Press Statement on the Removal of Avis Williams
- Harmony Hobbs
- Nov 14, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 24
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 14, 2024
Contact: Harmony Hobbs
(205) 901-4900
BATON ROUGE, LA—The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) would like to thank Dr. Avis Williams for her time and service to NOLA Public Schools. We have never doubted her eagerness to serve; New Orleans benefited from her passion for ensuring that students' voices were heard and that their mental health was a top priority.
There are many challenges in running a large and complex city school system that must also overcome the systemic effects of poverty on its constituents. As OPSB begins its process to select the next Superintendent, LAPCS hopes that it will engage deeply with school leaders—those who are working most closely with students—to identify the critical skills, experience, and leadership qualities that they believe are necessary to support the work happening inside schools and across the New Orleans community as a whole.
The next Superintendent should not have a particular type of school governance in mind. The New Orleans system of public schools is an ever-evolving balance between providing strong school leaders with the autonomy needed to make decisions as close to students as possible while streamlining services at the centralized level to help improve efficiencies across the entire system. We must engage in this work and hold each other accountable within their designated roles to improve outcomes.
New Orleans continues to improve academically, as evidenced by increased school performance scores of over three points. The Louisiana Department of Education has recognized NOLA-PS for the last two years due to its increased academic growth. We look forward to working with the interim Superintendent as we build upon these successes.
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The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization whose mission is to improve education in Louisiana by supporting, promoting, and advocating for excellent public charter schools. Learn more about LAPCS at
