Greg Awbrey – Mixed Signals Given At Lafayette Parish School Board Meeting

Lafayette Parish School Board member Greg Awbrey visited 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' today to review last night's meeting which included the first yearly evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Pat Cooper.

The superintendent is ranked on a scale of zero to eight in six categories. According to Awbrey,

Basically you need to score a 'four' to have a successful evaluation.  So this was just over a 'four' so it was a successful evaluation.

What seemed to be a 'mixed signal' from the board was the fact that after the successful evaluation the board discussed hiring a law firm to investigate allegations regarding Dr. Cooper.  When Awbrey was asked why the board would consider this move he replied,

There are a lot of differences between what the Board sees as what we can legally do and what the Superintendent can legally do.  This is how I'm seeing it.  It may not be what the rest of the Board sees.  But, there are issues with hiring, with what we're paying principals.  With things the staff has brought to the Board and we've voted down.  Now there a lot of administrative decisions they can make having to do with class schedules and a lot of these things.  But if something that comes to the Board like the '30 minute response to intervention' that they brought to us a while back.  If those things come to the Board and we say 'no' and then they go ahead and do them, then really it has become a matter of policy because the Board has been brought the issue and a decision has been made.  So those kinds of differences are being argued back and forth between the Board and the Staff.  This is really to settle that once and for all...All the local entities are 'punting' this.

We asked Awbrey if this investigation was just a matter of clarification or if there was some other motivation.  Awbrey said,

In my mind we're trying to get all of this stuff settled because really we have to be one way or the other.  Either the Board policy states how much we're paying the principals or the Superintendent can pay whatever he wants.  We're dealing with taxpayer money so we have to do things legally.

You can listen to the entire interview: