District Administration - April 2008 - (Page 24)

SUPERINTENDENT DORIS VOITIER AdministratorProﬁle By Jennifer Chase Esposito Turning Tragedy into Change people and children still left in FEW SUPERINTENDENTS the district, and after months have suﬀered and successfully of fruitless FEMA meetings eﬀected change like Doris Voitand its failed promises for ier of St. Bernard Parish Public trailers for a makeshift school, Schools in Chalmette, La. An Voitier brought back a few employee of St. Bernard for 36 key people from her adminyears, Voitier became superinistration to evaluate how they tendent when the 8,800-stuwould rebuild. dent district, which is located They did what she realized 10 minutes outside of New they should’ve done in the Orleans’ French Quarter, was beginning: locate trailers on thriving. The district had gone their own. through a full rehabilitation “My rationale was that, just ﬁve years prior, building ‘I’m doing what’s best for the four new schools and renovatcommunity children. As long ing the rest. SBPPS became the Doris Voitier visits a classroom that was salvaged on the second ﬂoor as I don’t put a penny in my ﬁrst district in Louisiana to be of Chalmette High School in St. Bernard’s Parish, an area hit hard pocket, even if I have to bend fully accredited. There was an by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. the rules and regulations, I’ll adequate funding balance and a universal program for four-year-olds— ier (pronounced “Voe-chay”) has been the do it.’” Three and a half weeks later, St. Bernard pieced together a school in the another ﬁrst for the state. “We were a very force of change at the center. parking lot of a local football stadium successful public school system before the after receiving trailers from a company in Aftermath storm,” she says. But in the aftermath of Hurricane “I was always a rule-follower,” explains Georgia to which Voitier herself reached Katrina, St. Bernard Parish was a shell of Voitier, “but when we were totally out. “I had to accept an unusual role for its former strength. “Not a building sur- destroyed, and I spent a week trapped in a an educational superintendent,” she said. Voitier expected no more than 100 stuvived—every house, every church, every school with 1,500 people, it changes your business,” says Voitier, who earned her perspective when you see people suﬀering.” dents to immediately return, but 340 were bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the So in the absence of citywide services for there when the doors opened in November 2005. By Christmas she had 640, and University of New Orleans and her certiby January 2006 there were 1,200. ﬁcation in education administration from Doris Voitier “It was a time,” says Voitier. “And we U-NO/Loyola University. Superintendent did it. We did it on our own. … But that “If you drive through our commuDistrict: St. Bernard Parish ﬁrst year,” she says, her voice trailing oﬀ. nity today, a vast portion is still as you Public Schools (La.) “The last year I studied geography, Louisiwould’ve seen it just after the storm,” she Age: 58 ana was still a part of the country.” says. And according to Voitier, inadequate Salary: $110,000 federal leadership and state resources not Tenure: 4 years Change in Teaching Methods getting into the hands of the people who Students: 4,350 “What I thought my superintendency was really need them have kept most rebuildStaff and faculty: 520 going to be has so vastly changed,” says ing from happening. “We’ve had a drop in Schools: Five in operation Voitier. “We have a lot more children of population due to the slowness in recovWeb address: poverty, so our teaching methods have had ery. … But our school system has been a www.stbernard.k12.la.us to change. … My goal was to move chilleader in bringing people back,” and Voit24 April 2008 District Administration http://www.stbernard.k12.la.us

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2008

District Administration - April 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Curriculum
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Profit and Loss in School-Business Partnerships
The Broad Way
Big Macs for Big Grades
Hometown Success
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Speaking Out
Crisis Response
New Products
Problem/Solution
Computer Literature
Research Center
Calendar of Events
Products Showcase
Understanding the Times

District Administration - April 2008