BusinessReport.com

One side of the story

To the publisher:

I feel a bit perplexed and confused by what I read in the Publisher’s View column in the May 5 issue.

It seems to me, and it may be a matter of misinterpreting what Mr. McCollister was trying to convey to readers, that the criticism levied upon our governor is more than warranted and not defendable by Mr. McCollister as he tried to do by pointing out different versions of the feelings toward the amount of time the governor has spent, and continues to spend, out of state.

Let us be clear on the fact that Mr. Jindal’s travels have more to do with raising money for re-election than the promotion of the state. No doubt about that, and the newspapers have covered that in an ethical and informative fashion, except for Business Report.

This fine publication is being led to a bias never seen before, except when Mr. McCollister attacked former Gov. Edwin Edwards. Some examples are the backing of Lee Domingue, with his “past problems” hidden coming to light and having to publish them, and the blind defense of Jindal’s actions in the Legislature and his lack of transparency toward his office and the entire executive branch.

Granted, it is his right as owner, but it is promulgating what they, he and his group, have always said was wrong with this state.

Jose A. Gonzalez Sr., Baton Rouge

Slaughter the sacred cow

To the publisher:

Public school educational progress in Louisiana is being crippled by that sacred cow, tenure. As a former East Baton Rouge Parish School System teacher, I have seen how the tenure system rewards mediocrity in teachers, and especially administrators. Why are the taxpayers subsidizing a system that rewards mediocrity? How many members of the taxpaying public, outside of school teachers and administrators, have a job guarantee?

Space here does not permit the stories I could personally relate of the sheer incompetence of many administrators, including a principal who routinely misspelled mathematics and an arts supervisor whose artistic experience consisted of being an elementary PE teacher.

There are, of course, some very competent and dedicated public school teachers and administrators, but my experience predicts that those are likely in the minority. It would be very telling if one could intercept the memos traversing the school system. The astonishing lack of command of the English language and critical thinking would be comical if it weren’t so utterly pitiful. It seems that the sacred cow of tenure in our public schools is a breeding ground for sacred cows that should be put out to pasture. I propose that an objective performance rating system with no guarantees of employment without production is a solution, as well as requiring minimal scores on intelligence tests of all those aspiring to be administrators or school board members.

The problem is also that the new accountability laws did not account for the long-existing cows. If one thinks about it, the deplorable conditions in EBRPSS, which are often caused by those same administrative incompetents, are probably the reason those with any intelligence and talent seek other employment. Witness the close to 50% turnover rate for new teachers within five years. Those that are left can chew their cud long enough to become administrators and breed new highs [lows] of incompetence.

There is an ancient tradition of this administrative ineptitude in EBRPSS, which only a complete dismantling of the current system, including eliminating tenure, will fix. Of course, as Mark Twain said it best, “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards”—and many school administrators and teachers from the same cloth.

Isaac Bickerstaff, Baton Rouge

E stands for ‘error’

As a former attorney member of the E Team, I know that Tommy Pittenger and Eric Guirard were decent lawyers who were fundamentally ethical in their business practices [“Disbarred, but not disbranded,” May 19]. Our Louisiana Supreme Court erred in disbarring them, and the figures you cite tell the true story of a disciplinary process which has gone too far.

I have no doubt that Eric will land on his feet and Tommy will retire to Costa Rica, but neither of these gentlemen deserve the unceremonious dismissal foisted upon them by an overzealous prosecutor and a Court which does not believe in rehabilitation.

Douglas C. Dorhauer, Baton Rouge