LFT files suit to halt "Red Tape" act

As promised, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers has filed suit to halt implementation of Gov. Bobby Jindal's signature education bill, the so-called "Red Tape Reduction and Local Waiver Empowerment Program."

The Federation's case is simple: the governor and legislature do not have the right to hand off the legislature's lawmaking authority to policy boards. We believe the constitution is quite clear on the issue.

For their part, Gov. Jindal's henchmen and the Bossier City Representative who's carrying his water are reduced to name-calling, as this article by Gannett reporter Mike Hasten reveals.

Their attempts to paint the lawsuit as "a sad attempt...to block reform" just don't wash. LFT has consistently supported reforms that are research-based and proven to be effective. We have a problem with bogus reforms that mask attacks on public education and the teaching profession.

We just don't see the Jindal plans to charterize, privatize and voucherize our schools as legitimate reforms.

But that's not even the point in this case. It's the legal issue. As LFT President Steve Monaghan put is, "This is a slippery slope that strongly threatens everyone's appreciation of what law is. Because we support the legislative process and the value of law, we have no choice but to challenge the constitutionality of this act."

Here is a link to the LFT Web site's report on the lawsuit, which has links to the lawsuit itself.