Francis Touchet, the principal at Erath High School, met with his teaching staff Friday morning to tell them he is leaving July 6 to take a new position in the State Department of Education.

After Touchet told his staff, he visited the central office of the school board and handed in his resignation to Superintendent Randy Schexnayder.

The decision to leave EHS, a place he has been for 10 years, was not an easy one.

“I have two hearts,” said Touchet. I am very tied to the students at Erath High School. They mean so much to me. I love them. I never made a decision at Erath High that was not in the best interest of every child. This is a great opportunity for myself and my family. I can see nothing but positives coming out of the decision.”

Touchet has been at Erath High since 2002 when he was named as the assistant principal. He was promoted to principal in 2005.

In the last seven years, he has elevated Erath High state scores. Erath High ranked as the top public school in the state last year, which caught the attention of Education Superintendent John White.

Touchet said because of the success Erath High has had the last three or four years, is the main reason he was recruited for the job. He attributes the school’s success to the students, his staff and the parents.

“I will take something of things that I have done at Erath High and share those things in other districts,” said Touchet.

White created a new philosophy of networking of the state department and five networks will be created around the state as the state education department moves to more of a support role.

Touchet will be allowed to select 10 people to serve on a network team made up of specialists in literacy, math and special education to assist school districts in adopting new Common Core and Compass standards. His team will work from a satellite office in Lafayette and will be in charge of Acadiana school districts.

Earlier in the week, Warren Drake, the superintendent of the top-ranked Zachary Community School District, was named as one of the five district leaders.

Vermilion Parish is expected to be in Touchet’s district.

The School Board will open the principal job at Erath next month and by the end of the July, a new principal will be named.

At Thursday night’s school board meeting, the board named Sandy Huval as Erath High’s new assistant principal. She replaces Liz Vice, who retired this month.