OPELOUSAS, La. (KPEL News) - St. Landry Parish Superintendent Patrick Jenkins is the top superintendent in the state, according to the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents (LASS).

Jenkins was named the 2023 Louisiana Superintendent of the Year by LASS for several areas of growth seen in the district. The award is part of a program to recognize "outstanding leadership of active, front-line superintendents," St. Landry Parish School District )SLPSD) said in a release.

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Jenkins was named Superintendent of the Year at the annual LASS Conference in Baton Rouge.

“I am so honored and humbled to have been chosen as Louisiana’s Superintendent of the Year,” Jenkins said in a statement. "Serving as superintendent in St. Landry Parish is a dream fulfilled. St. Landry Parish is the root of my origins. I was raised there and went to school there. This place has a special place in my heart, and I have a strong desire to see the educational successes we can bring about here."

Jenkins has been superintendent of the SLPSD for six years. Since he's taken over, the district has improved from a "C" to a "B," and boasts the best growth of any district in the state.

SLPSD has also increased qualifying scores on AP exams by 4.2 percentage points and expanded dual enrollment through a partnership with LSU-A.

 

 

"I  am immensely proud of the work we have done and the turnaround we have created for the kids and community that we serve," he said. "I am acutely aware that I have the privilege of receiving this award based on the incredibly hard work of everyone in and around our dynamic district. Thank you to my supportive family, the outstanding SLPSD team, and to LASS for this once-in-a-lifetime honor.”

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