L’Observateur / May 2, 1999

The St. James Parish School Board voted Tuesday to hire P. EdwardCancienne of Assumption Parish as its new superintendent. The decision,many have said, was not made Tuesday – or last week following interviews of the three finalists – but last year after the fall school board elections.

Many of the black residents of St. James Parish who attended Tuesday’sschool board meeting at Fifth Ward Elementary School lingered outside quite a while following the meeting, trying to make sense of the board’s decision. The group – and many like them – wanted the school board to hireacting Superintendent Walter Landry on a permanent basis to lead the school system into the next millennium. If not Landry, they asked, thenwhy not someone who came up through the ranks of the St. James ParishSchool System? Those black residents – most parents of school children or school system workers – said they believe the board’s decision not to retain Landry, who is black, was racial. Others, some black, some white, said they believe thedecision was personal.

Whatever the case, there has been headway made in at least some areas of the St. James Parish School System during the year of Landry’s service.Some school administrators say discipline is better, and that has led to a better school year this year. Some parents have applauded Landry forenforcing a new, stricter dress code. And many say programs put in placethis year should help improve the parish’s test scores in years to come.

Was Landry the right man to lead St. James Parish schools into the newmillennium? Maybe. Maybe not. But since school board members refused to evaluateLandry’s job performance earlier this year, we, nor the public received valid reasons why he should not be retained.

And if school board members did in fact make the decision to hire Cancienne in November rather than following candidate interviews this past week, then politics has once again reared its ugly head in the River Parishes.

For the children’s sake, we hope Cancienne proves to be a fine superintendent for St. James Parish. We urge him to become an integralpart of the St. James Parish community, both personally andprofessionally. We urge him to listen to the parents and the staff. And weespecially urge him to listen to the students.

And, with the decision now made, we urge citizens of St. James Parish toget involved and help Cancienne in his attempt to continue pushing the St.

James Parish School System forward, and carry on with the legacy Landry leaves.

There is absolutely no time to waste. Not only the children but the entirecommunity stands to lose.

L’Observateur

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

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