By ROBIN SHANNON and David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The panel in charge of seeking out and interviewing candidates for the head football coach and athletic director position at East St. John High School has narrowed the search to three finalists, but when St. John the Baptist Parish School System Director of Human Resources Leigh Ann Beard updated the school board on the progress, the matter exploded into controversy.

Board member Albert Burl III made clear his dissatisfaction with the process through which the finalists were chosen.

Besides believing the process has taken too long Burl said he thought the results of the interview process were biased.

“Of the final eight, only three have previous coaching and AD experience,” he said. “Of the final three, only one has experience.”

Ronald Barrilleaux, Phillip Banko and Terrance Williams were chosen from a pool of eight candidates interviewed by the hiring committee this week, said Heidi Trosclair, media and communications coordinator for St. John the Baptist Parish school system.

Barrilleaux was named interim head coach and athletic director following Larry Dauterive’s resignation in October. Barrilleaux finished out the regular season with a 2-1 record and lost in the first round of the 5A State Playoffs to Acadiana High School.

Banko was a former defensive coordinator at East St. John and is now defensive coordinator at Ponchatoula High School. He has also spent time coaching for the University of Miami and the Cleveland Browns of the NFL

Williams is the head coach at Donaldsonville High School.

During Burl’s tirade against the interview process, Superintendent Courtney Millet cut him off, citing Act 720 of the Louisiana Legislature, which states board members are not to interfere in personnel matters.

Despite this, some board members were still able to fire off a couple of shots.

Rodney Nicholas said, “We have never had an African-American head coach at East St. John,” while Burl commented, “A white guy told me that East St. John needs a black coach.”

For her part, Millet said after the meeting that she did not think race has any part in the process.

“It’s about choosing the best person for the position,” she said.

She added, “I am not sure of the origins of Mr. Burl’s concerns. … Two committee members were chosen from the school board members’ recommendations, one of which was Mr. Burl’s recommendation — Mr. Herbert Carter. Therefore, he had one-fifth representation on the committee. I apologize to our community members and administration that such negative public comments were made.”

Assistant Superintendent Herbert Smith, who sits on the interview committee, said of the committee’s choice of finalists, “We all were on the same accord.”

The controversy began when Millet recommended Barrilleaux as the school’s permanent head coach and athletic director in December, but school board members decided instead to advertise for the position to find the best candidate from a wider field.

Trosclair said the three finalists will visit the school’s facilities and follow-up interviews may happen next week.

Millet will make a final recommendation to the school board at it’s March 1 meeting.