Vermilion Parish's own Francis Touchet named superintendent of Lafayette Parish schools

(Courtesy of the Advocate Newspaper)

Lafayette Parish Interim Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. has been selected by the school board to serve as the next superintendent of the district.
The Lafayette Parish School Board voted unanimously Thursday to move Touchet to the permanent position. He has served in the interim role since July after former Superintendent Irma Trosclair resigned.
“I want to thank the board for their vote of confidence, but more importantly for the vote of confidence in our team,” Touchet said. “We will strive to continue to always put students first, and we will always make sure that our employees are in the best hands in doing so.”
Touchet was the only applicant for the superintendent position.
Touchet is a Kaplan High graduate, played football for USL and then taught in Vermilion Parish Schools. He was also a principal at Erath High School.
The position was advertised as required by law and as requested by school board members, according to Board Attorney Robert Hammonds.

“Mr. (Tommy) Angelle, Mr. (Justin) Centanni and I actually personally visited the post office and opened the P.O. box,” Hammonds said. “We double checked at the desk to make sure that the one application that was contained therein was in fact the only application. That application was submitted by your interim superintendent, who is eminently qualified to serve as a superintendent in the state of Louisiana.”
Hammonds said the board could either make a motion to select Touchet as the next superintendent or “do something else in this process as it moves forward.”
Britt Latiolais, who represents District 5, made a motion to select Touchet, pending any contract negotiations. The school board did not discuss the matter further, and there was no public comment on the topic.

Amanda Blanco, spokesperson for the Lafayette Parish School System, said the position was posted on the school system’s website and advertised from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20 in The Daily Advertiser, The Acadiana Advocate, The Baton Rouge Advocate and The New Orleans Advocate. Blanco said the position may have also been posted to job boards, but she did not have a definite answer before this story’s publication deadline. This recruitment process was the same as that used to recruit for the previous superintendent, Blanco said.

Touchet served as the associate Lafayette Parish superintendent, focusing on district accountability and academic support. He joined the district in July 2019.

He has been an educator for more than 30 years, according to his application. He started his career as a science teacher and football and track coach in Vermilion Parish. He moved into administrative roles in 1998. He served as assistant principal and principal in the parish, including serving as the principal of Erath High School for five years. While he was principal, the school was one of the state’s top-performing high schools.
He moved to the Louisiana Department of Education in 2012 as a network leader who worked with more than 40 school districts throughout the state on district-wide initiatives.
When the board voted to search for a new superintendent, they debated whether that decision should be left to them or passed on to the newly elected board, which will be seated in January.