New Orleans - Deseg hearings resumed today with Assistant Superintendent Thomas Bellavia taking the witness stand for just over two hours in Federal Court to testify on information received from the TPSS by the court on the hiring of black applicants in the Tangipahoa Parish School System. The school system has asked that the court make all recent hirings retroactive to June 29 that would include those hirings done at the last board meeting of June 29. In a surprise move, Judge Lemelle said doing so would be a violation of law, and that he had ordered before the hirings were done, the school system must come up with a plan to be used in hirings across the board for teachers, coaches, and all administrators. He further stated such a plan is to be system-wide, and both sides are ordered to develop criteria for hiring that goes into affect today, and is to be submitted to the court today as well.

 

Judge Lemelle noted more should be done to recruit more black applicants, and he expects better recruitment to be done. 

 

Bellavia told the court of all the teachers in this school system, 19.6% are black teachers, up from 18.2% a year ago.  Black principals comprise 8 of 35, assistant principals makeup 10 of 26, and administrative assistants comprise 11 of 25.  Bellavia further stated a total of 237 applicants applied for positions this year, however, 196 were white, with more than 80 of this number hired, while 41 blacks applied and 26 of this number was hired.  In previous proceedings, the TPSS was ordered to hire blacks who are certified until the numbers are reached.

 

Bellavia was questioned intensely on the TPSS's hiring procedures for black applicants who applied for positions, and why the principals of schools would not hire the applicants.

 

Judge Lemelle ordered Bellavia to provide proof of the documentation of black teachers who applied for teaching positions and were not hired, and is to be submitted into the court records by Friday, and proof of why those whites who were hired into positions June 29, this being done against the recommendations of the Court-appointed Compliance Officer asking the school system not to hire anyone until after the hearing of June 30.

 

Testimony in court will resume tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., and if necessary, Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  Scheduled to take the stand Tuesday, July 7 is Chief Financial Officer Ron Caruso, TPSS Auditor Ty Harris, and Director of Curriculum Danny Williams.