10
Education Forum Questions for Legislators
1. The State Dept. of Education has been allowed to take over low performing schools from local school boards for more than 6 years. Out of 73 schools now run by the DOE for which we have data, 45 or 62% are rated as “F” and another 18 or 25% are rated as “D”. All of the State run schools in the Baton Rouge area, Pointe Coupee, St Helena and Caddo are rated as “F”. All of the charter schools authorized by the State in these areas are complete failures. Why does the legislature continue to allow the LA State Dept. of Education to take over more schools from local school boards or to force local schools to be converted to independently run charter schools when their track record is so appalling? Why can't failing schools be taken over from the State DOE?
2. There
is a state law allowing petitions to be run in local school
districts that allows a local school to be taken over from the local
school board and given to the DOE. Why is there no provision in this
law to allow a failing school run by DOE to be taken over by the
local school board?
3. Why is
the State Superintendent allowed to hide or refuse to report the
scores of some state run schools that are low performers? Why is the
State Superintendent not held accountable for the schools under his
management?
4. Why is
the State Superintendent allowed to close schools in poor
neighborhoods causing much disruption in the education of at-risk
students without input from the parents? How does this practice enhance parental choice?
5. Why is
the State Superintendent allowed to target for firing 10% of math,
English, social studies, and science teachers in the state each year with no end in sight?
How was it decided that 10% of the basic skills teachers each year should be declared
ineffective without regard to improvements in student performance
state-wide? How will this policy encourage good reliable teachers to
teach basic skills courses in our public schools?
6. Why did
the state legislature remove the requirement that teachers in tax
supported charter schools be certified?
7. Why is
the legislature allowing teaching jobs to be outsourced to
out-of-state providers using untestested virtual courses that are paid for with
our tax dollars? Didn't Governor Jindal say that he wanted to bring
college level jobs to Louisiana. . . not outsource such jobs? Will the legislature, facing a one billion dollar deficit, use our tax dollars to fund the Course Choice program for next school year even though it sends college level jobs to other states?
8. Why is
the Legislature funding vouchers using our tax dollars to private
schools that have minimal facilities, uncertified teachers, no
accountability, and a substandard curriculum? Why does the
legislature allow a double standard of extreme accountability for
public schools and almost no accountability for voucher schools and
charter schools?
9. Why are
parish schools that are good performers being allowed to be taken
over by charter schools over the objection of locally elected school boards? Why is the authority of local school boards being
usurped by BESE in approving such schools?
10. Why are
some charter school operators being allowed to make a profit with
our tax dollars? Why can they use our tax dollars to run advertising
campaigns for their schools? Why can they pay their administrators
exorbitant salaries with our tax dollars when their results are so
abysmal?
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