St. Mary’s Armato announces retirement

Published 6:00 am Thursday, December 20, 2018

CENTERVILLE — St. Mary Parish Superintendent of Schools Leonard Armato announced his resignation this week. 

Armato, who has served as superintendent four years, released a prepared statement thanking the St. Mary Parish School Board for allowing him to serve in the parish. 

“I consider it a privilege to have been blessed to spend my entire educational career in St. Mary Parish as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, supervisor and superintendent,” Armato said. 

“I would like to thank the board for giving me the opportunity to serve as your superintendent for the past four years. It has been a pleasure to work with each of you to provide a quality education for all students in St. Mary Parish schools.”

Armato also said he had confidence the parish’s public schools will continue its growth and success moving forward. 

“Despite a tough economy and dwindling funds, we have maintained annual growth, instituted effective programs and provided a wide variety of learning opportunities for all students,” he said.

Armato, who said he plans to quit before June 30, 2019, and noted that he wanted to provide the school board ample to time to find a replacement early so the budget process can occur seamlessly. 

School Board President Michael Taylor said he is hopeful of having a new superintendent hired by April 2019. Ultimately, he said, the decision will be up to the school board. 

“At the January meeting I think it will be wise for us to start the movement forward with the search for a new superintendent, ask for applications and do the legal requirements,” Taylor said. 

Taylor said he hopes to open up the search regionally and eventually have the board conduct two or three rounds of interviews with the applicants. By  April 1, he is hoping a replacement superintendent will be hired. 

The board president said he wants a superintendent in place for several reasons, including the budget process and the fact various administrative appointments usually are made during that time. 

“There are a number of appointments that have to be made, generally in May, for administrative positions and it would just be better for the new superintendent to make those decisions since they have to live with those appointments,” Taylor said.