The superintendent may be hired from outside the parish. These board are responsible for the actual management of the schools within the parish. The boards hire teachers and develop operating budgets. They also have the authority to levy taxes, including sales taxes, for the support of the local school system. Excluding the technical colleges, Louisiana's public system of higher education consists of 13 four year universities, six two year institutions, and professional schools for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.
Higher education is governed by four separate boards.
The Board of Regents is an overall planning and coordinating body. One of the two year colleges, Baton Rouge Community College, is in the process of being established and initially will be governed cooperatively by the LSU and Southern Boards.