New PAC to push for education reform

A new political action committee pledges to campaign for public-education reforms in Louisiana and be involved in this fall’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education elections. The Alliance for Better Classrooms (ABC PAC) calls itself “an alliance of concerned citizens who seek dramatic improvement in Louisiana public schools through education reforms.” ABC PAC will support BESE candidates who “endorse significant educational improvement in Louisiana public schools.” ABC PAC has established a steering committee composed of business leaders, educators, parents and other residents. The committee includes former Gov. Buddy Roemer; Lane Grigsby, the chairman of Cajun Industries; Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister; Tim Barfield, the chief development officer for Amedisys; developer Mike Wampold; and Ginger Sawyer of LABI; it will review and approve all recommendations for contributions. For more information about ABC PAC, visit allianceforbetterclassrooms.com. Louisiana earned a grade of F in K-12 achievement in the 2011 edition of the Quality Counts report, published by Education Week. The grade is based on the percentage of students who scored at the proficient and advanced levels on reading and math tests. The state ranks 47th in the nation in a comprehensive overview of educational achievement, according to The American Legislative Exchange Council’s annual “Report Card on American Education.”