After weeks of delays, East Baton Rouge Parish has a new superintendent. LaMont Cole, a metro councilman and longtime educator, will take over the school district’s top job.
The parish district’s school board unanimously elected Cole on Wednesday night after an hour-long interview. Cole said he will use his background as a school principal and administrator to move the district forward.
“This has been my dream job since I was 8 years old,” Cole said following his interview. “I’m blessed tonight to be able to serve in it. There's nothing else I want to do.”
The board also appointed longtime district administrator and recent interim superintendent Adam Smith to Cole’s deputy role.
The decision marks the end of a tumultuous six-month hiring process that took place following the departure of East Baton Rouge’s previous superintendent, Sito Narcisse, last December.
Board members launched their search in January to recruit a new leader that could help improve the district’s “C” letter grade from the state and navigate a host of other issues, including teacher vacancies and the formation of the City of St. George. East Baton Rouge is the state’s second largest school district, serving a majority-Black population of over 40,000 students.
The board initially selected three finalists for the top job in June – all education professionals from outside the school district. But all ultimately dropped out due to various reasons, including delays in the process spurred by board member infighting. Community members and teachers’ unions also criticized the process for not including Smith as a finalist.
Board members hit an impasse last week after all finalists dropped out, which led to an intervention meeting with Cade Brumley, the state’s superintendent of education on July 22. A contract with interim superintendent Adam Smith expired the following day, and the board faced additional state intervention if they failed to appoint a permanent leader.
The meeting with Brumley spurred the board to open a last-minute call for more applications. Cole applied on Tuesday due to urging from board members and his family, he said.
During Wednesday’s special meeting, board members had the option of interviewing non-finalist candidates from the original applicant pool of 17 people. But they voted to interview only Cole for the job.
In his hour-long public interview, Cole outlined his experience as a chief academic officer for Community School for Apprenticeship Learning, a Baton Rouge charter school system. He also served as a principal of several public middle schools in East Baton Rouge.
Cole stressed trust-building, student safety and improving graduation and literacy rates as his top priorities.
“The one thing I would love to see is that all of our students who enter high school graduate on time,” he said. “I want them to have options if they want to go to college or the workforce, they can.”
Cole will also inherit the responsibility of navigating the district through its new relationship with the recently-formed city of St. George. Cole was one of the litigants in East Baton Rouge’s lawsuit against the city’s formation.
“I’ve learned a great deal during the process, but there are people I love, including my mother, who live in St. George. It’s important to make sure we provide high quality basic services for all who live in our city-parish.”
Ahead of their final vote, board members expressed gratitude for reaching the end of a lengthy interview process.
“We’re fortunate to have someone of Mr. Cole’s calibur to fall in our laps at the last minute,” said Mark Bellue, board member.
Cole said he will not seek another term on the metro council and will wrap up several obligations in his role as mayor pro tem as he takes on the role of superintendent. The school board must now negotiate a contract and salary with him as well.
After board members elected Cole, cheers filled the room. Cole grew emotional as he shook hands with board members and sat in the superintendent’s seat on the dais, where he thanked the board, his supporters and his wife.
“I look forward to working with all of you,” he said. “I look forward to ensuring that we have the best school system in the world.”
