NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Avis Wiliams is marking one year on the job.
On Tuesday, July 11, she hosted a “State of NOLA Public Schools” news conference to mark her one-year anniversary as the first permanent female superintendent in the district’s 180 year history.
At the conference, Williams talked about the district’s achievements and described a recent “town hall” meeting for Latino students and parents. She said she wants the schools to be more inclusive for students who speak a foreign language, predominantly Spanish.
“It was an opportunity for our Hispanic families to come, and we honored them by making sure that the entire town hall was done in Spanish. If you did not speak Spanish, you wore headphones, and you had the interpreter. It was very valuable to hear some of the challenges that our families face and the suggestions,” she said.
Williams also said that she wants to be a role model for students of color, noting that fewer than two percent of all superintendents are African American women.
“As we move up the rank for leadership, only about 24% of superintendents are women, and only 1.4% of those totals are black women. It does not escape me. The fact that I am standing in this position is a rarity, and that’s unfortunate. I want to be a role model for young people,” she said.
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