It’s the first day on the new job for Louisiana’s new Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley who will oversee public schools following the departure of John White. The 39-year-old grew up in Sabine Parish and says as a young kid he wanted to be an educator and this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I don’t intend on letting it go to waste.  Our students deserve the absolute best in this state.  We’ve made some great progress over the last few years, but clearly and without question, we still have a long way to go,” said Brumley.

Brumley most recently was at the helm of the Jefferson Parish school system since 2018. Before that, he was the superintendent for the DeSoto Parish Schools.

Brumley says the ultimate goal is to see more students go on to graduate ready for college and the workforce, but the foundation of that goal is set early.

“The greatest educational challenge of our generation is early childhood education.   Beyond that, I’d really like to go all in on ensuring that all of our children can read on grade level by the end of third grade,” said Brumley

Brumley acknowledges the most immediate challenge is the upcoming academic year and he’s considering a several possibilities.

“The best case scenario is having all of our students back in our buildings with mitigation efforts in place.  I think the other end of the spectrum would be something fully remote and then I think there are stops along the way in between those two places,” said Brumley.

Brumley will be paid $285,000 annually.

(Story written by Kevin Barnhart/Louisiana Radio Network)

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