Former Columbus Municipal School Board Superintendent Cherie Labat has passed away.
Labat, 48, died Wednesday in Little Rock, Arkansas, after an undisclosed illness, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She was CEO at eStem Public Charter Schools, a job she held since May.
Labat served as Columbus superintendent from 2018 to 2022, taking the helm after previous superintendent Philip Hickman was fired.
Current Superintendent Stanley Ellis and board President Telisa Young released a joint statement Wednesday afternoon on Labat’s passing.
“The CMSD is saddened by the recent death of former superintendent (Labat),” the statement said. “… (Labat) embraced the Columbus community during her tenure and was a champion for public education. The CMSD family extends its deepest condolences to the Labat family.”
Labat oversaw the district’s improvement from a D rating under the Mississippi Department of Education’s accountability model to a C, a ranking it still maintains. The district had been rated a D for 13 consecutive years.
Before taking the position in Little Rock, Labat served as the cybersecurity coordinator for the Mississippi Cyber Defense Initiative at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Prior to her position with CMSD, Labat was assistant superintendent, principal and assistant principal in the Bay St. Louis Waveland School District from 2006 to 2016; the assistant dean and career and technical director for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Pass Christian and Long Beach high schools from 2003 to 2006; a teacher in the Hancock County and Biloxi school districts from 1999 to 2003; and a literacy coach and program coordinator at the University of Mississippi from 1997 to 1999.
Funeral arrangements had not been made public by press time.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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