Shreveport community leaders say they won't ask people to remove kids from Caddo schools

Two Shreveport community leaders offer clarification on comments regarding the Caddo Parish Public School superintendent search controversy.

Breka Peoples and Omari Ho-Sang of the Boots on the Ground community group refuted claims that they made remarks suggesting parents would pull their children out of Caddo Parish schools if the school board does not guarantee a fair and equitable search for a superintendent.

"I heard somebody saying that," Peoples said. "... but that's not me and Omari."

Ho-Sang said she is unaware of the narrative's origin, as it is not a key component of their group's strategic plan. She said the group's main goal is for the school board to conduct a fair and open selection process for a new superintendent, allowing the six semifinalists to be interviewed for the Caddo superintendent position.

"Ensure that those six semifinalists are thoroughly vetted, that they have an opportunity to interview with the board and that we understand their grading criteria," Ho-Sang said. "Something from what is their vision for the next superintendent and then how are they actually grading these candidates as they get information from those candidates, so being very clear to the community about what that rubric is for the school board to judge and assess their candidate."

The group suggested that the board incorporate community engagement throughout the superintendent search. Ho-Sang said that a statement on the school system's website falsely claims that stakeholder input guided the process, which she argued is clearly not the case.

"If you read that 26-page report, the person that they chose is the complete opposite of what the community talked about they needed or that they desired in a candidate," Ho-Sang said. "That's the next piece — have a substantive process where community can engage.

"One suggestion that we have is to have a community score card — create a community score card where the community can actually have a survey or some type of formula that they can complete that really demonstrates what it is that they're looking for looking for [in] a candidate, they have an opportunity to score candidates based on what they see as community members and stakeholders, parents, teachers. staff, etc."

After the presentation by board members at Tuesday's meeting, the group requested the cancellation of the Sept. 11 interview of Caddo Parish Academic Officer Keith Burton, due to the board's failure to adhere to due process and the meeting's scheduling.

"The meeting is at 8:30 in the morning, but yet it's open to the public," Ho-Sang said. "Where are most people at 8:30 in the morning? We're at work. How can you say that a process is open to the public, but the process is being held at 8:30 in the morning, when most working class people, which comprises the majority of this community are working, so the meeting doesn't need to go forward on it being a public meeting when it takes place so early in the morning.

"We don't want that meeting to go forward. We're asking the board to utilize their power, most specifically board member Jessica Yates and Dottie Bell, to call for a special meeting where the six semifinalists can be considered at this special meeting."

At Tuesday's Caddo Parish School Board meeting, Peoples and Ho-Sang, along with community members, petitioned the school board to reopen the pool of candidates slated for superintendent interviews. Earlier, on Aug. 27, the board voted to solely interview Burton for the position.

Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinson and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3vln0w1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Community leaders dispute remarks on Caddo superintendent controversy