The Iberia Parish School Board has begun the process of searching for a new superintendent of schools to replace Carey Laviolette, who is retiring.

The search for a new superintendent is on for the Iberia Parish School Board, and board members are expecting to begin the selection process in the coming months.

With the announcement from Superintendent Carey Laviolette’s retirement from the position, members of the board are now responsible for voting on a replacement who will serve as the chief executive of the Iberia Parish School District for years to come.

Board President Dan LeBlanc said the board is gearing up to begin the process, which involves advertising for the position and interviewing candidates who submit their name for the position.

“We do have a process we have to follow, (and) we’re working on that right now,” LeBlanc said Saturday.

Once applications for the position have been submitted, interviews will be held between the candidates and the school board, which will culminate in a vote for the new superintendent.

Laviolette announced that she would be leaving her position early this month, calling her time in the position as well as her many years in the Iberia Parish School District an “an amazing journey” and adding that it had been an honor and privilege to serve in the position.

Laviolette was appointed the superintendent of the school district in 2018 after the retirement of Dale Henderson, and prior to that served the district as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, a post she held since 2007.

LeBlanc said a timeline for the hiring of a new superintendent was in the process of being constructed, but he added that the new hire will spend some time with Laviolette before she leaves the post for good in order to get adjusted to the new position.

Although applicants can come from any district, the IPSB has traditionally chosen candidates who have had experience within Iberia Parish schools.

Before the current superintendent, Dale Henderson had served as the chief administrator for Iberia schools, a position he held for 11 years, and had been employed in the district since 1979.

The decision will be one of the most important that the Iberia Parish School Board makes this year, and will also likely be a pivotal talking point during the Nov. 11 election where school board members could see competition for their board seats.

Along with district reapportionments still continuing to play out and the continued management of COVID-19 safety precautions within Iberia Parish schools, the next few months will likely be very busy for both members of the board and the school district administration.