Have your say: CRISIS, a recently formed, business-led coalition calling for transportation improvements in the Baton Rouge area, is urging the public to take an online survey by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development about the Interstate 10 corridor before the deadline on Sunday. The department is conducting the survey, which includes 21 questions and takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, as it begins to look at ways to reduce congestion on the notoriously gridlocked freeway. “While it is of course important for DOTD to get the input of those who work and live along I-10, it’s also critical that the perspectives of the broader Baton Rouge area public—employers, employees, and all commuters who travel this congested corridor regularly—are given consideration,” says CRISIS Vice Chair Hugh Raetzsch in a press release. Take the survey.
At the helm: Baton Rouge pediatric dentist Robert Delarosa has been inducted as the new president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the organization announced today. The academy says Delarosa’s presidential agenda will include creating a task force to investigate the growing debt burden of recent graduates and sustaining the value of an AAPD membership. AAPD represents 9,500 members who provide primary care and comprehensive dental specialty treatments for infants, children, adolescents and adults with special medical needs. Delarosa graduated from the LSU Health Sciences Center and received his certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
Naming names: The Louisiana Department of Education today announced the names of 101 proposed members of four new committees of educators and other experts who would review and develop learning expectations for Louisiana students in English and mathematics. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education committed to the review process at its March and April meetings. Two weeks ago, legislative leaders announced a compromise on education standards that would codify the process in law; the review process would start in July and be concluded by March 2016, at which time BESE would adopt the reviewed and developed standards. BESE will vote on all 101 proposed members at its June meeting. The proposed members include 58 school-based educators, 24 school district leaders, 15 education and parental advocates, and five representatives from institutions of higher learning. The department has a full list of the 101 proposed committee members, as well as additional details on the standards review process.
