UPDATED: 5 apply for superintendent post; board implements Ten Commandments poster law

CENTERVILLE – Five educators have applied to become St. Mary’s next superintendent of schools, including two who are already administrators in the parish’s system.

The names of the five applicants were made public Thursday at a School Board meeting. The deadline for applications was Tuesday.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board adopted a resolution directing parish schools to post donated Ten Commandments posters in all classrooms.

Superintendent
applicants

The applicants hope to become the permanent successor to Dr. Buffy Fegenbush, who retired in January.

The applicants are:

--Dr. Rachael Sanders, who has served as interim superintendent since Fegenbush took medical leave in November. Sanders has spent her 27-year career in St. Mary and is a former Patterson High principal.

--J Ina, currently the principal at Franklin Junior High after a 28-year education career. He holds a master’s degree in education administration and supervision. Ina currently represents the Franklin area on the St. Mary Parish Council.

--Dr. Clarence Michael Robinson of Thibodaux. Now an education consultant, Robinson is a former superintendent in Ohio. He has applied recently for superintendent posts in Terrebonne and East Baton Rouge parishes as well as St. Mary.

--James Russell, currently the director of child welfare and attendance for Iberia Parish schools. With a wide-ranging academic background that included law school, Russell has represented the Louisiana Association of Child Welfare & Attendance on the state’s STAR Task Force on school attendance.

--Emily Martin of Plaquemine. Her X account lists her as a candidate for a doctor of education degree from Baylor University. She is listed on the Iberville Parish Schools website as director of the English learning program.
Interviews of the applicants are scheduled for April 30. At least part of the interview process will be conducted in open session.

Commandment
posters

The Legislature passed and Gov. Jeff Landry signed a 2024 law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments posters in classrooms. A federal court injunction blocked implementation of the law, citing a previous case in which such posters were held to violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

In February, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the injunction. The majority opinion said it’s too soon to block implementation of the law because it’s not year clear what compliance with the law will look like.

State Attorney General Liz Murrill’s guidance letter of Jan. 5, 2025, presented four suggested posters, each between 11 by 14 inches and 18 by 24 inches.

“To avoid any possibility of confusion whether displays are attributable to individual teachers, a school should place its displays on any classroom wall other than behind a teacher’s desk, podium, or location from which a teacher ordinarily delivers instruction,” the guidance says.

The letter says schools should “place its displays among others reflecting educational content, such as those displaying the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance. …”

The School Board resolution adopted Thursday adopts Murrill’s guidance “as its own” and directs all schools in the district to implement the law, “provided that the specified displays or funding are donated. …”

The conservative Louisiana Family Forum has offered to donate Ten Commandments posters to schools in most Louisiana parishes.

Board member Lawrence Guillory of Centerville moved to adopt the resolution, seconded by Lindsey Anslem of Bayou Vista. It passed without objection on a voice vote.

Honors

The School Board recognized these achievements:

--The Students and Employee of the Month come from Centerville.

The students are fifth-grader Peyton Ross; her sister, eighth-grader Chloe Ross; and senior Ava Louviere. The Teacher of the Month is Lauren Palombo.

--The artwork of Patterson High student Alicea Franklin was displayed at the Louisiana School Board Association March 29-31.

--Four St. Mary Education Rising students will appear in a national competition in June in Portland, Ore. They are Ava Ho, Kyla Smith, Kinsley Aucoin and Violet Busse.

--Patterson High’s team was the overall winner in the recent parishwide welding competition hosted by New Industries.

Zayden Crandall of Patterson High was the individual first-place winner in stick welding. Noah Leblanc, also of Patterson High, took first in flux core welding.

The grand champion was Logan Bailey of Morgan City High.

The parish’s welding teachers are Ashley Boudreaux of Franklin and West St. Mary; Coty Trahan, Patterson and Berwick; and John Young, Morgan City, Berwick and Patterson.

--Board member Dr. Tammie Wilson of Four Corners was recently elected to the Louisiana School Board Association board.

--Board member Marilyn LaSalle of Patterson was recognized by the School Board Association for 32 years of service on the St. Mary School Board.

This story has been edited to correct Violet Busse's name.