In a letter to the district, Superintendent Donald Aguillard announces his retirement. He will remain on the job through the end of the school year.

Dear LPSS Board Members,

Serving as your Superintendent has been challenging and rewarding. I am gratified and humbled by the accomplishments we have collectively achieved during my employment. Consequently, after 43.5 years in education, the decision to retire on May 17,2019 has been difficult. I have enthusiastically served two public school systems - St. Mary and Lafayette - a combined fifteen years as Superintendent. My singular vision has consistently been the nurturing of a data-driven, results-oriented culture of best practices, along with keeping the best interest of the students in mind, to strengthen teaching and learning. I am unwavering in my core belief that school improvement is achievable through deliberate action. I will cherish the many personal relationships formed in both St. Mary and Lafayette parishes among stakeholders sharing my vision of providing increasing opportunities for all students. Special thanks to the students, parents, teachers, support staff, administrators, civic organizations, and government, business and community leaders who championed the idea that our future success depends on the quality of educational experiences for our children. I am also unwavering in my belief that a strong public-school system is vital to the strength of a community. Thank you for giving your time, energy, and counsel always striving to make the best decisions for the betterment of our students. This Board wisely leveraged bonding capacity and aggressively pursued a pay-as-you-go mindset to address critical facility needs. In all, approximately 5249 million in infrastructure improvements have occurred since 2015.

Projects undertaken include: covered playground pavilions at 20 elementary schools, air conditioning 21 gymnasiums, construction of Southside High, Billeaud Elementary, improvements to Milton Elementary and L.Leo Judice Elementary, the performing arts wing at Comeaux High for PAA, refurbishing Westside Elementary due to flood damage and building brick and mortar additions to eliminate temporary classrooms at Evangeline, Acadian, Drexel, Woodvale, Plantation, Broadmoor, Ridge, LJ Alleman and Edgar Martin. My sincere hope is that my tenure served as a pivotal period of change and revitalization for our school system. The district tackled bus rerouting, rezoning, school safety, Common Core State Standards (CCSS), shift to online testing, rigorous PARCC assessments and ESSA required transition to Tier I ELA and Math curricula. LPSS also authorized the Edward J. Sam Accelerated School, Dr. Rapheal A. Baranco Elementary School, expanded the Leader-in-Me program to 27 schools, launched the Million Word Reader Challenge, restarted Fast ForWord perpetual licenses, and championed a districtwide culture of recycling. I humbly acknowledge the trust you afforded me to direct educational opportunities for our 31,400 students. My wife and family have been part of this journey with me. Their love, support, and belief in me has made these forty-four years possible. I look forward to spending the next chapter of my life enjoying family. I do not doubt that the next superintendent will be able to build on the solid foundation that we have established.

Lastly, I offer my sincere thanks for the support and cooperation provided by the Lafayette Parish School Board to me over the past four years. Your vote of confidence in my leadership ability afforded my career to culminate where it began in Lafayette Parish. Thank You.

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