BATON ROUGE - Community members are rallying together after the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted to not renew Superintendent Dr. Sito Narcisse's contract.

The vote was held at a school board meeting Dec. 8. His current contract will expire at the end of June 2024. 

Several issues with the school district have been in the spotlight: a bus shortage, a bus driver's strike, a teacher shortage and a budget crisis. 

Even with the controversy, Narcisse supporters say that he should not be blamed for the problems. 

"That's not something that started with Doctor Narcisse, those are problems that he inherited, those are things that's been going on for years. They were going on when I was going to school," resident Jacquelyn Germany said.

"More than 1,000 early childhood seats that have been added just in two years. We have a 17 percent increase in kids that are reading on a second grade level in just two years. We have kids who are now on greater levels on track after ninth grade to graduate on time," resident Carrie Griffin Monica said. 

Supporters said Narcisse started the 'Pathways to Bright Futures' incentive, which sets up high school students to graduate with an associates degree or an industry based credential alongside their diploma. 

"Those type of things we never saw in Baton Rouge, those type of things we hadn't saw in a lot of districts across the state, so we're being innovative here, we're moving forward here. We are doing things here that will actually make a difference in the lives on our students," resident Dr. Jaleesa Thompson said.

The community meeting will be Monday, Dec. 18 at the Jewel J. Newman Community Center from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.