BESE beginning process to appoint new superintendent

BATON ROUGE, La.- John White has announced that he will step down as Louisiana’s State Superintendent of Education.

He has held the position he has held since 2012.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will immediately begin the process of selecting a new superintendent.

“Over the last eight years, Louisiana has made great strides under Superintendent White’s leadership in carrying out the vision of the Board,” said Dr. Holly Boffy, BESE Vice President in a statement released Wednesday.

Superintendent White’s resignation will be effective March 11, 2020. In the coming days, BESE will hold a special meeting in Baton Rouge to discuss the process and time frame for selecting his replacement, the statement said.

The Board appoints the position of State Superintendent by a two-thirds vote of its total membership.

“Louisiana’s plan to prepare all students for success in college and careers is a strong one, and our Board looks forward to continuing the considerable recent progress that has been made regarding early childhood efforts.”

Read BESE’s full statement here.

The date of the BESE special meeting to discuss filling the State Superintendent position will be announced within the week.

You can read Gov. John Bel Edwards’ statement on White’s departure here.

During the meeting, the Board is expected to address the search process, candidate criteria, anticipated timeline and related activities.