Two Cents: Pastorek stands tall for EBR children

The recommendation by State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek to have the state takeover eight of East Baton Rouge’s 12 failing schools was a bold one—and the right one. Today, he is the cavalry, riding in on a white horse to save the children of failing schools. I hope BESE will have the courage to join the charge and support his decision. While I might have preferred all 12, the other four will be under a memorandum of understanding for one year, and if the schools fail to measure up they will be automatically turned over to the state. Local Superintendent Charlotte Placide and the EBR Parish School Board did not want the state to take over any schools, which was ridiculous after so many years of failure. Pastorek’s move is a dramatic change for the EBR system and long overdue. He’s doubling the number of schools the state took over last year. Change and new ideas in public education might finally be gaining momentum in the Capital City—and the community should rally behind it. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.—Rolfe McCollister