Jason Rowland, a 31-year educator who has served for the past four years as Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Personnel, has been selected as the next Bossier Parish Superintendent of Schools.

Rowland was the unanimous choice of school board members Tuesday following his interview during a special board meeting. He will become the 15th school superintendent in Bossier Parish history following the December 31 retirement of Mitch Downey.

“We are humbled and honored to serve in this role,” Rowland said after the board vote. “We thank the Board for all of the support not only for the last four years, but for tonight as well. We are thrilled and blessed to be a part of the Bossier schools family.”

Rowland began his career with Bossier Schools in 1995 as head baseball coach at Airline High School. Six years later, he moved into the administrative side of education, serving as an assistant principal at Benton and Airline High Schools.

He then became principal at Airline, where he spent nine years at the helm of the largest school in Bossier Parish. In 2019, Downey appointed Rowland to serve as Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Personnel.

Rowland comes from a family deeply rooted in public education. His wife is an educator at Benton Intermediate School; his late mother was a long-time educator in Webster Parish; his brother is the current Superintendent of Webster Parish Schools; and his sister teaches in Sibley.

He has served as President of the Northwest Louisiana Principals Association (NLPA); Finance Committee Chairman with the Louisiana High School Athletics Association (LHSAA); and on the LHSAA Executive Committee as the 5A representative for North Louisiana.

During his interview, Rowland laid out his goals and vision for Bossier Schools, a few of which include:

• Heightening the overall educational experience for students, staff and school communities.
• Continuing to address and support lower performing schools.
• Adapting instruction to address the variety of student learning styles
• Creating a Teacher Advisory Council to gain greater insight into employee needs.
• Developing a Long-Range Planning Committee to address growth in Bossier Parish.
• Expanding the BPSB brand using digital media platforms.
• Fostering community partnerships.

“The expectations of myself will be elevated which, in turn, will lead to higher expectations for all,” Rowland added. “We have everything in place to go to the next level. Now is our time to rise to the top.”

Rowland will take the oath of office at the January 18, 2024 meeting of the Bossier Parish School Board.