Lincoln Parish School Board Superintendent Ricky Durrett’s contract was extended for four more years Tuesday night in a unanimous vote by the members of the board.
“I’m very appreciative that the board did that,” Durrett said. “I think what they’ve given me is very reasonable. With the size of the schools we have along with the academic things we expect, it’s very fair to me and the district.”
Durrett’s new contract is comparable to his previous one with most of the changes now being tied to incentives, such as the district or schools receiving higher grades by the state.
His previous contract was for 2.5 years as he took over for former superintendent Mike Milstead, who retired in the middle of the final year of his contract.
“We think he’s been doing a good job.” LPSB Joe Mitcham said. “Anybody that can come through COVID and survive is doing good. He keeps his eyes on what is needed for the school system and what’s best. It’s a good fit for our area.”
Durrett outlined his vision and goals for the parish to continue to climb to higher ratings and grades.
“We’re a B district right now, and our biggest goal is to improve to an A district,” Durrett said. “We’d like to be in one of the top five, if not the top in the state. That’s the goal for us. We want to see some of our subgroup populations scores go up, whether that’s African American students, special education students, economically disadvantaged students; we want to see all them moving up and achieving better.”
Durrett was voted in as LPSB superintendent in January 2021.
