White expected to be a ‘change agent’

The Board of Elementary & Secondary Education chose John White as superintendent, fully expecting him to be a “change agent” for education in Louisiana, board President Penny Dastugue tells Daily Report. Although not all BESE members agreed with the selection process and its timing, a majority of nine went along in part because of the impending legislative session and the reforms that are expected to be a key issue. “I am confident that they will see the wisdom for the decision pretty quickly,” she says. “People are somewhat fearful of the change that he represents, but the board hired him because of the change he represents. We need change, and he is clearly a change agent. The board made a very deliberate decision yesterday about where we want to take the future of education.” Dastugue notes Louisiana’s failing score for student achievement in the Education Week “Quality Counts” survey, adding that one in three children in grades K-12 performs below grade level and 40% of the state’s schools score “unacceptable.” White, she says, is the best choice to address those issues. “I have seen firsthand how he works,” Dastugue says. “He works at a very quick pace, with high standards, but he’s an excellent leader and an excellent manager. He makes tough decisions, and he gets results.” —Penny Font