(The Center Square) — A hearing was held this week regarding the selection process of the next Caddo Parish Schools superintendent and the issue could be resolved as soon as Monday.
Caddo Parish District Court Judge Brady O’Callaghan issued an order on Tuesday after the hearing. His order set a date for him to issue an order that could prevent the Caddo Parish school board via injunction from hiring their preferred candidate, the only one of six that applied for the job that is white.
The lawsuit was filed by Roy Cary and nonprofit groups The Peoples Promise Youth Division and All Streets All People over the decision by the district to interview only one candidate, current chief academic officer Keith Burton.
The plaintiffs insisted that because the defendants will interview only one of six superintendent finalists, the lone interviewee for all practical purposes will be the de facto choice for the job. The petitioners say they have right to claim the search firm did not follow critical steps in the recruitment process as it relates to a diverse candidate pool.
McPherson & Jacobson, the search firm, was also supposed to meet with the community stakeholder committee, but they have not discussed anything regarding the selection process, according to the petitioners. The stakeholders were also supposed to meet the candidate, but have not, according to the complaint.
Initially the plaintiffs tried to petition for an injunction which would stop the school board from interviewing Burton. O’Callaghan denied the request and Burton interviewed for the job during an open session on Sept. 11.
“The petition for a temporary restraining order fails to articulate how an interview with a proposed candidate works ‘immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage’ on the plaintiffs or any other person,” the order read. “Whether an interview proceeds or not, upon a proper showing at a future hearing the court could afford appropriate remedies to petitioners through the issuance of various judgments and order.”
The new hearing about preliminary or permanent injunction against the school board had multiple community members testify, including Terence Vinson, Sheila Wimberly and Jon Glover.
Vinson, who has been on the school board for more than four years, said there was no rubric to follow when it came to scoring the candidates for superintendent.
Wimberly, a member of the community, says she attended two of those stakeholder meetings and felt the process was concerning. She thinks it’s important to interview multiple candidates and was surprised when only one was selected.
Glover, another member of the community, said she attends most school board meetings and that in this case, “the scales are tipped towards one candidate.” She said her objection is to the process, not to Burton himself.
The defense argued that it’s up to the board to decide how many candidates should be interviewed, and that no board member motioned to go into executive session so they could see the full list of applicants.
Vinson claims he intended to do this, but that he was advised not to by the search firm. The defense further argued that people “not liking the process” is not sufficient reason for a preliminary or permanent injunction to be issued.
