NEW ORLEANS — Public schools in Louisiana get a new chief next week.
He is Cade Brumley, the superintendent over Jefferson Parish schools.
“As a Louisiana native, I’m just so honored and humbled and excited and maybe even a little nervous about the opportunity in front of me,” Brumley said.
Brumley’s new job will be to oversee and set policy for 700,000 public school students in the state.
“We’ve made good progress in Louisiana, in terms of educational outcomes over the last few years, but there’s no doubt and it’s without question, that we still have a long way to go,” Brumley said. “I look forward to adding value to that.”
Brumley said the fact students haven’t been in the classroom since March because of the coronavirus outbreak is a challenge.
“Systems are going to have to be thoughtful in how they recover instruction and learning for students and at the same time, not spend a year in remediation,” Brumley said. “Get that work done and move forward with resources, curriculum, assessments that are on grade level so that students don’t fall behind.”
It's still unclear if K-12 students will be back in the classroom this fall.
“I think at this point that’s the hope that we all have — that we can have a traditional set up where all of the students, all of the employees are on campus, and we have additional mitigation efforts in place,” Brumley said. “That’s the hope. But we also have to have multiple contingencies in place and plans in place where we do pivot based on what happens with this virus.”
Dr. Brumley said his top priority as state superintendent is early childhood education.
“So many of our students come to us not kindergarten ready,” Brumley said. “Over 50 percent as a state and in some of our communities that number is over 90 percent of students who aren’t coming to kindergarten, ready.”
Brumley added it’s really important for all kids are reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
“I think, as a state, we really need to go all-in on that because so much of the data indicate that that is a critical juncture in a child’s life.”
Brumley spent the past two years running the Jefferson Parish School District, the largest in the state.
On his watch, graduation rates improved.
District performance scores also went up, reversing a four-year trend of declines.
“We promised that we would flip the trajectory in Jefferson Parish,” Brumley said. “That was our promise, and I am confident that we did that.”
However, some parents were not happy with Brumley’s recommendation to start elementary schools earlier than high schools.
“What we know is that all the research is clear around high school students,” Brumley said. “If high school students can start the school day a little later, it benefits them academically. Our elementary students are going to be starting school earlier. Parents can drop them off and then go to their jobs. High School students can continue their jobs working through the evening and have a little extra sleep before they come to school.”
Brumley’s last day on the job in Jefferson Parish is Friday.
The JP School Board was expected to name his interim replacement Wednesday night.
The search is now underway for the district’s new school superintendent.
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