Louisiana's Lafayette Parish to permanently employ interim school superintendent

The interim leader of public schools in a southwest Louisiana parish has been selected to serve as the district's next superintendent.

The Lafayette Parish School Board voted unanimously Thursday to elevate Francis Touchet Jr. to the permanent position, The Advocate reported. He has served in the interim role since July after former Superintendent Irma Trosclair resigned.

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"I want to thank the board for their vote of confidence, but more importantly for the vote of confidence in our team," Touchet said. "We will strive to continue to always put students first, and we will always make sure that our employees are in the best hands in doing so."

Touchet was the only applicant for the superintendent position, which was posted on the school system's website and advertised — as required by law — from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20 in The Daily Advertiser, The Acadian Advocate, The Baton Rouge Advocate and The New Orleans Advocate.

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Touchet previously sought the Lafayette Parish superintendent position in 2015, but the board chose Donald Aguillard instead. He also applied in 2016 to be the superintendent of St. Landry Parish schools, but the school board selected Patrick Jenkins.

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Touchet joined the district in July 2019 but has been an educator for more than 30 years, according to his application. He has served as the associate Lafayette Parish superintendent, focusing on district accountability and academic support. He also has worked in various roles, including as a network leader with the Louisiana Department of Education, where he worked with more than 40 districts on district-wide initiatives.