Finally. After several meetings and executive sessions and a lot of disagreement, the Concordia Parish School Board has chosen a permanent superintendent.

Kerry Laster, a Shreveport principal and Ferriday, La., native, comes with high credentials. She currently helms a national blue ribbon school and of course has ties to her hometown.

But we’re also glad to hear that Laster is eager to put the past board squabbles behind the district and move on with the business of educating children. Fred Butcher, who had vied for the same position, immediately congratulated Laster on her new position.

Those are exactly the right attitudes to have. This board took far too long to make a decision, a process that was marked by behind-closed-doors dissension and an obvious split along racial lines as the board deadlocked on vote after vote.

All along, though, the board members needed to have the best interests of the children at heart. Perhaps in their minds they did, but now is the time to truly put that into action by getting behind Laster’s administration. The first and foremost duty of the board is to ensure that our children are getting the best education. The majority of the board has decided Laster is the person who can make that happen.

We believe this district and its teachers and students can continue to improve and build on their past successes. Laster has pledged to be a hands-on superintendent, one who won’t be &uot;sitting behind a desk.&uot; We look forward to seeing what she can do as she works with the team already in place and adds her new ideas.