Cherie Labat resigned today from her position as superintendent of Columbus Municipal School District.
Labat’s resignation comes less than 24 hours after CMSD board held its regular monthly meeting where they discussed her employment during executive session. A special-call board meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. today, was set before Labat announced her resignation.
Labat was hired by the board in June 2018 on a four-year contract that last was extended in 2020. Four years is the maximum contract length under state law, so her current contract was set to expire on June 30, 2024.
In a letter to Columbus and local media, Labat expressed her gratitude toward the district employees and said she set out to help students.
“Serving as superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District these past four years was extraordinary,” Labat wrote. “During these years, my administrative team has been laser-focused on educating and helping the children at CMSD. Student test scores have increased across the board except for the lower 25 percent in reading. Our graduation rate last year was the highest percentage in more than 15 years. But, academics are just the first tier of educating the whole child.”
Labat did not disclose her reason for resigning in her letter.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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