St. Mary teachers react to departure of La. school chief

Louisiana Superintendent John White announced his resignation Wednesday. Some St. Mary Parish educators won’t be sorry to see White leave the post he’s held for eight years.
“Hopefully, the next state superintendent is actually concerned with improving the quality of education that our children are receiving, and not just with how it looks on paper,” said Kevin Chauvin, an educator for 31 years in St. Mary Parish, in a text message. “Currently, schools are becoming ‘te$ting mills’ to ‘play the game’ and ‘earn’ letter grades that give the public the perception that high quality education is taking place.”
White announced he will step down March 11 in a letter sent by email to the members of the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The letter did not clearly state a reason for the resignation.
In his letter, White praised the work he and the board have done to improve public schools.
“Louisiana is a better educated state today than any point in its history,” White wrote.
BESE members expressed some of the same sentiments as White in their press release concerning the resignation.
“Over the last eight years, Louisiana has made great strides under Superintendent White’s leadership in carrying out the vision of the Board,” said BESE Vice President Dr. Holly Boffy.
BESE pointed to an all-time high graduation rate of 81.4%, as well as record highs in student college and career credential attainment and TOPS eligibility.
But White’s time as superintendent was not without controversy.
White and his allies found themselves at odds with teacher union groups such as the Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Sources of conflict with educators included the merits of vouchers, the new form of teacher evaluations, public school letter grades based on high-stakes assessments, and a host of issues following the implementation of the Common Core standards which were eventually given a slight makeover and renamed Louisiana State standards.
“While LAE members wish Mr. White the best in his future endeavors,” said LAE President Dr. Tia Mills in a news release, “we are happy about a change in leadership at the Louisiana Department of Education.
“I know many educators were not pleased with the initiatives pushed by Mr. White’s administration. His departure presents Louisiana’s education professionals with an opportunity to focus on positive change for our public school students.”
In St. Mary, Tim Hymel, a former educator who also served as the assistant principal of Morgan City High School and principal of Berwick Junior High School, said, “I think most educators will be happy with [White’s] resignation. Many policies that were implemented by him do not fit our state’s needs. Students and teachers are more stressed than ever, and state education has really not improved since he’s been in.
“Hopefully, they will consider all of that in naming our next state superintendent.”
“I am thankful that White is leaving,” said Julie McCarty, an educator who resigned this school year from St. Mary Parish schools, “but with the current BESE, we are likely to end up with worse. I pray that the next state superintendent is actually qualified and certified for the job.”
It is unclear what White will do next.
BESE will immediately begin the process of selecting a new superintendent. The board appoints the position of superintendent by a two-thirds vote.
“All eyes are now on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Louisiana Senate, the groups charged with filling Mr. White’s position,” Mills said.
“The women and men who serve in these bodies must hire an individual with an extensive background in serving students in a K-12 public school system. LAE will be extremely vocal in this selection process,” Mills said.