NOLA-PS Salutes OPSB Member John Brown on His Pending Departure

Mr. Brown is stepping down due to his daughter's candidacy for NOLA-PS Superintendent.

(New Orleans – March 7, 2022) — NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is grateful to Orleans Parish School Member John Brown for his years of service as a board member, board president, principal, coach, teacher, and mentor to New Orleans students for the past 52 years.

"We are honored that Mr. Brown chose to dedicate so much of his life to the children and students of New Orleans," NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. said. "His leadership, integrity and commitment to putting students first has positively impacted countless lives, especially as a mentor to young Black men."

Mr. Brown announced his intent to resign his position as the District 1 representative after his daughter, Dr. Jawan Brown-Alexander, became an official candidate for the NOLA-PS Superintendent position. Dr. Brown-Alexander formally submitted her candidacy materials to the board on Thursday, March 3.

"We applaud Mr. Brown for his service of more than five decades in education. He has been an invaluable resource to us, his fellow board members, to me personally, and to our school community," OPSB President Olin Parker said. "We are also grateful for his principled approach to preserving the integrity of the search for a new superintendent. It has been an honor to serve with him."

Mr. Brown immediately recused himself from the search process once Dr. Brown-Alexander formally applied. The remaining six board members intend to continue the selection process without interruption.

"True to his unassailable character, Mr. Brown is showing the utmost respect for the District, its educators, and students by choosing to step away now and remove any question about the transparency and integrity of the superintendent search process," said Board Member Ethan Ashley, the chair of the superintendent search committee. "We will miss his counsel on the school board, which we have relied on for many years, but we are grateful to him for his service and willingness to do what it takes for the sake of the District."

After Mr. Brown's resignation is formally recognized by the Louisiana Secretary of State's office, OPSB will have 20 days to appoint an individual to fill the District 1 seat. The appointment process will be made available on the District's website once the board receives written notification from the state about Mr. Brown's decision.

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 76 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.

For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.