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INTRODUCTION
This Entry Plan is designed to create a framework for the first 180 days of my work as Superintendent of
Schools for the Orleans Parish School Board. The plan is based on my current knowledge of the school
district, on research of best educational practices, on my experience as an educational leader, and on the
established Vision, Mission, Motto, and Strategic Goals and Priorities of the Board.
Vision Statement
The Orleans Parish School Board
(OPSB) is committed to creating
the nation’s best school system by
utilizing creative, innovative, and
21st century programs to produce
graduates of unparalleled quality,
thereby improving the lives of
students from all socioeconomic
backgrounds.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Orleans Parish
School Board is to provide quality
leaning environments that
promote excellence and engage
the family and community in the
support of student achievement.
Motto
Success is the Only Option.
Strategic Priorities
1. Build an academic infrastructure for teaching and learning that
transforms the Orleans Parish Schools into a world-class educational
system.
2. Dedicate maximum resources to classrooms, so that the Orleans
Parish Schools will become a leader in educational innovations.
3. Ensure that all schools and school children are in safe and
disciplined environments.
4. Provide diverse, excellent academic opportunities for all city
children and open options and choice for all students.
5. Develop a stringent accountability system to hold people
responsible for performance. Develop mechanisms to attract, train,
promote, honor, and retain quality educators “who put children
first”.
6. Ensure fiscal solvency and assure maximum educational funding.
7. Maintain effective communication among School Board members
and administrators, and set a tone of mutual respect.
8. Curb high student dropout rates by addressing students’ social and
emotional health.
9. Provide world-class facilities offering 21st century technology in
every classroom.
10. Establish productive working relationships with state and city
leaders.
11. Maintain an effective administrative team, while establishing
long-range operational plans for a portfolio management system.
12. Support and monitor the effectiveness of charter schools under
the aegis of the School Board and ensure good customer service
through:
a. Academic excellence in the state accountability system
b. Clean financial audits
c. Qualified personnel
d. Adherence to all requirements of the state
In order to chart a new pathway for this district, my transitional 180
days will focus on listening, learning, planning, synthesizing,
progress monitoring and evaluating current operations, with a
critical eye toward any obstacles in the way of implementation of
the district’s Vision, Mission, Motto, and Strategic Priorities. This
proposed entry plan will be formalized following further discussions
with School Board members, staff, and community focus groups at
the outset of my transitioning into the role as Superintendent of
Schools for Orleans Parish.
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FOCUS GOALS
This entry plan establishes specific goals organized around the following five areas in
order to prepare for implementation of the district’s vision, mission, motto, and
strategic priorities.
Governance
To develop a highly eﬀective
governance structure with a strong
relationship of mutual respect
between the Superintendent and
School Board so that the focus will
remain on academic success for all
students.
Organizational Structure
To examine the current
organizational hierarchy and its
eﬀectiveness in preparation for
transitioning the district to method
of portfolio management.
Student Achievement
To align eﬀorts in providing a quality
education for all students in order to
meet the goal of graduating all
students college and career ready.
Operations and Finance
To scrutinize the district’s eﬀective
utilization of financial resources to
provide a quality and equitable
education while maintaining
fiduciary responsibility
Community and Public
Relations
To rebuild the public’s confidence in
the public school system.
Governance
It is my goal to develop a highly eﬀective governance structure
with a strong relationship of mutual respect between the
Superintendent and School Board so the focus will remain on
academic success for all students. This will be accomplished
through:
• Establishing a Strategic Plan Development Committee
comprised of Board members and other stake-holders that will
address a 5-year commitment to achieving district priorities
through specific and annual action plans
• Scheduling regular and designated meetings with School Board
oﬃcers, committee chairs, and individual members
Governance continued…
• Introducing communication protocols with members of the Board, with on-going evaluation of
eﬀectiveness
• Developing and utilizing an eGovernance structure/system to facilitate meetings and development of
policies
• Updating existing Board policies, aligning them to reform measures, operational priorities, and current
state laws and accountability protocols
• Analyzing progress in the district with respect to the Bureau of Governmental Research’s The Accidental
Steward (April 2013) to determine next steps
• Maintaining regular communication with and attending Board meetings of district charter schools and
those eligible to return to the Orleans Parish Schools
• Attending community functions with Board members
• Supporting School Board priorities during the upcoming legislative sessions
• Developing and implementing on-going training for Board members as required by state law
• Addressing any and all issues deemed by Board members to require the Superintendent’s immediate
attention
Organizational Structure
It is my goal to examine the current organizational hierarchy and its eﬀectiveness in preparation for
transition to a method of portfolio management. This will be accomplished through:
• Meeting with former Interim Superintendent and the Chief of Staﬀ to determine the current processes
for communication and decision-making
• Requiring each Deputy, Chief, and Executive Director to provide a list of current responsibilities, major
initiatives underway with a status report on implementation for each initiative
• Scheduling regular meetings with each Deputy, Chief, and Executive Director for the purpose of
oversight of academic progress and business operations
• Conducting an organizational review of each department to gauge eﬀectiveness, functionality, and
eﬃciency
• Establishing in concert with Deputies, Chiefs, and Executive Directors standards, expectations, and
protocols for day-to-day operations in each department which support accomplishment of district
priorities
• Developing a departmental dashboard for each department to assess on-going alignment with support
for teaching and learning
• Restructuring, where necessary, to support the vision, mission, motto, and district priorities
• Beginning training for administrative staﬀ in methods of portfolio management
Student Achievement
It is my goal to align eﬀorts in providing a quality education for all students in order to meet the goal of
graduating all students college and career ready. This will be accomplished through:
• Meeting with the Chief of Staﬀ
and the Chief Academic Oﬃcer
to gain a deeper understanding of
instructional programs currently
in use within the district and
scheduling regular meetings to
monitor academic progress
• Scheduling on-going meetings
with the district’s instructional
team to discuss academic
progress, establish academic
goals, and identify support(s)
necessary for schools within the
district
• Conducting academic,
technology-based audits of
purchased programs and
materials, establishing protocols
to review programs and materials
for eﬀectiveness in improving
student achievement
• Scheduling on-going meetings
with principals and school leaders of both district and charter schools to discuss successes and
challenges, to determine needs, and to establish protocols for support
• Conducting regular school visits and walkthroughs to evaluate the implementation of the district’s
academic program with regard to the rigor of the high academic standards
• Examining the results of teachers’ evaluations as compared to teacher eﬀectiveness based on student
performance and holding evaluators accountable for large discrepancies; examining the results of
principals’ evaluations as compared to school eﬀectiveness based on student performance and holding
evaluators accountable for large discrepancies
• Determining the root causes for current low performing schools; developing a course of corrective
action by establishing school turnaround zones
• Implementing a data warehouse to support eﬀorts to improve student achievement
• Developing an academic calendar and other opening of school activities for 2015 – 2016 school year
• Developing academic metrics which will be utilized to monitor and evaluate teaching, learning, and
environments at all schools in the district
Finance and
Operations
It is my goal to scrutinize the district’s eﬀective
utilization of financial resources to provide a
quality and equitable education while maintaining
fiduciary responsibility. This will be accomplished
through:
• Scheduling meetings with the Chief Financial Oﬃcer and the Chief Operations Oﬃcer to gain an
understanding of the day-to-day operations of the departments and identify areas for improvement
• Conducting a review of financial reports, budgets, audits, and grants to gain an understanding of budget
appropriations and to determine if a need exists for an internal audit upon my transitioning to
Superintendent
• Establishing a budgeting process that clearly defines how schools are financed, allowing school leaders
to take an active role in the budgeting process
• Enacting internal financial protocols and annual audits of department and school funds and inventories
to enhance public trust of the Board’s stewardship
• Scheduling meetings with the Board’s attorney and District Attorney to review pending litigation and
legal issues impacting the district
• Reviewing the payroll system and related procedures in order to gain an understanding of the
remuneration process in place
• Reviewing all contracts including personnel performance contracts and third party contracts to
determine protocols and eﬀectiveness for the district
• Conducting safety audits of all School Board properties to ensure safe learning and work environments
for all students and employees
• Examining current practices in the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) to determine current
challenges
Community and Public Relations
It is my goal to rebuild the public’s confidence in the public school system. This will be accomplished
through:
• Conducting a review of the district’s current community and public relations protocols and any metric
used to evaluate their eﬀectiveness
• Scheduling on-going meetings and immediate “meet and greet” activities `with a wide range of citizen
groups and other stakeholders in the district to include such groups as follow:
o Parents Groups
o Students
o Parish Oﬃcials
Community and Public Relations continued…
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State Oﬃcials
Elected Oﬃcials
Business Community Groups
Organized Community Groups
Faith-Based Community Groups
Choice Groups
• Developing a marketing strategy to rebrand the public school system
• Establishing a working relationship with and making myself available to local media outlets in the
district
• Providing annual and on-going publications regarding the state of the school district, program
implementations, as well as school and district successes
• Working with the Recovery School District in order to provide a unified positive presence for New
Orleans Public Schools Education
• Creating a 12-member Superintendent Advisory Council to update progress and receive feedback
towards the district strategic plan
• Conducting regular visits to every school in the district
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
At the conclusion of my first 180 days, the following outcomes are expected:
• Provide the framework for a comprehensive strategic planning process that will yield a revised, welldefined vision, mission, motto, and priorities to guide the eﬀorts of the Board and Superintendent over
the next five years
• Establish the Orleans Parish School Board as a Portfolio School District that works collaboratively with
the Recovery School District and other agencies
• Assessment of the organizational structure with recommendations to identity structural changes and
staﬃng changes necessary in order to operate a highly productive and eﬃcient organization
• Facilitate unification of the community to support the district’s eﬀorts in providing quality teaching
and learning in safe, supportive school environments
TIMELINES
This Superintendent’s Entry Plan is divided into four phases with designated
timelines. Each phase corresponds with specific actions that will assist in
determining the current state of the district, effectively diagnosing any inefficiencies
with the processes, and prescribing any necessary changes. The final two phases
consist of implementation of any required actions, along with consistent monitoring of
any new efforts. This cyclical D-PIE (Diagnose, Prescribe, Implement, Evaluate)
process will serve as a simplistic guide for reform efforts.
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Becoming the Superintendent of the Orleans Parish Public
Schools is easy. Restoring the public’s faith in the district’s
ability to provide quality teaching and learning within safe
environments is the very difficult part. The necessary
components to actualize that restoration include a focused plan, a
way to monitor that plan’s effectiveness, and the courage to make
change when necessary. There are no other options for success,
and as I see it, success is the only option.
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