Evangeline Parish Superintendent Hamlin announces retirement plan

Evangeline Parish Superintendent Toni Hamlin at Wednesday night’s board meeting announced that it was time for her to retire and leave the position that she has held for nearly 10 years.
Hamlin read a letter that she had written to the board.
Hamlin said, “I have devoted over 40 years to the Evangeline Parish school system, and I will always be grateful for that opportunity. I have been fortunate to assemble a competent and loyal staff of supervisors and principals who are eager to move and continue to move the parish forward.”
The first female superintendent of Evangeline Parish then reflected on the accomplishments during her tenure that she is most proud of, which included: the Evangeline Parish school system being declared unitary in May of 2012 after a more than 40 year case with the federal courts, naming nine of the current 12 principals to those positions, naming six of the current 12 supervisors to those positions, and helping bring the maintenance fund from a $500,000 deficit when she assumed the role of superintendent to the $1.5 million surplus the fund has today.
While retirement is in the near future, Hamlin doesn’t plan to leave her position until her contract ends on December 31, 2016, and there is a reason for that.
“I think that this parish is on the right move, and I will be here and I will continue to work through my last meeting in December, and I’ll tell you why,” said Hamlin. “Because I am excited to report what we think are going to be the school performance scores of this year. The night that we give that report on the school performance scores and the district performance score you are going to see the progress that we have made as a school system in Evangeline Parish.”
Following her address to the board, school board member Peggy Forman asked Hamlin, “Why are you retiring?”
With tears in her eyes, Hamlin said, “I have done my best over the years, but I have reached a point where it’s just time. I have two daughters, and one grandson that is now in the third grade and I have only made it to two grandparents’ day at his school.”
To lighten the mood, Hamlin then jokingly said, “I also recently attended my high school reunion and I looked around and thought ‘something is wrong here,’ because all of my classmates were just getting back from places like the Bahamas. It’s just time.”
Board members then showed their appreciation for what Hamlin has accomplished as superintendent of Evangeline Parish with kind words.
Board member Nancy Hamlin said, “It has been an honor to work with you over these years, because you have done such a great job. The only thing I regret is that you don’t get to pick the next superintendent after seeing how you did picking the principals for our school.”
The board’s president Wayne Dardeau said, “Mrs. Toni, I commend you on doing an excellent job, and I wish you the best of luck.”
Georgianna Wilson also shared her gratitude for the work Hamlin has done by stating, “I will miss you, and I am so proud of you and the things you have been able to accomplish.”
The board’s president Wayne Dardeau said, “Mrs. Toni, I commend you on doing an excellent job, and I wish you the best of luck.”