As far as Columbus school district superintendents go, it was about as clean a break as possible when Cherie Labat stepped down in August.

Labat submitted her resignation after leading the Columbus Municipal School District for four years, about 45 minutes before a special-call meeting by the CMSD Board of Trustees to discuss “a personnel matter” and 24 hours after the board met in a 90-minute executive season at its regular meeting to discuss Labat’s job performance.

The two previous full-time superintendents — Martha Liddell in 2013 and Philip Hickman in 2018 — fought it out, were terminated, demanded termination hearings and filed suit against the school district, both of which were eventually dismissed.

None of that was the case with Labat’s departure, so with no ties to Columbus prior to her arrival in 2018, it might have been assumed that Labat would take the first thing smokin’ to her native Gulf Coast.

“I’m still here,” said Labat, 46. “It never crossed my mind to leave.”

Almost from the instant Labat turned in her resignation, she set her sights on serving her adopted hometown in other ways.

“You can’t come into a school district and not embrace the community,” Labat said. “I became very invested from the start and (Columbus) became my home and my life. I have friends here and my church, Annunciation (Catholic Church), which I love and the people in the community I’ve worked with, people that are key to building a community. The day after (the resignation) I went to a community meeting. You do the work and the community becomes who you are.”

In the weeks and months since her departure from CMSD, Labat has thrown herself into roles outside the school district that can improve K-12 education and fight poverty, which Labat says are intrinsically linked.

“I’ve been engaged in the community for career development for K-12 schools and looking at the broader picture of how K-12 education can be more equitable,” she said. “I’ve also been involved in community discussions as it relates to making a way for people in our community who are in poverty to have more opportunities.”

As a consultant, some paid work and some volunteer, Labat said she’s focused on the future rather than the past.

Even so, there are things Labat can look back on with a sense of accomplishment.

In September, about a month after her departure, the state released its accountability scores. CMSD earned a “C” rating, ending a 13-year string of “D” ratings.

Labat doesn’t view that as vindication, though.

“Vindication is something you feel when you think you have been defeated,” she said. “To me, it was a reflection of all the hard work of our team and our students. You put the work in and you see the results. I’m so proud of them all.”

As for her long-range future, Labat said she has no definitive plans.

“Everything happens for a reason,” she said. “I’m going as hard and as strong as I’ve done for 22 years as an educator, but this situation does give me an opportunity to reflect as I move forward, to focus on my family and the people I love in an intentional way. It’s a special time for me.”

While her future plans have yet to come into sharp focus, Labat said one overriding fact remains.

“I’m not done loving and leading,” she said.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

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