Opportunity is knocking for changes in higher education—and expectations are high for the higher ed commission. The ominous budget deficits our state faces dictate that there must be tough decisions and bold action. We can not simply play with the margins.
We have heard discussions about raising admission standards and setting graduation rates. That is a worthy first step. But then what? What are the consequences if you fail? In K-12 there are consequences for failure—state takeover. Will postsecondary schools that fail be closed or their funding reduced? We should pay for performance.
What is going to be recommended for the elimination of duplicate degree programs? And what about the governance structure of higher ed? [I would like to hear a discussion on a single board. We didn’t set up four higher ed commissions for the current review. We have one.]
One issue brought up by LSU President John Lombardi is TOPS. He suggested the TOPS award be capped and not awarded to students from families who make more than $100,000, even if the students have high GPA and ACT scores. Instead, his argument goes, use that money for more financial aid for low-income families. BULL! There are plenty of aid programs available.
Lombardi fails to take into account that many families pay $40,000-$130,000 out of pocket to send a single child through K-12 because their public schools are unacceptable. [That’s in addition to the property taxes they pay to support the public schools they don’t use.] Now, instead of a free education through 12th grade and saving for college, we pay for K-12 and get free college tuition as a reward [if the grades are good enough]. This has also been effective in keeping many of our best and brightest here in Louisiana.
I was glad to see LSU Chancellor Mike Martin disagrees with Lombardi and feels the merit-based program is working and should continue to reward successful students, though he does suggest we could raise the standards to qualify. [I agree with him on that.]
Martin also has suggested the idea of a “flagship fee” on top of tuition to keep LSU competitive. This may be necessary. The LSU flagship is in a class by itself [Tier I] and should be funded differently—and the Legislature should get out of the tuition business. [I hope the commission will recommend that. I would be willing to cap TOPS for that freedom.]
If higher ed is to survive and flourish, the commission and the Legislature must make many tough decisions and they will be forced to prioritize. The decisions must not be based on politics or saving jobs, but on sound education policy. We need to play to our strengths—and the commission must put forth a solid plan soon.
The power of school choice
You may not be aware of it, but New Orleans has become a central player in the school choice movement in America. There are more charter schools in New Orleans post-Katrina than there are public schools. There are also more than 1,200 children on vouchers in private or parochial schools, and the number is growing. Ironically, in a parish that had a terribly run, bankrupt school system, there are now choices for parents and hope for their children—and the rest of the nation watches.
The Times-Picayune just completed a five-part series on parents navigating the new system and the choices it provides. There are struggles because this is a new paradigm for these families. They’ve never had the power of choice when it comes to education.
You can go to nola.com and search “choosing a school” and read the series. Here’s a short excerpt from the last segment of the series, about one student who is seizing the opportunity of choice:
“In a tiny school office, 14-year-old Jamal Encalade, his mother and adviser Nicole Cummins brainstormed in March about his big ambitions for high school. His top choice was Country Day, a private school in Metairie. When Jamal toured he ‘liked the atmosphere, the campus, the way people spoke to me like I went there—simple, but important details.’
Benjamin Franklin High, the highest-performing public school in the city, came in a close second….
He had also applied to Warren Easton, his third choice, as well as Miller-McCoy and Sci Academy, two first-year high schools not far from his house in eastern New Orleans.
‘I’m thinking about applying to Lusher, too,’ added Jamal, an articulate teenager easily distinguishable by his black, thick-rimmed glasses.
Cummins, whose job was staying on top of such details, gently reminded him of approaching—and passed—deadlines.
Ericka Conerly, Jamal’s mother, was not particularly concerned about whether her son wound up at Country Day, Franklin or Warren Easton—as long as the school was challenging. Jamal grew bored easily.
‘I just don’t want to see him go anywhere,’ she said.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that kind of choice in Baton Rouge?
More good news for B.R.
The Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Index ranked U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The ranking components included job, wage and salary, and technology growth. The new rankings came out last week and the news was good for us.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette finished in the top 10% of the 200 largest metros. Baton Rouge made a big jump from No. 40 last year to the 18th spot, just behind Seattle [17], Dallas [13] and San Antonio [11]. Lafayette moved from No. 14 in 2008 to the 9th spot, just behind Houston [5] and Austin, which held the top position.
Only three states had three or more cities in the “top 25” largest metros: Texas, Louisiana [Shreveport was No. 25] and Washington. Nice to be at the top of the list.
Thank you, Baton Rouge
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending two events where our company and our publications received special recognition. We were honored by these awards, and I personally am very proud of our team, who is committed to excellence—and deserve the credit. My thanks to them all. And I also want to congratulate all of the other winners for their contributions to our community.
• Last month, at the Better Business Bureau’s ninth annual awards banquet, the Douglas Manship Sr. Torch Awards for Ethics in Business were presented to: Capital One Bank [300+ employees]; Wright & Percy Insurance [100-299 employees]; Greater Baton Rouge Business Report [10-99 employees]; and Ashco Exteriors Inc. [1-9 employees]. The Manship Award was established in 2001 to honor those businesses that exhibit the highest ethical standards of behavior toward customers, suppliers, users, shareholders, employees and the community. An independent panel of judges selected the 2009 winners from a field of outstanding businesses.
• On Nov. 10, The Association of Fundraising Professionals presented its annual awards. The honorees were: Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, Annette Barton; Outstanding Philanthropists, Beverly & Dudley Coates; Outstanding Leadership in Corporate Philanthropy, Community Coffee; Outstanding Professional Fundraiser, Jane Henslee [LSU Foundation]; and the AFP Board of Directors Award, inRegister magazine. Chris Russo Blackwood and her inRegister staff were recognized for their significant support and coverage of nonprofit organizations in the Capital Region.
