student progress Archives

ebr interim superintendent

Current Events & News | 01/24/2024

Brigitte Nieland Director of Government Affairs

Last week, Superintendent Sito Narcisse announced that – after conversations with board leadership – he would step aside.

This comes as no surprise following a 4-5 vote in December to renew his contract, which ends in June. And, this is a story we know well given that EBR has had four superintendents in six years. It also came as no surprise because Dr. Narcisse is a student-focused leader who, in order to drive rapid student improvement, often upset the proverbial apple cart.

During his brief tenure, the EBR school system saw significant gains in student achievement:

· Initiated the first true Strategic Plan for EBRPS in 20+ years done in close collaboration with the Board, the Public and with District Staff.

· Expanded Early Childhood Education by 1000 seats from the ages O to 4 years old, increasing availability of high-quality early education to families in need through innovative and diverse delivery models

· Increased the promotion rate of first-time ninth grade students by 4% from school year 2020-2021 to school year 2021-2022. The on-track for graduation percentage rose from 68% to 87%.

· 13 Equity or Opportunity award honorees (top 10% for performance among

students with disabilities, English Language Leaners, or Economically Disadvantaged students – with no intervention required status)

· 63% of district schools earned an ‘A’ or ‘B’ in Progress; 90% of district schools earned an ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ in Progress.

· Mastery on LEAP assessments in elementary and middle schools with 85% or higher students classified as Economically Disadvantaged increased by an average of 3.66 points as compared to the state average of 3.2 points in the same metric.

· Greatly expanded opportunities for all high schoolers to take advance courses for college credit (AP and dual-enrollment) and industry based certifications from about 20% to 80%, again leading the nation.

· Working with BRAC, initiated a district-wide senior internship program with one of the largest participations in the nation and will grow significantly this year.

We thank Dr. Narcisse for taking on the tremendous job of coming to Baton Rouge and making a difference. He demonstrated that Baton Rouge students are as smart and talented as any other and that, when presented with opportunity, they will rise to the challenge. We are grateful. During the last two years seeds were planted and, if allowed to grow, will benefit EBR for this and future generations.

We congratulate Mr. Smith on his interim appointment and look forward to working with him on issues that move the needle for students. We hope that politics won’t interfere with the ability to provide quality education for every student in this district. We wish him luck.

POLITO’S THOUGHTS

Current Events & News | 12/22/2023

Jasmine Moore Marketing and Communications Manager

What is in the best interest of our children?

Mike Polito wrote an article featured in the Business Report about the EBR Superintendent contract renewal and it is a MUST READ!

Polito stated. “The pattern of frequent superintendent turnover in the last decade and a half is alarming, and the latest decision seems particularly incongruous given the superintendent’s notable accomplishments.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT EBR STUDENT PROGRESS

If you don’t know Mike Politio, Mike is a Baton Rouge native and 1984 graduate of LSU with a B.S. degree in Construction. After college, he gained valuable experience with some of the country’s largest construction firms, including Beers Construction and McDevitt & Street. In 1991, Mike stepped out on his own to launch MAPP Construction, growing the company under his leadership from “a vision” to the third-largest commercial general contractor in Louisiana. Mr. Polito is actively involved in numerous community and professional organizations; Mike has served on the Associated Builders & Contractors board and executive committees and held the office of Vice President. He is a past chairman and executive committee member of the Baton Rouge Chamber.

Read the full Business Report article NOW and share it with your friends and family.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In closing, Polito stated “For years the groups and people I have supported have spoken about wanting a bold, innovative, disruptor to recreate our school system into a successful system focused on the students and the outcomes. The prevailing question is whether our actions align with the best interests of our students or if other, less noble agendas have taken precedence.”

Do you agree with Mike? If so, sign the petition card to ask the board to reconsider the contract extension so we can keep student progress on-track.

SIGN THE PETITON

CONTRACT RENEWAL DENIED

Current Events & News | 12/12/2023

Brigitte Nieland Goverment Affairs Director

EBR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS DID NOT RENEW SUPERINTENDENT NARCISSE’S CONTRACT

Last Thursday, by a 5 to 4 vote, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board rejected an opportunity to continue the rapid improvement in student achievement we have seen over the past two years since the appointment of Dr. Sito Narcisse as district superintendent. The board declined to renew and extend Dr. Narcisse’s contract for four years, halting the momentum and culture of improvement that Dr. Narcisse brought to Baton Rouge schools. Without a contract extension, Dr. Narcisse’s contract will end in June.

The accomplishments the district has seen over the last two years are numerous and significant. For the first time ever, we are seeing gains for ALL students. EBR improvements include:

Leadership

Initiated the first authentic Strategic Plan in over 20 years created in close collaboration with the Board, the public and staff.
Established a scorecard where families and community members can view student and school performance across the district.
Established the Baton Rouge Innovation Coalition with the Mayor, post-secondary schools, and community nonprofits to establish innovative technology solutions for broadband and technology.
Partnered with both BRPD and the Sheriff’s office to provide safe schools and a community policing model.

Student Academic Achievement

EBR attained significant improvements in performance indexes in 2022 SPS and DPS data:
- K-8 and HS Assessment Index = +3.3 growth
- K-8 Assessment Index = +3.5 growth
- K-8 Interest & Opportunities = +2.3 growth
- Drop Out Credit Accumulation Index = +5.4 growth
- High School Assessment Index = +1.6 growth
- ACT Index = +1.4 growth
63 percent of district schools earned an ‘A’ or ‘B’ in Progress (Growth); 90 percent earned an ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’.
Mastery on LEAP assessments in elementary and middle schools with 85 percent or higher students classified as Economically Disadvantaged increased by an average of 3.66 points as compared to the state average of 3.2 points in the same metric.
13 Equity or Opportunity award honorees (top 10 percent for performance among students with disabilities, English Language Leaners, or Economically Disadvantaged students – with no Intervention Required status).
Increased the promotion rate of first-time ninth grade students by 4 percent from the 2020-2021 school year to 2021-2022. The on-track for graduation percentage rose from 68 percent to 87 percent.

Early Childhood

Broadened access to preschool by adding 2,200 seats to promote early literacy and kindergarten readiness, while increasing the availability of high-quality early education for families in need through innovative and diverse delivery models.

Literacy

Improved literacy rates through a $20 million investment in instructional materials and by hiring 53 in-school literacy coaches.
Working collaboratively with organizations across the city, led the project to create and begin implementation of the Literacy Blueprint which will redesign the teaching of the Science of Reading across the district.
Created a Department of Literacy within the district to focus and coordinate our efforts to improve literacy.

Finance/Budget

Balanced the budget with a $111 million surplus balance at the end of the 2022-2023 school year – the largest surplus in district history. With a healthy budget, Dr. Narcisse sought a teacher pay raise, which was denied by the board.
Instituted financial transparency by creating a searchable database dashboard for citizens and taxpayers.

School Choice

Provided full funding parity for Type 1 charter schools.
Created and implemented the Focus Choice model with community partners:
- Eva Legard Center for Coastal and Environmental Studies – LSU
- Park Elementary Medical Academy – Baton Rouge General Hospital
- J. K. Haynes Teacher Prep and Leadership Academy – Southern University
- Future Performing Arts Focused Choice option
Steered the return of Capitol High School back to EBRPS from a series of failed Recovery District selected charter operators. The school will operate as a hybrid traditional/Focus Choice school with a medical focus (a continuation from nearby Park Elementary).

Increased Student Opportunities

Greatly expanded opportunities for all high school students to take advanced courses for college credit (AP and dual enrollment) and industry-based certifications from about 20 percent to 80 percent, leading the nation.
Implemented bold programs like Focus Choice Schools and Pathways to Bright Futures to provide students the greatest scope of career and college options ever offered in East Baton Rouge.
Doubled down on 9^th grade supports to improve the number of students on-track to graduate on time. Working with BRAC, initiated a district-wide senior internship program with one of the largest participations in the nation and it will significantly grow this year.

Summer academic, enrichment and athletic opportunities were greatly expanded through cooperative efforts with BREC, the YMCA and others.
Formal athletic programs were begun or expanded in all elementary schools for pre-K to 5th grade students.

Teachers

First superintendent to have an outside third party conduct a districtwide salary survey which recommended a 12 percent salary increase.
Provided new teacher bonuses and stipends when his proposal for a permanent teacher pay raise was refused by the board.

Refusing to extend Dr. Narcisse’s contract puts all of these achievements in jeopardy. Additionally, a new superintendent search would result in lost time and opportunity, introducing instability into programs that are stable and are showing verifiable results.

Please contact the board members who voted to renew Dr. Narcisse’s contract and thank them for fighting for Baton Rouge’s students and families. They are Mark Bellue, Mike Gaudet, Dadrius Lanus, and Shashonnie Steward.

Please also contact the members who voted against the contract, asking them to reconsider their action and support the continuation of the progress we’re achieving in Baton Rouge. They are: Emily Chatelain, Carla Powell Lewis, Cliff Lewis, Nathan Rust, and Patrick Martin.

-Brigitte Nieland

Stand For Children Louisiana Government Affairs Director