Proponents of a bill that would require a two-thirds majority to hire or fire a school superintendent might receive more opposition than they bargained for when the legislation heads to the House floor for debate Tuesday, Louisiana School Board Association consultant Don Whittinghill told the Baton Rouge Press Club today. “This vote is going to be a lot closer than proponents of this bill believe,” he says. “Numerous school boards have sent e-mails … about specific language on the legislation. I think a lot of that is going to see the light of the day on the floor.”
School board members Noel Hammatt (East Baton Rouge Parish) and John Beck (Assumption Parish) also voiced opposition to House Bill 851, sponsored by Rep. Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, which would also delegate the hiring of teachers and other school personnel solely to superintendents. Beck says while the spirit of H.B. 851 is in the right place, the letter of it will oppose many of the principles on which the state system was founded. “If we give this power to the superintendents, it takes away a check and balance,” Beck says.
The school board association was never consulted about the bill, Hammatt says, and it contains flaws ultimately detrimental to the state education system. “We will work with the state superintendent and the Department of Education because it is in the best interest of the children in Louisiana,” Hammatt says. “But we will not roll over and accept a lack of data and a personal opinion of what is necessary to education.”—Emma James
