After months of going back-and-forth and multiple votes ending in deadlock, the Allen Parish School Board unanimously voted to hire Brad Soileau as the district’s superintendent. The vote came during the board’s regular meeting on Monday, July 10, after President Kevin Tyler announced only one applicant for the position remained.
“It’s a great honor to stand before you as the superintendent-elect for Allen Parish,” said Soileau.
Soileau, in his remarks, acknowledged the tough task of the board and its challenges in choosing a new superintendent. “I respect the board and your decisions you had to make in the recent months,” he said. “However, I believe it is important that we shift our focus as a district back to the students of Allen Parish and unite as one parish to educate our students while providing them with every opportunity during their education experience in Allen Parish Schools.”
Soileau then commended outgoing Superintendent Kent Reed for his efforts and said he looks forward to working with Kenny Courville “to continue to grow Allen Parish.”
As his remarks continued, Soileau commented, “Thank you, and I’m honored to have been trusted with such an important role in leading our district.”
He concluded his remarks by saying, “To our supervisors, teachers, principals, and everyone, I look forward to being the leader of Allen Parish.”
Board President Tyler stated he and the board’s vice president will meet with the rest of the board to begin contract negotiations and will then meet with Soileau on the terms of the contract. “Hopefully,” Tyler said, “we can get that ratified at the August meeting.”
Later in the meeting, April Fruge Hall announced all students in the parish will receive free breakfasts and free lunches through 2027.
According to Hall, the entire district now qualifies for the Community Eligibility Provision after Louisiana was selected as one of eight states to use Medicaid data to certify students for the program.
“When we were able to include the Medicaid students in our data,” Hall said, “it bumped the schools that weren’t CEP in the past over those 40 percent eligibility guidelines and got them over the hump.”
The schools impacted were Elizabeth, Fairview and Kinder.
Superintendent Reed then shared important dates for the upcoming school year and reported six tax renewals will need to be on the ballot over the next two years. In 2024, there will be a general fund maintenance tax renewal for the entire district on the ballot along with maintenance renewals for the Reeves School District and the Fairview School District; in 2025, there will then be maintenance renewals for the school districts in Oberlin, Kinder and Oakdale.
The superintendent then introduced Mea Dillehay as the new principal of Elizabeth High and Emily Lafauci as the new assistant principal of Oakdale High.
In other business, the school board:
•Authorized the president to sign the Board Certification Form for the United Application for Federal Funds for fiscal year 2023-2024.
•Adopted the 2023 millage rates.
•Approved the job description for a new position of accounting coordinator and authorized the superintendent to advertise for the position.
