Two new leaders of New Orleans charter school systems have been appointed this past week.
Juaquana C. Stewart was made interim CEO of the New Beginnings Schools Foundation, a network chartered by the Louisiana Recovery School District. And Latoye Brown, who has been in in the interim CEO role at Audubon Charter School, was put into the permanent job after a monthslong search.
Stewart has served as New Beginnings’ chief academic officer since 2013 and previously was director of academic affairs and an assistant principal. She will start the job July 1.
New Beginnings Schools Foundation Board Chairwoman Leslie Bouie said in a press release that the network will continue searching for a permanent CEO.
The press release announcing Stewart’s appointment was issued Monday, but the Executive Committee meeting where board members voted on her position was May 27, Mitchell said.
Previous New Beginnings CEO Sametta Brown, who was the four-school network’s leader since fall of 2012, announced her resignation, effective June 30, at the beginning of this year with little explanation.
Sametta Brown earned a base salary of $145,000. Stewart’s current salary is $100,000 and her revised salary still under negotiation, Mitchell said.
The board began a search for her replacement and board member Shelia Danzey said the school received more than two dozen applicants.
But the board recently suspended its search process due to apprehensions over late applications and technical glitches. Board members plan to hire either a professional recruiter or recruiting firm to handle the process.
At Audubon, Brown was officially announced as Audubon Charter School’s new CEO at a board meeting Saturday.
The school’s CEO search committee held a lengthy discussion at their May 25 meeting on whether to keep Brown in the top leadership spot. She was was the last-standing candidate since early May after the two other finalists dropped out.
Brown was appointed as interim CEO after the school’s longtime principal Janice Dupuy retired in September.
Brown’s salary as interim CEO was $91,500 and the school board has not yet set her salary for the permanent position, Audubon spokeswoman Heather Cazayoux said in an email.
The position as principal of Mary D. Coghill Elementary School opened up this week. The school’s longtime principal Aisha Jones is still listed as having the position on the school’s website.
Earlier last month, the Algiers Charter School Association moved its interim CEO to a permanent spot without interviewing anyone else, despite having 22 candidates to choose from.