worked the past 13 years as chief academic officer for CSAL Inc., a Baton Rouge-based charter network, but also spent many years with the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. He started as a teacher and moved into administration, including stints as principal at Capitol Middle and Park Forest middle schools.
A third group, the local chapter of the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, or A+PEL, was also part of the July 8 press conference calling for an Aug. 8 sickout. The Advocate has reached out to that organization as well for comment.
