Puyau’s future still not decided

The Vermilion School Board could not get a majority of the votes to renew or not to renew Superintendent Jerome Puyau’s contract, so by state law, the school board has to offer Puyau a new contract.
School Board member Laura LeBeouf made the motion to vote not to renew Puyau’s contract. Five out of the eight votes would have been needed not to renew his contract.
The voting finished 4-4. Because it was not a majority, the board members were told by Board President Anthony Fontana that Puyau has to be offered a new contract.
On Jan. 5, 2017, the school board will vote to approve or not approve the new contract.
Voting not to renew Puyau’s contract were school board members LeBeouf, Sara Duplechain, Kibbie Pillette and Luddy Herpin.
Voting to renew Puyau’s contract were Fontana, Chris Gautreaux, Chris Hebert and Stacy Landry.
Both sides gave their reasons as to why Puyau’s contract should or should not be renewed.
Pillette said has his reasons not to bring back the superintendent. His main reason is because of the performance scores of the schools in Abbeville. Pillette is the school board member for the schools in Abbeville.
“He has been in there 3 1/2 years, and the school performance scores in Abbeville have gone down,” Pillette said. “They are D schools. Other schools in the parish are doing well. That’s great and it is great that the school district may be ranked in the top 10 in the state, but I have to be concerned with Abbeville schools. All three (Herod Elementary, Eaton Park Elementary and J.H. Williams Middle School) continue to score low. That’s my reason for not renewing his contract.”
School board member Laura LeBeouf said after the meeting that Puyau only tells certain school board members what is happening day in and day out with the school system. She does not like being kept in the loop while other board members are, she said.
Before the vote was taken, two school board members said why Puyau should be given a new contract.
Gautreaux said, “When school district rankings come out Vermilion will be in the top 10, possibly 6, 7, or 8. Along with teachers, students, staff and their leader, the superintendent, they have all accomplished this ranking.”
Chris Hebert, who has only been a school member for four months, gave an oral positive review of the superintendent performance.
“He is doing a super job,” Hebert said. “It should be an 8-0 vote for the work he’s doing. I’ve seen it first hand when the flood came. I don’t know if he slept, but that’s just him.”
At the end of the meeting, Puyau addressed the members in the audience, who were teachers, principals and staff members. He told them how proud he was to work with them and looks forward to signing a new contract to continue making Vermilion Parish as one of the best school districts in the state.