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Zachary Community School Board Superintendent

Zachary schools, only three years removed from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, are No. 1 in the state. They have signs to prove it. No one is prouder of this feat than Superintendent H. Warren Drake.

He reveals to 225 what it takes to become head of the class.

How long has the Zachary Community School Board been in existence?

We started on July 1, 2003. That’s when we effectively took over the schools from East Baton Rouge. I was hired in August 2002. I was here for a year before we took over. We started from scratch and went from there.

What do you mean you started from scratch?

Everyone was technically an East Baton Rouge Parish employee. We told them they must reapply. Some of them didn’t realize this was a completely new school system. We kept about 65% of the staff. We hired three principals. And, I think, because we started from scratch, everyone really took ownership.

How did you feel when you got your school performance score and found out Zachary was No. 1?

It was unbelievable. Our first year we ranked somewhere around 10th or 11th in the state and, then in our second year, we rose to fifth. I’m not surprised we’re No. 1, I just didn’t think we would reach this level so quickly.

What do you attribute your success to?

We have a philosophy of service. It has to start from the top. The school board supports me. My job is to support the principals. Their job is to support their staff and, ultimately, we have one goal in mind—to do what is best for the students.

What are your goals for the 2006-2007 school year?

We need to continue to be the best we can be. You’re either going to go up or down. Well, we’re No. 1 right now, and the only place to go is down. We have to work even harder to stay at No. 1, harder than we had to get here.