The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets March 29 to decide on when to submit Louisiana’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan to the U.S. Department of Education. The plan defines “high achievement” for schools and expectations. There have been countless meetings and forums statewide, and State Superintendent of Education John White says he is ready to submit the plan in April, so parents and schools know what to expect and can plan for next year. New BESE President Gary Jones supports White on the April submission.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and his “shadow committee” of teachers union reps and establishment folks want to delay the submission until September in hopes of watering down the standards. This is the same old tactic they have used for years to protect the status quo and their jobs.
Dr. Phillip Rozeman is a physician from Shreveport and co-founder of the Alliance for Education. He notes in a recent Daily Report guest column, “Presentations have been made to more than 200 organizations and comments received from more than 1,000 individuals.”
Rozeman also agrees with White on the April date and says, “We don’t have to wait for Superman to have school improvement in Louisiana. Louisiana’s plan is committed to supporting great teaching and high expectations of students. It is accompanied by an accountability system that motivates and incents the foundation blocks of a great school. It is a plan that provides a worthwhile framework to address some of the long established concerns of our students, parents, schools and communities. There is a lot of work to do. We need to get started.”
I agree and encourage BESE to approve the plan and the April submission.
A CHARTER UNIVERSITY?
We have seen the growth and acceptance of the idea of charter schools in Louisiana. (New Orleans will soon have a 100% charter system.) Charters are public schools of choice, which operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon district schools. Charter schools are accountable for academic results and for upholding the promises made in their charters. They make their own decisions and must respond to the “customer” (parents and children) because the funding follows the child. No students, no money—no school.
Instead of speaking of our public institutions of higher education as one homogenous group, what if we introduced “university charters?” We figure out how to identify the set funding amount, and then provide them the freedom to operate completely outside the Legislature’s governance and many state regulations. They take the risks and make all decisions—and control their destiny in the free market.
I shared this idea with House Speaker Taylor Barras, House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger and Sen. Sharon Hewitt at a Louisiana Board of Regents seminar, and all three were intrigued and open to exploring the concept. They realize something has to change. If the legislators can’t solve the problems for universities, then maybe they should set them free.
WHAT A CONTRAST
Recently I was struck by the contrast between two individuals in the news. I am referring to Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, and Kenner native Donna Brazile, former interim Democratic National Committee chairperson (and a former CNN contributor).
I watched some of the Gorsuch hearing, and he was so impressive and distinguished. I can’t imagine him not being confirmed as a justice, one way or another.
I also watched Brazile admit, now, to “a mistake I will forever regret,” as she put it. She admitted she passed along potential topics to Hillary Clinton’s staff prior to a CNN town hall. And then I saw video of her, at the time, denying doing such. It was humiliating and disgraceful—and CNN terminated her immediately. She now joins Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (who resigned as DNC chairperson) in the Democratic Hall of Shame. Of course, you won’t hear much more about these two from their friends in the national media. They will just move on.
CONTINUING THE HEALING
Our community is still recovering from the loss of loved ones who were shot and killed in 2016. Three of those men were in law enforcement. But we recently witnessed another funeral after the tragic death of Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Anderson.
Sen. Bill Cassidy spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate last week to honor Anderson. He also honored 10 other law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty since Jan. 1, 2016.
“I want to honor the life of Sherriff’s Deputy Shawn Anderson and recognize him for his 18 years of faithful service to East Baton Rouge Parish and the State of Louisiana, as well as his service to our nation as a member of the United States Army,” Cassidy said. “On Saturday, March 18, 2017, Deputy Anderson made the ultimate sacrifice. Deputy Anderson embodied public service, taking action to help those in need.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Anderson’s wife and family—and with those of Nick Tullier, another deputy critically wounded in 2016 who continues the difficult journey toward recovery—as our community continues to heal and search for ways to stop the violence.
BATON ROUGE LOOKING GOOD
Site Selection magazine has released some of its annual rankings for 2016, and Baton Rouge is looking good again.
On the magazine’s list of Mississippi River corridor metros, based on total corporate facility projects, Baton Rouge ranked No. 1 with 86 projects. And on the list of “The Top Metros of 2016, Tier Two” (metros with population 200,000 to 1 million, ranked by new and expanded facilities in 2016), Baton Rouge ranked No. 2 with 48 facilities.
Kudos to BRAC and our business community as we continue to lead the way in Louisiana.
LSU WOMEN: SEC CHAMPS
Congratulations to Coach D-D Breaux and the LSU gymnastics team. For the first time since 1981, the team has won the Southeastern Conference Championship. They also had a perfect season at the PMAC. We wish them the best as they continue their journey.
BEST PLACES TO WORK
There is a war for talent in America. Companies want the best workers, and employees desire to find a strong company with a great culture to join and contribute to. Each fall, Business Report recognizes Baton Rouge’s Best Places to Work. It is free to sign up to participate.
Selection and rankings for the Best Places to Work are determined by the independent national firm Best Companies Group. For-profit or nonprofit publicly or privately held entities with a facility in the nine-parish Capital Region and a minimum of 15 full- or part-time employees working locally are eligible to participate. (Contract employees are not included.)
Best Places to Work in Baton Rouge is presented by Business Report, the Greater Baton Rouge Society for Human Resource Management and Best Companies Group. Get information and register to be a part of this year’s Best Places to Work.
