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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has voted 10-1 not to extend Superintendent Bernard Taylor's three-year contract past its expiration in June 2015.
The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1kUulaj ) the board left open the possibility of seeking an extension later, perhaps after Nov. 4 school board elections.
The board, which has become increasingly at odds with Taylor, stopped short of attempting to buy out the superintendent. Several board members told The Advocate last week that they were open to the idea, but no one mentioned it Thursday night. In any case, Taylor has said he's not interested in discussing a buyout.
To get rid of Taylor against his will, state law says two-thirds, or eight members, must vote yes.
The mood was tense Thursday and the discussion short and muted. Taylor mostly looked down throughout. This is the same board that in spring 2012 voted unanimously to make the Pittsburgh native the leader of the second-largest public school district in Louisiana, one with almost 42,000 students.
Board member Craig Freeman was the only board member who voted no Thursday. He didn't see the need for a discussion on Taylor's contract at all and said he may press the issue again in the near future.
"I think he's done a good job, and he should be extended," Freeman said.
He said the internal board member talk of a buyout, which he considers a stupid idea, continued "until 3 o'clock this afternoon."
Board member Barbara Freiberg was one of the board members who made clear to The Advocate last week that she was looking at ways of ending Taylor's term early and finding new leadership. After Thursday's meeting, she said it's possible to bring the issue up again, but sounded doubtful.
"I'm a little frustrated right now," she said.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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