John White, the superintendent of the 40,000-student Louisiana Recovery District since April and on the shortlist to become the state’s schools chief, may be making that move soon, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Interim chief Ollie S. Tyler, who was appointed to replace Paul Pastorek in May, annouced this week that she plans to step down in January. That would leave the board of education free to make a new appointment.
(Education Week wrote about Pastorek’s legacy in May.)
John White already has support from Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who isn’t afraid to offer his opinion on local education issues, has also voiced his support for White getting the top job.
The RSD, under White’s leadership, embarked on a 100-day listening tour after his appointment and released a plan on how to improve the district and prepare more students for colleges and careers. Among the changes, the district plans to institute a new enrollment system intended to help parents get their children into a school closer to their homes, and to cut down on waitlists. The district is primarily made up of charter schools, which have run their own lotteries when there were more applicants than available seats.