Jefferson Parish Public School System, Louisiana
| Jefferson Parish Public Schools |
|---|
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| Jefferson Parish, Louisiana |
| District details |
| Superintendent: James Gray |
| # of school board members: 9 |
| Website: Link |
Jefferson Parish Public School System is a school district in Louisiana.
Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...
- Superintendent
- School board
- Elections
- Budget
- Teacher salaries
- Academic performance
- Students
- Staff
- Schools
- Contact information
Superintendent
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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates. |
James Gray is the superintendent of the Jefferson Parish Public School System. Gray was appointed on July 15, 2020. Gray's previous career experience includes working as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and as a school leadership director with the Vermilion Parish School Board.[1][2]
Past superintendents
- Lale Geer was an interim superintendent from June to July 2020 after former Jefferson Parish Superintendent Cade Brumley left office to become the Louisiana Superintendent of Education. Geer previously served as interim superintendent in 2018.[3]
- Cade Brumley was the superintendent of the Jefferson Parish Public School System from 2018 to 2020. His previous career experience included serving as the superintendent of the DeSoto Parish School System. He left Jefferson Parish to become the state superintendent of education.[4]
- Isaac Joseph was the superintendent of the Jefferson Parish Public School System from 2015 to 2018. Joseph's previous career experience included working in the district as a teacher, dean of student services, and principal.[5]
- James Meza, Jr., was the superintendent of the Jefferson Parish Public School System from 2011 to 2015. Meza's previous career experience included working as a professor and dean at the University of New Orleans and as the executive director of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.[6][7]
School board
The Jefferson Parish School Board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected by district in partisan elections.[8]
In December 2012, the school board adopted a redistricting plan.[9] The map on the right shows the district boundaries as drawn by the 2012 decision.
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 1 | Gerard LeBlanc | 2020 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 2 | Ricky Johnson | 2015 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 3 | Kriss Fairbairn Fortunato | January 1, 2023 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 4 | Clay Moise | 2019 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 5 | Derrick Shepherd | January 1, 2023 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 6 | Michael Pedalino | January 1, 2023 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 7 | Ralph Brandt | January 1, 2023 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 8 | Chad Nugent | 2019 |
| Jefferson Parish School Board District 9 | Steven Guitterrez | January 1, 2023 |
Elections
All nine seats on the Jefferson Parish School Board are up for election in November every four years.
A general election was scheduled for November 8, 2022. A general runoff election, if needed, was scheduled for December 10, 2022.
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.
Join the conversation about school board politics
Public participation in board meetings
The Jefferson Parish Public School System school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[10]
District map
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[11]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $115,383,000 | $2,460 | 14% |
| Local: | $433,891,000 | $9,252 | 54% |
| State: | $247,702,000 | $5,282 | 31% |
| Total: | $796,976,000 | $16,995 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $827,566,000 | $17,646 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $782,007,000 | $16,675 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $337,158,000 | $7,189 | 41% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $79,182,000 | $1,688 | 10% |
| Administration: | $110,279,000 | $2,351 | 13% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $254,309,000 | $5,422 | 31% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $20,603,000 | $439 | |
| Construction: | $15,957,000 | $340 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $1,431,000 | $30 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $5,439,000 | $115 |
Teacher salaries
The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.
| Year | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025[12] | $42,800 | $65,800 |
| 2022-2023[13] | $40,300 | $63,300 |
| 2019-2020[14] | $37,500 | $61,000 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[15]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 24 | 63 | 13 | 20 | 25-29 | 31 | 40 |
| 2018-2019 | 60 | 88 | 49 | 56 | 70-74 | 71 | 76 |
| 2017-2018 | 61 | 90 | 51 | 58 | 65-69 | 68 | 74 |
| 2016-2017 | 60 | 87 | 49 | 56 | 70-74 | 70 | 73 |
| 2015-2016 | 61 | 89 | 51 | 57 | 65-69 | 70 | 73 |
| 2014-2015 | 62 | 89 | 52 | 59 | 70-74 | 70 | 73 |
| 2013-2014 | 69 | 90 | 61 | 65 | 70-74 | 76 | 79 |
| 2012-2013 | 66 | 89 | 58 | 64 | 60-64 | 76 | 75 |
| 2011-2012 | 69 | 89 | 60 | 68 | 75-79 | 78 | 81 |
| 2010-2011 | 62 | 83 | 52 | 61 | 65-69 | 74 | 75 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 34 | 66 | 24 | 29 | 35-39 | 46 | 48 |
| 2018-2019 | 64 | 85 | 58 | 56 | 65-69 | 76 | 77 |
| 2017-2018 | 64 | 85 | 58 | 57 | 70-74 | 76 | 76 |
| 2016-2017 | 65 | 85 | 57 | 59 | 75-79 | 74 | 77 |
| 2015-2016 | 67 | 86 | 61 | 60 | 70-74 | 77 | 77 |
| 2014-2015 | 69 | 85 | 62 | 66 | 70-74 | 79 | 79 |
| 2013-2014 | 68 | 85 | 60 | 68 | 65-69 | 75 | 78 |
| 2012-2013 | 72 | 86 | 66 | 70 | 75-79 | 81 | 80 |
| 2011-2012 | 70 | 84 | 62 | 69 | 70-74 | 80 | 79 |
| 2010-2011 | 62 | 78 | 55 | 59 | 70-74 | 73 | 72 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 78 | >=95 | 81 | 66 | >=80 | 75-79 | 80 |
| 2018-2019 | 72 | 90-94 | 75 | 60 | 60-79 | 80-84 | 77 |
| 2017-2018 | 73 | 90-94 | 77 | 59 | >=50 | 70-74 | 79 |
| 2016-2017 | 72 | 90-94 | 74 | 57 | 60-79 | 80-84 | 78 |
| 2015-2016 | 76 | 85-89 | 77 | 68 | 60-79 | 80-89 | 77 |
| 2014-2015 | 73 | 90-94 | 73 | 73 | 60-79 | 70-79 | 71 |
| 2013-2014 | 72 | 85-89 | 70 | 69 | 60-79 | 80-89 | 73 |
| 2012-2013 | 69 | 85-89 | 65 | 67 | >=80 | 80-89 | 73 |
| 2011-2012 | 70 | 80-84 | 69 | 65 | 40-59 | >=80 | 71 |
| 2010-2011 | 67 | 80-84 | 65 | 67 | 60-79 | >=80 | 65 |
Students
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 50,467 | -0.3 |
| 2022-2023 | 50,628 | 7.4 |
| 2021-2022 | 46,896 | -2.7 |
| 2020-2021 | 48,160 | -3.5 |
| 2019-2020 | 49,862 | 3.2 |
| 2018-2019 | 48,254 | -1.0 |
| 2017-2018 | 48,750 | 0.2 |
| 2016-2017 | 48,668 | 0.6 |
| 2015-2016 | 48,389 | 1.2 |
| 2014-2015 | 47,817 | 3.1 |
| 2013-2014 | 46,312 | 0.5 |
| 2012-2013 | 46,100 | 0.9 |
| 2011-2012 | 45,688 | 1.0 |
| 2010-2011 | 45,230 | 1.1 |
| 2009-2010 | 44,713 | 2.3 |
| 2008-2009 | 43,682 | 0.5 |
| 2007-2008 | 43,468 | -0.1 |
| 2006-2007 | 43,528 | 4.4 |
| 2005-2006 | 41,625 | -23.5 |
| 2004-2005 | 51,403 | -0.1 |
| 2003-2004 | 51,453 | -0.1 |
| 2002-2003 | 51,501 | 1.4 |
| 2001-2002 | 50,766 | -0.2 |
| 2000-2001 | 50,891 | -1.9 |
| 1999-2000 | 51,835 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Jefferson Parish Public School System (%) | Louisiana K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 4.6 | 1.6 |
| Black | 33.1 | 41.4 |
| Hispanic | 38.8 | 11.3 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| White | 20.8 | 41.3 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Jefferson Parish Public School System had 3,144.75 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.05.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 105.53 |
| Kindergarten: | 142.30 |
| Elementary: | 1,549.47 |
| Secondary: | 692.13 |
| Total: | 3,144.75 |
Jefferson Parish Public School System employed 2.33 district administrators and 246.48 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 2.33 |
| District Administrative Support: | 33.67 |
| School Administrators: | 246.48 |
| School Administrative Support: | 335.56 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 935.86 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 563.94 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 54.75 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 72.49 |
| Library/Media Support: | 0.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 380.00 |
| Other Support Services: | 643.90 |
Schools
Noteworthy events
2009: Board term limits
On July 1, 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal (R) signed House Bill 504 into law as Act 291. This act created term limits for members of the Jefferson Parish school board by amending state statutory language.
The amended language stated:
| “ | Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a member of the Jefferson Parish School Board, who at the end of his term of office on the board will have served as a member of the board for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms, such service being during terms that began on or after January 1, 2010, shall not be elected to the board for the succeeding term.[16] | ” |
| —Louisiana State Legislature website, (2009)[17] | ||
Contact information
Jefferson Parish Public School System
501 Manhattan Blvd.
Harvey, LA 70058
Phone: 504-349-7600
About school boards
Education legislation in Louisiana
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| Louisiana | School Board Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Jefferson Parish School System
- Louisiana School Board Association
- Louisiana Department of Education
Footnotes
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "Leadership," accessed March 23, 2021
- ↑ NOLA.com, "James Gray named new superintendent of Jefferson Parish schools," July 15, 2020
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "Lale L. Geer Named Interim Superintendent, JPSB Announces Plans to Select Next Superintendent," accessed June 9, 2020
- ↑ Louisiana Department of Education, "Dr. Cade Brumley," accessed June 9, 2020
- ↑ 4WWL, "Isaac Joseph, first African-American superintendent of Jefferson Parish public schools, dies," June 3, 2019
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Public School System, "Leadership : Superintendent," accessed November 25, 2014
- ↑ nola.com, "James Meza: End of an era for Jefferson schools superintendent who shook up public education," January 31, 2015
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "School Board," accessed March 23, 2021
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Parish School Board approves redistricting plan, new turnaround network," January 10, 2012
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "XV - Public Participation in Board Meetings," accessed April 17, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Salary Schedules," accessed April 17, 2025
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Salary Schedules," accessed February 4, 2024
- ↑ Jefferson Parish Schools, "Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Salary Schedules," accessed March 23, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "Act No. 291," 2009
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