By MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / Febuary 6, 1999

RESERVE – Shortly after the 1998-99 school year comes to an end, so will Cleveland Farlough’s tenure as superintendent of St. John the BaptistParish Schools.

Farlough’s contract expires June 30, and the St. John Parish School Boardvoted Thursday to advertise for a new superintendent rather than give Farlough a one-year extension as it had the past two years.

“I motion that we advertise for the position of superintendent with a four-year contract with long term goals and objectives to bring our system forward,” board member James Madere said.

Board member Matt Ory noted there were less than five months until Farlough’s contract expires, and he said he did not want to be put into a position where the board was going to have to rush to find a successor.

“This is the most important decision this board has,” Ory said. “This isthe most important duty we have as a school board. It is important wemake it in enough time to search for a replacement.”Ory and Leroy Mitchell both wanted to hear from Farlough what he wanted the board to do, but Farlough said it was the board’s decision.

“I am aware of the problems we have and the problems that have to be addressed,” Farlough said. “I am aware of some of the things I could do if Istayed another year. I have never run away from problems. When I becameprincipal at Second Ward, I was told I would last two weeks and I lasted seven years.

“Education has been my whole life. I will stay another year if you are soinclined, but the decision is yours. Whatever you do, you don’t have toworry about me being mad at anybody. I will still work with education. Ihope whatever you do you will be doing in the best interest of the school system.”Board member Felix LeBoeuf pointed to Farlough’s record as to why his contract should be extended. Under Farlough, the parish’s alternativeschool has been established, John L. Ory Elementary has become a magnetschool and there are less racial problems in the school system, according to LeBoeuf. Farlough also took the system out of a million dollar deficit.”When you look at it, who would better serve?” Leboeuf asked. “I amsticking by him. Give him another year to finish what he started. I amasking you as a board member who has been here a long time. Go home andsay your prayers that this man has been here the last three years. Look atthe man’s record. Not in egotistical terms. One year is not too much, but Ithink the year will serve us well. If you decide not to extend, I hope youknow what you are doing.”Leboeuf offered a substitute motion to extend Farlough’s contract for one year. That motion failed 6-5 with Madere, Ory, John Crose, Dr. GeraldKeller, Richard DeLong and Clarence Triche voting no and Leboeuf, Mitchell, C.J. Watkins, Patrick Sanders and Dowie Gendron voting for it. The original motion was then passed 7-2 with Gendron, Madere, Ory, Crose, Keller, DeLong and Triche voting for it, Leboeuf and Sanders against and Mitchell and Watkins abstaining.

Watkins said he abstained from voting because the vote had already been set up quite a while ago and that the board already had its six votes.

“I don’t think this was an educational decision,” Watkins said. “I think itwas a political one. The person who is the next superintendent is knownall over St. John Parish. If we didn’t vote to advertise, everybody wouldknow who the next superintendent was. That is not educational.”Thursday’s meeting was in stark contrast to one two years ago when the board unanimously praised the job Farlough had done and awarded him a $5,000 a year raise. Board members then praised him for getting thesystem out of the $1.1 million deficit and for putting the right people inthe administrative posts throughout the district.

Some board members even said the raise may not have been enough.

In other business, after much debate by both members of the public and the board, the board adopted a resolution to call an election May 1 to levy a 25-mills property tax.

The election will be broken down into three propositions. Proposition onewill call for 17.4 mills for pay raises for teachers. Proposition two willcall for 3.67 mills for the alternative school, and proposition three willbe for 3.93 mills to upgrade and maintain the technology program.Some board members said the tax was too much and would be a band-aid approach to the problems in the school district. But other board memberssaid the system is at a critical point and needs the election before the hiring period begins over the summer.

The motion passed 7-4 with Leroy Mitchell, C.J. Watkins, James Madere,Matt Ory, Patrick Sanders, Gerald Keller and Felix LeBoeuf voting for it.

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