I have been working on school choice, charter schools and education reform alongside of people like Jim Geiser, Chas Roemer, Jackie Ducote, Brigitte Nieland and others since the early ’90s. I know a true “reformer” when I see one. Our state has made tremendous progress on school choice in the last 18 months under Gov. Bobby Jindal and State Superintendent Paul Pastorek. We have also seen the support and leadership of the Louisiana Charter School Association, BAEO, All Children Matter and even the Walton Foundation. But if there has been one area where the support for reform has been inconsistent, it has been at the BESE board. And unfortunately, one of the weakest links has been Tammie McDaniel. As one of three people appointed by Jindal to the BESE board, you would think she would advocate his agenda and try to bring the board together to support it. In fact, she seems to have her own agenda and usually creates division among the members.
The governor holds a press conference supporting the RSD takeover of failing schools and his appointee, Tammie McDaniel, is at BESE speaking against it. Then, when the governor’s staff tries to call her to discuss it, she refuses to take the phone. (This has happened more than once.) After much damage is done, she finally concedes to vote for it. And she calls that “supporting the governor’s reform.” Give me a break. She voted with the BESE board on the MFP in the budget this year, then proceeded to go over to the Legislature and lobby members to oppose it, despite the governor’s other appointee lobbying members to support it—at Jindal’s request. That is bizarre and contrary to what she tells the press about her loyalty to the governor.
McDaniel has spent years in the public system and has “status quo” blood running through her veins—despite what she claimed when she was being considered for appointment. She has not been truthful. And since the governor asked her to step down from the BESE board, she’s been playing dumb as to the reasons why. She knows why. Just look at who has come to her defense—those on BESE and in public schools who represent and defend the status quo system. Why would they do that for a real “reformer?” Why aren’t there any reformers defending her? Why haven’t the media figured that out?
She has told friends she is not the source for the media stories, but then calls a newspaper publisher and tried to plant a story laying blame on Pastorek and spreading other unfounded rumors. That’s McDaniel’s method: She says one thing and then does another.
But McDaniel has played the victim in the press and said she wanted a meeting with the governor to ask him questions before she made a decision about her future. Well, the governor scheduled that meeting last Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the office in the governor’s mansion. You want to know what happened?
I spoke with a staff member present for the meeting, and what he described shocked me. It was more of a “greeting” than a “meeting.” It only lasted about a minute. But not because of the governor. The staff member told me that McDaniel walked in, saw the staffer sitting there with the governor (as someone from his staff always does, for follow-up), and said to Jindal, ‘I thought I was meeting with you.’ The governor replied, ‘You are, but I always have a staff member sit in with me.’ McDaniel said, ‘But that’s not fair to have your adviser here.’ Jindal explained this is his protocol—at which point she turned around and walked out and left the mansion and drove home to Monroe. Never asked one question. That was it. The meeting she requested was over.
Now is that bizarre? Do you know of anyone who has walked out at the beginning of a meeting they requested with a governor or an elected official? Is it not strange in addition to being extremely rude? Does it sound like the actions of someone with good judgment? Not to me. In fact, it’s just more of the strange behavior coming from Tammie McDaniel. And now when asked by the media for comment, instead of just babbling on, she simply is saying, “it was a private conversation.” There was no conversation, merely greetings. She never even sat down in a chair.
Let her explain that to the media and the folks in Monroe. She’s an embarrassment, and it’s easy to see why Jindal asked her to resign. McDaniel can show us she is capable of making one right decision—by resigning The governor and the children of Louisiana deserve better from his appointee.
