A search to find a replacement for outgoing East Baton Rouge School Superintendent John Dilworth is under way, yet there’s a debate about how open and inclusive the search should be. Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, says he supports a “recruitment” process in which just one finalist is made public and the board accepts or rejects that person. Tarvald Smith, vice president of the school board, wants a more open process, in which all candidates complete public applications. The board would than review the applicants and winnow the larger group down to a list of several finalists, who would undergo public interviews for the job. Knapp says the process he favors would get the absolute best candidates, since they wouldn’t have to compete in a “beauty contest” against other finalists. But Smith says he backs a transparent search, although he admits some top candidates may shy away from too public of a discussion.
Today’s poll question: How should the East Baton Rouge school superintendent search be conducted?
