The Acadia Parish School Board elected a new superintendent, Scott Richard, during a special session Monday.
Richard was one of three finalists to replace long-time Superintendent John Bourque, who announced earlier this year his plan to retire at the end of the school year.
The three candidates were individually interviewed by school board members Monday, after which the board members entered executive session for about a half hour before returning to vote.
Richard, who was elected unanimously, has served for six years as the executive director of the Louisiana School Boards Association.
A lifelong educator, Richard has previous served as Lafayette Parish School System instructional supervisor, K-12 social studies; Louisiana Department of Education/Special School District, special education teacher/social studies, regional coordinator; St. Landry School System, elected School Board member; Lafayette Parish School System, special education/social studies teacher; Sylvan Learning Center, instructor and lead teacher; and St. Landry Parish School System/Port Barre High School, special education teacher and itinerant ESYP special education teacher.
A military veteran, Richard served in the Louisiana National Guard as a combat engineer and sergeant squad leader. He served active duty in the United States Army during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm as a combat engineer, sergeant.
He is an active member of the American Legion.
His educational background includes a masters of education degree in administration and supervision from Southern University; a bachelor of science degree in social studies education from University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and bachelor of arts degree in political science with minors in history and psychology from Louisiana State University.
A recipient of the National School Boards Association’s Thomas Shannon Award of Excellence in 2015 for exemplary advocacy efforts for schools, Richard maintains membership of the following: Louisiana Educational Television Authority (officer/treasurer), Louisiana State Board of Commerce and Industry, Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) Task Force, Advisory Council for Student Discipline and Behavior, Louisiana Uniform Local Sales Tax Board, LA K-12 Connect and Learning Initiative (Governor’s Office) and the Louisiana Blue Ribbon Commission on School Safety.
James Higginbotham, Board president, and Delo Hebert, vice president, will meet with Richard in the coming days to discuss terms of the final contract, which is expected to be ratified at a future board meeting.
Richard will take over the reigns of the school system on June 18. Bourque will serve in an advisory capacity until the end of June.