Monaghan to whiners: It's time for some introspection

Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan has responded to whiners in the administration who blame the LFT and others for a judicial ruling against the way Gov. Bobby Jindal chose to fund his voucher scheme.

In a letter to The Advocate, Monaghan asks if the conservative Republican judge who ruled against the Jindal administration is party to a conspiracy "to get in the way of student achievement," a theory fabricated by Superintendent of Education John White.

And while the governor chooses to describe the ruling as "wrongheaded" and "a travesty," Monaghan wants to know if Jindal has access to a mirror.

"Now, isn’t it time for a bit of introspection and reflection on the part of those charged with driving the train?" Monaghan writes. "Tagging Judge Kelley as 'wrong-headed' and the LFT as a 'hindrance' strongly suggests that no responsibility has been taken and nothing has been learned."

Monaghan's letter has a worthy companion on today's editorial page, with former Jefferson Parish School Board Member Terry Verigan weighing in on White's history of "converting public schools into private enterprise charter schools."

Verigan says of White, "During his brief 100-day tenure as deputy chancellor of the New York City Schools, he managed to alienate parents and teachers alike with his aggressive and thoughtless campaign to 'reform' the schools."

"The fact that he was never a school principal and was barely a classroom teacher contribute to his misdirected assault on public education in our state," writes Verigan. "John White came to Louisiana unprepared and having a personal agenda that had little to do with improving public schools. That Bobby Jindal placed him in this critical role says much about the governor’s superficial interest in public service and the welfare of Louisiana’s children."