Cade Brumley

Cade Brumley

Superintendent / Jefferson Parish Public School System

With nearly 50,000 students, the Jefferson Parish Public School System is the largest school district in Louisiana, and on March 26, 2018, it received a new leader — Cade Brumley.

Previously the superintendent for six years of DeSoto Parish Schools in Northwest Louisiana and the president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents in 2017, Brumley accepted this new position knowing the challenges — Jefferson Parish has struggled with low scores (the system has a C rating), a low graduation rate and problems with teacher retention. He says his goal is to achieve an A rating by 2024.

“Our academic outcomes are going in the wrong direction and we’re trying to flip that as soon as we can,” he says.

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After just a little over a year on the job, Brumley has already accomplished a lot. Jefferson Parish finally has one curriculum that is being standardized throughout and the school system recently won a $2 million grant from the state, along with a $2 million mental health grant, and is launching a new English Language Arts program. Six new principals have been hired for the upcoming school year and, for the first time in 10 years, Jefferson Parish teachers are receiving a pay raise — an effort designed to help with retention.

“Two years ago, there was an effort to provide raises and it failed,” Brumley says. “The fact that it passed by 72 percent this time is a reflection, I think, of the energy we’ve created with the aggressive approach we’ve taken to turning things around.”

 

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