Charter School Board Hires Louisiana Exec

By Jeff AmyAssociated Press

JACKSON – Marian Schutte, an official with Louisiana’s Recovery School District, is likely to be the first executive director of Mississippi’s Charter School Authorizer Board.

The board voted 5-0 Thursday to hire Schutte, pending approval by the state Personnel Board.

Schutte has handled charter school authorization and monitoring for the Louisiana agency, which has taken over a number of schools, mostly in New Orleans. The district has turned most of its New Orleans schools into charters.

Charter Board Chairman Tommie Cardin says that Schutte’s experience teaching in and then overseeing charter schools, plus her work inside a state agency, make her the right candidate for the job. A second finalist, an unnamed Mississippi resident, was also considered.

The board voted to offer Schutte a $95,000 salary, plus a $10,000 relocation allowance.