INDReporter

LPSB picks Cooper's temporary replacement

by Patrick Flanagan

The LPSB has named an interim replacement following the termination of Superintendent Pat Cooper.

The LPSB has named an interim replacement following the termination of Superintendent Pat Cooper.

At a meeting Monday, the board voted 7-2 to name Burnell LeJeune as interim superintendent. The board also decided to leave the job of selecting a permanent replacement up to the newly elected board, which includes seven new members that will be seated in January.

One other candidate also was in the running for the interim spot: Katie Landry, a former deputy superintendent and one of the finalists for the job during Cooper's selection in 2011.

According to this report from The Advocate, here's how LeJeune responded to Monday's decision:

I believe in the people of Lafayette Parish, the educational community - when I say the educational community, it takes the entire community: central office staff, assistant principals, principals, the parents, the students and the business community, the support personnel. All of us together is what makes a district. It's not about budgets and laws. It's about the power of the people.

For more on Cooper's termination, click here.