BESE faces big issues Thursday

Louisiana’s top school board kicks off its two-day meeting on Thursday with a pair of new members, a debate on state aid for public schools and sudden questions about classroom operations.

The gathering marks the first session for Stephen Waguespack, former chief of staff and executive counsel to Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Judy Miranti, of New Orleans. Both are Jindal appointees.

Waguespack replaces Penny Dastugue, former president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Miranti takes the place of John Bennett, of Port Allen, and will be the nonpublic school representative on the 11-member panel.

The key issue facing BESE is a vote on the Jindal-backed, proposed $3.46 billion funding request for public schools for the 2013-14 school year.

The plan would mark the fifth consecutive year that state school aid per student has been frozen.

One issue likely to spark controversy is the fact the funding package — called the Minimum Foundation Program — will include a second round of state and local aid for vouchers, which allow some students to attend private and parochial schools.

Nineteenth Judicial District Court Judge Tim Kelley, of Baton Rouge, ruled on Nov. 30 that the voucher law is unconstitutional.

A hearing on the appeal is set for March 19 in state Supreme Court.

The MFP request says that, if the voucher law is finally struck down, the aid for vouchers will be removed from the funding package to avoid having the state’s entire funding plan for public schools scuttled.

State services face a $1.3 billion shortage to maintain funding levels amid disappointing revenue collections.

State Superintendent of Education John White said he wants this year’s request to try a new but limited way to aid Louisiana’s 82,000 special education students.

White said change is needed because only 29 percent of special education students graduate from high school, which is the second-lowest rate in the nation.

Under current rules, $313 million in state aid is parceled out on the basis of the number of special education students.

Under the new rules, money would be spent based on a student’s disability, where and how the student is educated and academic performance.

However, this year’s switch would be limited to just 10 percent of the state aid for special education students.

BESE’s meeting comes just three days after 19th Judicial District Court Judge R. Michael Caldwell struck down Louisiana’s teacher tenure law, which won legislative approval last year.

BESE has spent considerable time hammering out rules to govern the new teacher reviews, which are under way now, and other parts of the suddenly imperiled law.

The same statute requires performance objectives for local superintendents; redefines the role of local school boards; bans the exclusive use of seniority in layoff decisions; and allows local officials to revamp salary schedules.

Whether and when BESE or the Legislature will try to hammer out any contingencies in case the law is finally struck down is unclear.

The first chance is during the 2013 regular session, which is from April 8 to June 6.

Comments

1) Comment by Noel Hammatt - 07/03/2013

Directly challenging the courts, but state and federal, is a regular practice of the purchased BESE Members. Those pulling the strings like to remind reformers that good attorneys are their best friends. Given that John White and BESE are 0 for 4, they might want to rethink that, but anyway, they do have a provision written into the language of the MFP that allows for the unconstitutional funds to be stripped out, if necessary, and the remainder of the plan would stay. The idea of Superintendent John White repeatedly telling the members and the audience that he is clear on what is "Constitutional" would be hilarious, if it wasn't for the fact that we are paying all of the bills!

2) Comment by NewsFreak - 07/03/2013

Wouldn't the BESE Board be in contempt of court by authorizing another round of voucher payments from the MFP, especially considering the court stated this was unconstitutional? Do the BESE Board members have the authority to approve the budget with the voucher payments removed, or do they have to approve the whole amount?

3) Comment by Ohsofedup - 07/03/2013

Part of the article jwarren mentioned that was in The Newstar paper was this, and it is very relevant as to the incompetence of John White. The following is what he said, State Superintendent John White said no evaluation instrument is perfect, and the shortened method is an attempt by the state Department of Education to provide a more practical evaluation tool. "Researchers have the luxury of creating the perfect tool that takes hours and hours to use, but practitioners need something they complete in a very specific period of time," he said. "It's easy for someone to say you should be using a tool that is five times more complex and that it will create the perfect measure. We know that for us to be able to use the tool, it has to be a simpler tool." Danielson believes that simplifying may have compromised the integrity of the results and could ultimately affect the teacher's future employment. "If you use an instrument that moves way beyond what validity studies suggest, then your instrument is of questionable validity," Danielson said. "If I were the state, I would be nervous about challenges." John White is in way over his head and his inexperience will eventually cost Louisiana millions of wasted dollars.

4) Comment by jwarren - 07/03/2013

And most of the state news media is either clueless or playing right along, including the Advocate. The one exception I have seen is the Monroe News-Star. A friend has sent me several good articles by eduation writer Barbara Leader delving deeply into various aspects of education 'reform,' including a good article today on the flaws in the teacher evaluation instrument. http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20130307/NEWS01/303070306/Creator-teacher-assessment-tool-says-La-adopted-flawed-system

5) Comment by GardenVariety - 07/03/2013

Why the State Police, if not the US Marshalls, are not there to escort them to cozy cells is beyond me. Subtracting one or maybe two members, BESE is composed of people who are aiding and abetting criminal, anti-democratic acts. Prof. Hammatt's right: at this point, one cannot exaggerate the severity of the situation confronting K-12 (not to mention post- secondary) education in this state.

6) Comment by Ohsofedup - 07/03/2013

In fact, the state Legislature passed a law in 2010 that requiring specific course work in education and other stipulations that may technically disqualify White. However, the same super majority of BESE members that it will take to elect the next candidate could also waive the requirements. Printed in the Times-Picayune May 11, 2011. We as concerned Louisiana taxpayers are now paying the price for BESE'S approval of the hiring of this inexperience man. Someone higher up has BESE board in their pocket and they must do as "The Dictator" Jindal tells them to do. BESE can still save Louisiana children and teachers from this monster(John White) by removing him NOW. BESE needs to do what's right and do it now before if costs the state millions to undo what this inexperience man has done in such a short amount of time.

7) Comment by Ohsofedup - 07/03/2013

The first thing the BESE Board needs to do is get rid of the incompetent John White. He is not qualified to even be in the classroom as an aid much less State Supt Of Education. I don't know why Jindal supported this guy for anything having to do with education. Look in to his background, his record and his experience and it makes one wonder how this happened. John White is destroying Public education and lying to the Louisiana taxpayers about the scores of charter schools and is making very desperate decisions that are undoing the positive direction that Public Education is heading, and yes it was going in the right direction. We need the BESE board to quit being told what to do and take the lead role and replace this incompetent man with someone that can reverse the direction this man is taking the entire education system in this state. Than God we only have less than 3 years left of Gov. Jindal and John White(because he will not have his job after Jindal leaves). He'll be looking for work outside of the Education field because of his inexperienced decisions, that have not only ruined Public Education, but also used thousands and thousands of taxpayers money to defend his appeals to the courts because of unlawful policies that he crammed down the throats of the taxpayers and the complete destruction of the moral of the educators in this state that work so hard to teach our children. When both he and Jindal say it's for the children, it's just another lie, it's for their ego's, not the children.

8) Comment by Bouncer - 07/03/2013

Well stated, Noel.

9) Comment by spqr - 07/03/2013

Jwarren and Noel....you got it. Nothing more to say. Thank you.

10) Comment by jwarren - 07/03/2013

What a joke of a story. BESE has its orders. The members will follow those orders. There will be no meaningful debate. The Advocate has its orders, too.

11) Comment by Noel Hammatt - 07/03/2013

Thank you, Traveler. I want to say something here about a friend's comment about my post below. He mentioned that he would prefer that Godwin's Law not be invoked in my comments. Godwin's Law, in simple terms, is about how we often overuse the "Nazi" references when it is totally innapropriate to do so. I have myself invoked Godwin's Law when I thought people were too quick to raise the "Nazi" sphere. I have spent a lot of time in Germany, lived there many years, with German landlord's who actually were in the Nazi Youth, and he was in the war as a soldier. We spent a lot of time talking about how the media, the social milieu and society in general was slowly transformed into a complete sphere of influence that engulfed so many in its maniacal message. I have also studied the machinations of the media, both commercial and governmental, and have come to believe that what we are seeing in the media, and certainly in the "reform" community, is a kind of mind-control message managed by Madison Avenue types. With tons of money, with willing partners in the media, they have co-opted millions through a kind of messaging mania that harkens back to a troubled time in Germany. What is at stake is much larger than teacher's jobs, or local control of the schools. In fact, what is happening now is total control from Washington (and through state capitals) of everything that a child sees in public schools. The curriculum is going to be a national one, foisted (originally it was going to be "voluntary" for all states and schools) upon states for the purpose of setting up a more easily controlled marketplace for the publishers and sellers of standardized testing. Another purpose was to help the US do better in international tests. Really? This is what schools are for? I think the tactics of the reformers are, in fact, too much like the propaganda ministers of Germany. Scary, yes, but then, when do we choose to stop it?

12) Comment by Traveler - 07/03/2013

Noel, I wish that every parent/citizen/taxpayer in Louisiana could read your comments below. Thank you.

13) Comment by Noel Hammatt - 06/03/2013

I accidentally placed the post below before I completed some edits. While certainly not perfect, this post is what I meant to say. There is one simple fact that has been totally ignored in all of the discussions about the unconstitutionality of virtually every aspect of the "School Reform" legislation. Every single question now answered, at least initially by both state and Federal courts, was actually anticipated in discussions in the legislature. Yet in spite of these clear questions, the blitzkrieg waged by this administration against public schools, their elected boards, teachers, students and parents, was shoved through in record time, with Gestapo-style tactics turned against your child's teachers by legislators who were much more intent on getting favorable ratings from ALEC and the Governor than taking the time to ensure their legislation was researched, effective, and practical. Instead, we have a total disaster that was foisted upon our public schools by those who used every trick in the book to get the legislation passed. Ignoring decades of precedent; trying to shame teachers who wanted to testify (no one has EVER asked business leaders whether they had permission to testify, or whether they had taken leave to come before the committees) after having been forced to wait until APEL, BAEO, CABL and LABI lapdogs were allowed to fill the seats in the legislative hearings (they were allowed in through other doors of the capitol building). Now we have a Superintendent who has replaced decades of data of with a website that would have made the Nazi's proud. Pure propaganda, and almost all of the historical data has been hidden, much like the book burnings in Germany in the 1930s. And of course, the thought police even tell you now what "Louisiana Believes," as thought being placed in a position by the best BESE money can by suddenly gives you the right to speak on behalf of a vast citizenry. If it sounds like a recreation of a rather grim period in world history to you, you ought to ask teachers how it feels it from the standpoint of those who have been caught directly in the crosshairs of this blitzkrieg. Today I was out in Highland School, reading "Ten Apples on Top" to a wonderful group of Kindergarten students. In every class I passed by, I saw a love of learning, and wonderful teachers who care as much for their students as they do for their own children. Yet the state of Louisiana rated the school a low "D" without ever setting foot inside the school. How do you measure love and caring, and dedication? By the tests a child takes once a year? Tests that every researcher will tell you are heavily influenced by factors far beyond the classroom walls? Or by the parents of the children at this school, who see, and feel the love of this school through their own children? The jackboots can call a school "failing" and try to kill the desire of veteran teachers to teach, but it doesn't make it true. The true stars are not patches worn on one's clothes but are instead deeply rooted in a profession of caring and a desire to reach out and touch students and have them reach for the stars. A sincere and heartfelt "Thank You!!!" to the wonderful faculty and staff of Highland Elementary School for reminding me that five-week wonders and fancy mathematical formulas will never replace the human heart. Some Germans in the 1930s led the world in science, chemistry, and physics; but without heart, they had nothing to offer the world. Ten Apples to the teachers at Highland! Every one. On top!

14) Comment by Noel Hammatt - 06/03/2013

There is one simple fact that is totally ignored in all of the discussions about the unconstitutionality of virtually every aspect of the "Reform" legislation. Every single question now answered, at least initially by the courts, both state and Federal, was actually anticipated in discussions in the legislature. Yet in spite of the clear questions, the blitzkrieg waged by this administration against public schools, their elected boards, teachers, students and parents, was shoved through in record time, with Gestapo- style tactics turned against your child's teachers by legislators who were much more intent on getting favorable ratings by ALEC and the Governor than taking the time to ensure their legislation was researched, effective, and practical. Instead, we have a total disaster that was foisted upon our public schools by those who used every trick in the book to get the legislation passed. Ignoring decades of precedent; trying to shame teachers who wanted to testify (no one has EVER asked business leaders whether they had permission to testify, or whether they had taken leave to come before the committees) after having been forced to wait until BAEO, APEL,and LABI lapdogs were allowed to fill the seats in the legislative hearings (they were allowed in other doors of the capitol building. Now we have a Superintendent who has replaced the data of decades with a website that would have made the Nazi's proud. Pure propaganda and all of the data has been hidden. Much like the book burnings in Germany in the 1930s. And of course, the thought police even tell you now what :Louisiana Believes." If it sounds like a recreation of a rather grim period in world history to you, you ought to feel it from the standpoint of those who have been caught in the cross-hairs of this blitzkrieg. Today I was out in Highland School, reading "Ten Apples on Top" to a wonderful group of Kindergarden students. In ever class I passed by, I saw a love of learning, and wonderful teachers who care as much for their students as they do for their own children. Yet the state of Louisiana rated the school a low "D" without ever setting foot inside the school. How do you measure love and caring, and dedication? BY the tests a child takes once a year, heavily influenced by factors far beyond the classroom walls? Of by the parents at this school, who see, and feel the love of this school. The jackboots can call a school "failing" and try to kill the desire of teachers to teach, but it doesn't make it true. The true stars are not worn on the clothing, but are deeply rooted in a profession of caring and a desire to reach out and touch students. Thank you to the wonderful faculty and staff of Highland Elementary School for reminding me that 5 week wonders and fancy mathematical formulas will never replace the human heart. Some Germans in the 1930s led the world in science, chemistry, physics... but without heart, they had nothing to offer the world. Apples to the teachers! Every one. On top!