FERRIDAY &8212; The second plan &8212; a less drastic one &8212; is the right fit for Ferriday schools, Superintendent Kerry Laster said.

Though it wasn&8217;t the plan she presented first, the one that passed at Tuesday night&8217;s school board meeting is in no way plan B, she said.

&8220;I felt like I made the best moves to match schools with people,&8221; she said. &8220;The first plan had us moving every principal in all the Ferriday schools. If we&8217;ve got some places that are semi-working, I felt like we didn&8217;t need to move everyone.&8221;

Effective next school year Ferriday Upper and the high school will have new principals. The lower and junior high will have the same lead administrators they had this year.

The biggest change will be at Ferriday Upper where Reading First Coordinator Cindy Smith will take over as principal and an assistant principal will be hired.

But Smith isn&8217;t new to the school. Prior to her current job she was an administrative assistant at the school for three years.

&8220;My main focus is that the students get a quality education,&8221; Smith said Wednesday. &8220;If I can go over there and help those students and those teachers, then that&8217;s what I&8217;m going to do.

&8220;I enjoy working with teachers and building a team.&8221;

Smith and staff have implemented the Reading First program in kindergarten through third-grades at all parish schools. The program has been in place for two years and has shown success in nearly all cases, she said.

Smith also taught in Vidalia for 11 years and worked at Ferriday Lower Elementary School.

Laster said Smith was the logical choice for FUES.

&8220;She&8217;s an elementary person with a background in reading and literacy,&8221; Laster said. &8220;She&8217;s already worked at that school.&8221;

The district will start advertising for an assistant principal at FUES and Ferriday Junior High immediately.

Laster said she hoped to have a recommendation for both positions to take to the board next month.

Other changes include moving Ferriday High School Principal Debra Harris to lead the Options Program, which is housed at the Concordia Alternative Center.

Harris will work with pre-GED students to guide them toward a post-high school plan. The Options Program helps students get involved in trade jobs.

&8220;Mrs. Harris has a counseling degree and I&8217;m hoping her skills as a counselor will help her to look at revamping that program,&8221; Laster said.

The Options Program is geared at helping students who would normally drop out of school. In recent years, dropouts have been a problem, Laster said.

Current Assistant Principal Michelle Bethea will replace Harris at FHS. Bethea could not be reached for comment Thursday.

FUES Principal Lillian Franklin will move to principal at the Concordia Alternative Center.

And current FUES Assistant Principal Brenda Moore will lead the Jobs for America&8217;s Graduates program, working closely with students about their futures. JAG is a 12-month grant program.

Presently Howard Jackson has been serving as director of the Options Program, principal at Concordia Alternative and supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.

Now he will focus solely on his child welfare and attendance duties, Laster said.