Leaders of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System are deciding among three finalists to replace general counsel Domoine Rutledge, who is stepping down after 16 years at the school system to accept a position with CSRS.
Superintendent Warren Drake, who will hire Rutledge’s replacement with input from the school board, hopes to make the selection in the coming days.
Rutledge has been a key administrator within the system since 2003, when EBR schools was negotiating the end to a 47-year-old desegregation case. With the case long since settled, however, some question why the cash-strapped system—which is facing a $10 million deficit next year—needs a full-time, in-house counsel, especially given that it already contracts with several outside law firms to also do legal work.
In fiscal year 2017-2018, the school system’s outside legal bills topped $1.454 million, up 15% over the previous year. The money went to three firms—Hammonds & Sills, $949,635; Phelps Dunbar, $497,817; and Hebert, Spencer & Fry, $6,548. Rutledge’s compensation package, meanwhile, totaled $165,841.
Board President David Tatman says he has heard the questions but defends the need to have a full-time attorney on staff.
“I don’t want to do this job without a general counsel,” Tatman says. “I talk to Domoine five times a day and I know the superintendent talks to him even more. There are so many things we interact with the general counsel on it ends up being much more efficient and less expensive to have him on staff than to have to hire out.”
Outside firms typically handle litigation, while the general counsel helps address the myriad of questions that arise every day within the school system and also advises the school board on policy and procedures, Tatman says.
Drake also supports the need for a full-time, in-house counsel, which he says is based on his experience not only as superintendent but as a school principal before that.
The superintendent is the only system employee hired by the board and is technically in charge of hiring all the other administrators. But Drake says he will not select the new general counsel without board input.
Once a new attorney is selected to replace Rutledge, the board will authorize Drake to begin contract negotiations. Tatman says he does not think the compensation package offered will initially be as high as was Rutledge’s.
“Domoine had 16 years of experience with us,” he says. “I don’t think you start someone off at that level. I would expect the board would want to start, certainly, below that but that will be up to the board.”
