ALEXANDRIA, La. — Rapides Parish School District Superintendent Gary L. Jones said a vote by the school board to not renew his contract at the end of the year was "not unexpected."
"I saw it coming," Jones told The Town Talk (http://townta.lk/Kk6Afy ) on Thursday. "That's the nature of political boards. They have the authority to do what they did, and I respect that authority."
Jones' contract runs through Dec. 31. The School Board voted 5-4 Tuesday not to renew it.
Board President Wilton Barrios said he has not thought about what shape the process of finding a new superintendent might take, but "we will probably have to start soon."
"The first thing is the board will have to pass a motion to begin the search for applicants," said Rapides Parish District Attorney James Downs.
According to legislative statutes, the board must advertise the vacancy and solicit applications for the position. The advertisement must be placed on two separate days in the official journal of the school board, and at least once in a daily newspaper in the closest metropolitan area of the state having a population of at least 100,000.
The Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of about 154,000 at the 2010 Census.
All publications for advertising the position must be completed a minimum of 30 days before any action is taken to fill it.
ALEXANDRIA , La. — Rapides Parish School District Superintendent Gary L. Jones said a vote by the school board to not renew his contract at the end of the year was "not unexpected."
The last time the district was looking for a superintendent, Barrios said, forums were held where board members and the public could ask questions of the candidates.
"I would like to see us do something similar to that," he said. "I think it's very worthwhile to get input from the public."
Barrios, Vice President Janet H. Dixon and board members Darrell Rodriguez, Julie McConathy and John Allen voted in favor of the motion not to renew Jones' contract.
Board members Steve Berry, Pam Webb, Keith Breazeale and Stephen Chapman voted against it.
"I listened to the people of my community," Barrios said. "It was not a quick decision. I thought about it, prayed about, deliberated about it. I keep an ear on the people of my community, and this is what they wanted."
Jones, who has been superintendent since late 2003, said he doesn't know what his plans are once his contract runs out, but he is fairly certain of one thing -- he isn't ready to retire.
"The Rapides School District has a history of controversy from time to time," Jones said. "I'm just proud that for the last eight years we were able to bring some stability to the district and concentrate on bringing educational opportunities to the children."
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Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, http://www.thetowntalk.com