Jindal calls for resignation of teachers’ leader
Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday that the executive director of one of Louisiana’s largest teacher unions should resign.
Jindal has repeatedly criticized Michael Walker-Jones, a top official of the Louisiana Association of Educators, after Walker-Jones was quoted as saying that some parents in poverty may not have the time or information to make a decision on their child’s education.
“It is offensive to me that it has now been more than a week and a half and neither the executive director nor the union itself has repudiated these comments, has apologized for these comments,” Jindal told reporters after making an economic development announcement.
“Absolutely, I think that he should step down,” he added later.
The dispute stems from the governor’s proposal to expand state aid for some low-income public school students to attend private or parochial schools.
Jindal said the change would allow students with few options to escape failing schools.
The LAE has criticized the proposal and said it would damage traditional public schools.
Walker-Jones has said the message he tried to convey was that parents are owed more information about their schools than they are getting.
He could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Walker-Jones declined comment when asked about Jindal’s criticism.
The governor’s resignation request is unusual because Walker-Jones works for a private organization, not state government.
Jindal has made the comment a regular part of his recent speeches spelling out his public school plans.
Last week, he told supporters that the remark was “arrogant” and represents an “elitist mentality” that has damaged education nationally.
Jindal and other backers of the aid call them scholarships. Opponents call them vouchers.
The governor’s education proposals will be debated during the 2012 regular legislative session, which begins on March 12.