story by staff reporter Nora Drenner

Sabine Parish native Cade Brumley has been named new state superintendent of education. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) selected Brumley on May 20.
Brumley, current Jefferson Parish School System superintendent, taught school and served as principal of Converse High School before moving to superintendent of Desoto Parish schools. He was one of six finalists for the LA Department of Education position.
To win the position, Brumley had to receive at least eight votes from the 11-person BESE board. Also nominated for the position among the six finalists were Jessica Baghian with the Louisiana Department of Education and Lonnie Luce, current executive director of Blended & Online School Solutions and superintendent for Charter Schools USA Louisiana.
In the first round of voting, neither of the three nominated candidates received enough votes to secure the position. Following a brief recess, a second round of nominations took place with Brumley and Baghian taking the lead.
Baghian received six aye votes and five nay votes; Brumley received eight ayes and three nays. Now that Brumley has been selected, the next step is confirmation by the state legislature, as well as contract and salary negotiations which is also reviewed by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
Brumley is filling the top state education position that was vacated by John White in March. In the interim, Beth Scioneaux has been serving as acting state superintendent.
Brumley began his teaching career in Caddo Parish before moving back to his hometown to serve as teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal. The next leg of his career was six years as superintendent of DeSoto Parish, which advanced to one of the top-rated districts in the state under his leadership. And, since 2018 Brumley and has been Jefferson Parish superintendent.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance with a minor in social studies at Northwestern State in 2002, a master’s in education administration from LSU-S in 2004 and a doctorate in education leadership at Stephen F. Austin in 2007.
Brumley is also a graduate of the Harvard Superintendents Academy and author of “Leadership Standards in Action: The School Principal as Servant-Leader,” which was published in 2011. He and his wife have two children – both boys.