Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans charter school plans to interview five candidates for its top administrative spot this week.
And even though it sounds like none of the candidates will be at the school in person, it does appear from the agendas that all of the interviews will likely take place in executive session and outside of public view.
Five people are expected to interview to be Lycée’s next CEO: Elizabeth Chaponot, head of school at Lycée International de Los Angeles, in Los Angeles Benjamin Orillon, chief administrative officer at the Lycée in San Francisco Theresa Picciano, assistant principal at Intermediate School 347 in New York City Jammie Poole Jr., principal of Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Ill. Mireille Rabate, assistant head and middle school principal at French American International School in San Francisco
Though state law allows such administrative interviews to happen behind closed doors, it does not require it.
Two chief executive officers resigned from the school in 2012 and an interim leader has run the two-campus school since November.
A three person CEO search committee is charged with vetting candidates before recommending finalists to the full board by May 13. They will meet Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The process is part of an administrative and board overhaul recommended by management consultant Jeremy Hunnewell amid complaints about the school’s leadership.
When the committee narrowed the applicants from 30 to five at its April 12 meeting, members questioned whether the board had afforded a budget to fly in candidates and put them up in hotels.
“No one is flying in at this time,” wrote Hunnewell in an email to The Lens Tuesday.
All five candidates are from out-of-state and will interview by phone, Skype or “similar electronic means,” Hunnewell wrote.
Though all five candidates are listed on the meeting agendas for both nights, Hunnewell said that was because the school was trying to schedule the individual interviews at the time the agendas were made.
“The aim is to interview each of the five candidates once, either Wednesday or Thursday evening,” he said.
Similar to the candidates, the committee faces travel limitations of its own. While members Carol Asher and Kelly McClure are located locally and can easily assemble at the school’s Patton Street campus for the meetings this week, member Nicole Boudreaux will join by conference call or video from Lafayette.
“When the committee has completed their interviews, they will end executive session, come back to the open meeting and adjourn the meeting,” said Hunnewell.
The committee will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the school’s 5951 Patton St. location.
