News chain reveals voucher scheme

The Gannett chain of Louisiana newspapers has embarked on an ambitious and timely investigation into Gov. Bobby Jindal's "education reform" efforts, and has already uncovered some surprising and unsettling information.

First out of the box was Monroe News-Star reporter Barbara Leader's story about a school in Ruston that is scheduled to accept 315 voucher students even though the school does not have buildings, teachers, computers or other equipment to handle that many students.

During legislative debate on the state Minimum Foundation Program, which will fund the voucher scheme, the Ruston school became a symbol for what was wrong with the governor's plan.

Leader followed up with a report on Superintendent of Education John White's testy confrontation with a Senate committee, in which "he said the approvals were preliminary and the department will now begin its 'due diligence' process to ascertain if schools involved in the program could accommodate the number of students they said they would accept."

 But the school in question was already on the state's list of schools approved for vouchers.

Following Leader's report on the Ruston school, Alexandria Daily Town Talk reporter Jeff Matthews filed this story about about the comparatively few voucher slots available in North and Central Louisiana - most voucher schools are clustered in the southeast part of the state.

An interesting synergy erupted when reporters from two other members of the Gannett chain in Louisiana - the Shreveport Times and Lafayette Daily Advertiser - joined in the effort to understand the implications of the governor's agenda.

In this video, Leader is joined by Mary Wood and Icess Fernandez of The Times and Nicholas Persac of the Advertiser, and they discuss their series of articles called "Follow the money to Louisiana education reforms."

Woods' first article was published on May 27. The second article in the series, published June 2, documents the role played by the shadowy American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in shaping the Jindal agenda.

The story reveals that the program our governor claims as his own is really part of a scheme being played out in states across the nation. The goal is to privatize public education and divert billions of dollars into the pockets of venture capitalists masquerading as educators.

We're looking forward to coming installments of the Gannett series, which is sure to win some very prestigious journalism awards.

Voucher vote "the fruit of a poisoned tree"

(Baton Rouge - June 4, 2012) Calling today’s vote by the House of Representatives to fund Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education agenda “the fruit of a poisoned tree,” Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said the next stage for this sad saga will be in Louisiana courtrooms.

“From the first day that this sorry scheme was introduced until today’s outrageous and tainted vote, the constitution and the rule of law have been recklessly disregarded,” Monaghan said.

By an extremely narrow 51-49 margin, the House voted to concur on a proposed $3.4 billion Minimum Foundation Program budget. In prior years, the MFP constitutionally and correctly funded public elementary and secondary schools.

But this year’s formula redefines public education to include private and religious schools, virtual online schools, corporate and industry providers, and even higher education institutions.

“Had the law been respected,” Monaghan said, “SCR 99 would have never contradicted the constitution or its stated purpose. And, having done just that, it should have failed today."

Before the vote was taken, Speaker of the House Chuck Kleckley (R-Lake Charles) announced that SCR 99 would prevail if it received the votes of a majority of those present, even though the constitution stipulates that 53 votes would be necessary.

To the consternation of most in the chamber, Speaker Kleckley dismissed complaints by saying that the House has “a long history” of violating the constitution.

“That is just one more outrage added to the list of reasons why these issues will head to court,” Monaghan said.

During debate on the House floor, no member took the stand to defend the resolution except for Rep. Steve Carter (R-Baton Rouge), who chairs the House Education Committee. From the back of the room, however, Gov. Jindal’s lobbyists relentlessly twisted arms to eke out the narrow margin by which the resolution passed.

Representatives of both parties took the microphone to denounce the proposed MFP.

A defining issue in the debate was the plan to send as much as $8,500 per pupil to religious schools. Those included an Islamic school in Jefferson Parish and several religious schools around the state which have not been fully vetted, lack certified teachers and appropriate equipment, and have no track record of student achievement.

Rep. Sam Jones (D-Franklin) said that he supports religious freedom, but that giving taxpayer money to religious schools resembles a “European model” that led to generations of violent conflict over differences in beliefs.

The closeness of the final vote reflected a deep-seated unease in many members of the House, Monaghan said. In past years, opposition to the formula has been reflected in single-digit votes. For 49 members to stand against the governor’s wishes is unprecedented, he said.

Arbitrator slams Jefferson School Board for layoffs

In a sharply worded decision, an arbitrator ruled yesterday that the Jefferson Parish School Board wrongly fired 50 teachers based solely on one performance evaluation, while claiming that it was instead a reduction-in-force layoff.

Arbitrator James Sherman minced no words in his May 28 ruling that the Board “cynically and improperly” mislabeled the discharges, based on a single sub-optimal performance appraisal, as layoffs. “They did not get what they were entitled to…Instead, they got the shaft,” Sherman wrote.

He went on to say, “You can call it a layoff, but if it looks like a discharge, walks like a discharge and quacks like a discharge, then it is not a layoff. It is a discharge. These were not layoffs. They were discharges for unproven causes.”

Jefferson Federation of Teachers President Meladie Munch said, “The Jefferson Parish School Board should be collaborating with teachers.  With few exceptions, the best teachers are made, not born. That’s why we need an ongoing professional development program, closely aligned with teacher evaluation and due process, to improve teacher quality.”

Munch said that the arbitrator, in his strong condemnation of the Board, seemed to agree that it was an outrageous misuse of the evaluation system.  Sherman wrote, “The Board transformed the evaluation program into a disciplinary railroad.” 

“I have never seen a ruling that is so vivid and pointed towards a school board. This ruling validates our long-held complaint that the Board has been making bad decisions for students and teachers,” Munch said.

Munch went on to say that the Board is making not just bad decisions, but illegal ones.  This is the second time in two months that the actions of Jefferson Parish School board have been overturned and rejected.  Just last month, the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that the school district illegally imposed a furlough day on school employees. 

“We’ve been out in the community talking with parents, business owners, and community groups and listening to their concerns.  We’ve been working toward finding solutions to make schools better,” said Munch. 

However, she continued, “We’ve also been hearing from people that they are concerned with the Board’s bad decisions.  This is another one. They took this callous, illegal act and it impacted numerous employees and families in our parish.  The new board is acting recklessly, irresponsibly and without regard for the law.  And the community is supposed to trust these people to decide what is best for our students and teachers?”

You might not be a public school if...

Education curmudgeon Diane Ravitch has a new post online in which she asks the question, "Are charter schools public schools?"

After an introduction in which she gives Albert Shanker, the late president of the American Federation of Teachers, credit as a founder of the charter school movement, Ravitch questions the direction that charter schools have taken.

Shanker, she says, thought "that charter schools should be created by teams of teachers who would explore new ways to reach unmotivated students. He envisioned charter schools as self-governing, as schools that encouraged faculty decision making and participatory governance...He never thought of charters as non-union schools where teachers would work 70-hour weeks and be subject to dismissal based on the scores of their students."

Ravitch says that the vision of Shanker and others has been corrupted by charter schools run by "for-profit corporations or by nonprofit corporations with private boards of directors...Most charters are non-union and rely on young teachers who work long hours and leave after a few years, thus keeping costs low."

While charter schools are ostensibly public, Ravitch wonders if  the corporate model followed by so many schools is in keeping with the spirit of public education.

So with apologies to comedian Jeff Foxworthy, here are some indications that some charter schools might not really be public schools if...

Charter schools might not be public schools if...a non-profit charter holder subcontracts operation of the school to a for-profit corporation, it might not be a public school.

Charter schools might not be public schools if..."a charter sponsor is involved in complicated real-estate transactions that profit the sponsor," it might not be a public school.

Charter schools might not be public schools if...courts can rule that a charter school is not a public school when it comes to protecting the rights of teachers and other employees, it might not be a public school.

Charter schools might not be public schools if..."a privileged group of schools called charters...can select their students and exclude the ones that are hardest to educate; and the remaining schools are composed of students who couldn't get into the charters or got kicked out" they might not be public schools.

Treachery, contempt and the House Retirement Committee

Treacherous is just one of the words describing the actions of the House Retirement Committee on Wednesday. The committee’s utter contempt for the people of the state and the rule of law is surpassed only by its craven submission to the will of Governor Bobby Jindal.

Not that all members were compliant when a bill’s intent was completely transformed so the governor could get his way and merge the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana and the Louisiana School Employees’ Retirement System.

Democrats on the committee, led by Rep. Sam Jones (D-Franklin) boycotted the vote, leaving only Republican members to do the governor’s bidding.

Here are the sordid details.

The committee was slated to hear SB 6 by Sen. Elbert Guillory (D-Opelousas), an innocuous bill calling for an annual report to the school employees’ retirement system on privatized jobs.

But as has happened too often this session, the bill was hijacked by a surprise, 47-page amendment crafted by the governor’s office. The new language resurrected the system merger, which was originally contained in HB 1198 by Rep. Kevin Pearson (R-Slidell).

HB 1198 was approved by the Retirement Committee, but has languished on the House calendar for lack of enough votes to guarantee its passage.

House rules say that substantive amendments must be submitted 48 hours in advance of the meeting. But Rep Pearson, who chairs the panel, ruled that the amendment was not new information to the committee, and allowed it to be considered.

Reaction to the maneuver was immediate and explosive. Calling the move a “farce,” Rep. Jones walked out of the meeting. Without a quorum present, Rep. Pearson recessed the meeting to round up enough allies to pass the bill. When the panel reconvened, Democratic members stayed away, leaving only Republican lawmakers present to approve the bill.

“Offensive” was one word LFT Legislative Director Mary-Patricia Wray used to describe the tactic. “I think that the good faith of this Legislature with the citizens of this state has been breached," she said.

The underhanded tactics endorsed by Rep. Pearson and Sen. Guillory meant that teachers and school employees whose retirement will be affected did not have a chance to comment before the committee voted. And because SB 6 had already been approved by the Senate in its original form, the amended version now faces scrutiny only on the House floor.

The merger would abolish LSERS and transfer all its property, rights, obligations and employees into the Teachers’ system. In the process, 30 employees would lose their jobs within a year. That greatly increases the work load on remaining staff, and could cause a reduction in services for the members of the merged systems.

Times-Picayune reporter Jeff Adelson covered the meeting for this story; Marsha Shuler of The Advocate filed this report.

Sneak attack revives assault on sick leave

Last week the House Education Committee voted down a bill that would have decimated extended sick leave, and that should have been the end of it.

So nobody saw it coming when the Senate Education Committee quietly switched the intent of one bill to include language even more offensive than the bill defeated on the House side.

At less than two pages long, SB 494 by Sen. Conrad Appel (R-Metairie) was a minor bill intended “to assist local public school systems in developing methods for selecting certain teachers.”

But when it was heard by the committee, SB 494 had miraculously and secretly grown from two to 12 pages “relative to teacher selection and the granting of extended sick leave and sabbatical leave for teachers and other school employees.”

As heard by the committee, the bill included all of the language in the sick leave bill killed by the House Education Committee earlier, with one exception: a “shall” was changed to a “may.”

If Sen. Appel’s bill becomes law, it will stipulate that school systems may grant teachers and school employees 45 says of extended sick leave (instead of the 90 now mandated by law) at 50 percent of their salary (instead of the 65% now mandated by law).

There will no longer be any requirement that extended sick leave be provided at all.

The amended version of the bill was not completely secret. Officials of the Jefferson Parish School Board, including the superintendent, were at the meeting to testify in support. Somehow they had information that was kept secret from the rest of the education community.

The bill will be heard on the Senate floor. If it passes there, it must be approved by the House Education Committee. Members of that panel will be reminded that they turned down an almost identical bill just a week ago.

Senator tells retirees: Go on welfare

State employees who can’t make it on the new, stripped-down retirement benefits under consideration in Baton Rouge will just have to apply for food stamps and go on welfare, according to State Senator Elbert Guillory (D-Opelousas).

“We cannot afford to protect people from making bad decisions in their lives,” said Sen. Guillory about a bill that eliminates state pensions in favor of a market-driven “cash balance” retirement plan for newly hired state employees.

The Senate voted 23-11 for HB 61 by Rep. Kevin Pearson (R-Slidell), which will affect employees hired on or after July 1, 2013. It will impact the retirement plans of rank-and-file members of the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System and higher education members of the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana. Click here to see how Senators voted on the bill.

Both LASERS and TRSL opposed the bill, and have threatened lawsuits challenging its constitutionality.

Opponents say the bill will have a crushing effect on future retirees, giving them less retirement security than they would have under federal Social Security, which does not apply to public employees in Louisiana.

Under the plan, retirees would contribute eight percent of their salary to the plan, and the state would kick in at least four percent (private employers who pay Social Security must contribute 6.2 percent). Currently, the state’s retirement contribution is over 20 percent of the employee salary.

Money in the plan would be invested by the retirement systems. Employees would be credited with money earned when investments perform well. Unlike 401(k) investments, employees would be protected from actual losses if the market sinks.

When they retire, employees could either convert their balance to an annuity that pays regular amounts over time, or take it in a lump sum. Unlike the state’s current defined benefit retirement systems, which guarantee an income for life, retirees could spend all of the money saved under SB 61.

Because state employees do not have the safety net provided by Social Security, some senators questioned the morality of a plan that could leave retirees destitute if they outlive their savings.

“We cannot afford to protect people from making bad decisions in their lives,” Sen. Guillory said, echoing Ebenezer Scrooge’s famous response when asked for charity at Christmas: “Are there no prisons? And the Union workhouses. Are they still in operation…those who are badly off must go there.”

For more information, read Advocate reporter Marsha Shuler’s account here, and Times-Picayune reporter Jeff Adelson’s story here.

LFT urges rejection of education budget



LFT President Steve Monaghan

 (Baton Rouge – May 10, 2012) The Legislature should reject a proposed $3.4 billion public education budget because it violates the state constitution and could enrich as-yet unidentified private companies at the expense of public schools across the state, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

If the Minimum Foundation Program formula proposed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education goes forward, Monaghan said, it will constitute a radical redefinition of the meaning of public education. The plan would pay for a dramatic expansion of charter schools in the state, and for the first time make tuition for private and religious schools an official part of the education budget.
“This is the worst Minimum Foundation Program ever submitted,” Monaghan told the Senate Education Committee.

In spite of Monaghan’s objection, the committee voted four-to-one to report SCR 99 by Sen. Conrad Appel (R-Metairie) favorably to the full Senate.

To read the rest of the story, please click here.

JFT/PSRP Chair Laura Harper wins national award

Laura Harper, center, with AFT Secretary Treasurer
Lorretta Johnson (left) and PSRP Chair Ruby Newbold.

Laura Harper is a fierce defender of public education who has served for 23 years as Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Chair of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers. At the recent AFT/PSRP Conference in Washington, D.C. Laura received this year's Albert Shanker Pioneer Award.


Laura was selected "for her willingness to speak out and speak up when confronting injustice," said AFT/PSRP Chair Ruby Newbold, who presented the award. "If you are not doing right by our members, you will hear about it" from Laura.

In accepting the award, Laura cited her role model, Mother Jones, who "used to say 'Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.' I say pray for the school board and fight like hell for the PSRPs!"

To read the rest of this article, please click here.

Lynette Thomas is AFT’s PSRP Everyday Hero!

AFT Everyday Hero
Lynette Thomas

Thanks to the strong support of her Louisiana brothers and sisters, Lynette Thomas was voted the American Federation of Teachers’ Everyday Hero among Paraprofessionals and School Related Personnel. Lynette, who is the food service manager at St. Martinville Primary School in St. Martin Parish, will be the AFT’s guest at the union’s upcoming national convention in Detroit.

The AFT Everyday Heroes election takes place annually to recognize the extra efforts that teachers and school employees make to improve their communities. Heroes are elected from categories that include classroom teachers, PSRPs, higher education, public employees and healthcare workers. Winners are determined by an online vote.

Here is the inspiring story that won Lynette Thomas the AFT Everyday Hero award:

In her day job for the past seven years at St. Martinville Primary School, Lynette serves healthy meals with a heaping side of confidence. She hosts a celebration every month for all the birthday kids, who sit at their own table in the middle of the cafeteria and are feted with cupcakes, ice cream and presents. For some children in St. Martin Parish, this is their only birthday party.

Every Halloween, Thomas and her team of six food service workers create a haunted house in the gym, with treats for all. Up the road at her hometown of Parks, where "kids can't go trick-or-treating like they used to," Thomas puts on a Halloween extravaganza, closing off two blocks, manning a table with neighbors who give out candy and balloons to the younger set, and enlisting high schoolers to create a scary graveyard and haunted house for the older ones. Hundreds come every year for "Trick or Treat on Simon Street."

To read more about the amazing Lynette Thomas, please click here.

Panel denies whistleblower protection for charter school employees

(Baton Rouge – May 2, 2012) Despite evidence that charter school teachers have lost their jobs for reporting criminal activities, a legislative committee today rejected a bill aimed at protecting whistle blowers.


Charter school teachers are at-will employees with few job protections, and many are afraid to speak out when they see laws and policy procedures broken, according to United Teachers of New Orleans President Larry Carter.

“Because of pressure to do as they are told, teachers and school employees in New Orleans charter schools are afraid to bring issues to light,” Carter told the House and Governmental Affairs Committee. “They fear reprisal.”

The UTNO President and Louisiana Federation of Teachers Legislative Director Mary Patricia Wray urged lawmakers to approve House Bill 1149 by Rep. James Armes (D-Leesville). The bill would have doubled the penalty on charter schools for punishing educators who report infractions. It would have also required action on complaints within 90 days. Currently there is no time limit, and some complaints have languished for more than a year.

Carter told the panel about shocking cases in which charter school employees were punished for reporting violations.

In one well-reported scandal, Carter said, three teachers at Abramson Science and Technology Charter School in New Orleans lost their jobs after reporting cases of sexual misconduct between students at the school. One was terminated within weeks of the report, and the others’ contracts were not renewed for the next school year. A state education official who warned of problems at the school was also fired.

While the school’s charter was eventually revoked, the three teachers were never rehired.

In another example cited by Carter, a middle school teacher in a charter school sent his principal an e-mail about special education students who were not receiving the services they needed. Within a week, he said, the teacher was suspended and later terminated.

Rep. Armes told the committee that “We are here because of things that are happening in charter schools in New Orleans. Terrible things.”

The bill was opposed by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

LAPCS policy director Veronica Brooks said the bill is unnecessary because existing laws should protect educators. She also said it is unfair to double the penalty for charter schools over what would be imposed against traditional public schools.

If schools are are doing the right thing, Wray responded, they don’t have to worry about the penalty. “We are here because charter schools are the ones who are not following the law,” she said.

Faced with opposition from both the politically potent charter school organization and the state education board, the committee quickly killed the bill. Only one member, Rep. Girod Jackson (D-Harvey) voted in favor. Casting “no” votes were Reps. Taylor Barras (R-New Iberia), John Berthelot (R-Gonzales), Stuart Bishop (R-Lafayette), Mike Danahay (D-Sulphur), Tony Ligi (R-Metairie), Gregory Miller (R-Norco) and Tim Burns (R-Mandeville).



United Teachers of New Orleans President Larry Carter, right, argues in favor of a bill that would protect charter school employees who report illegal or improper activities. With him are Rep. James Armes, author of HB 1149, and Louisiana Federation of Teachers Legislative Director Mary-Patricia Wray.



Tell lawmakers to leave our retirement systems alone!

Soon - perhaps next Tuesday, May 1 - the House and Senate will both consider retirement bills that would weaken the retirement systems, make them less effective advocates for retirees, and reduce benefits for future, and even some current, public employees.

No matter what you hear from legislators, many of these bills will also have an effect on K-12 teachers - click here to find out why K-12 teachers should be as concerned as other public servants about these plans.

Because bills are being heard in both the House and Senate, it is important that you send two messages, one to each legislative body.

Please click here to send a message to your State Representative about HB 1198 and HB 61.

Please click here to send your State Senator a message about SB 33, SB 52, SB 47 and SB 749.

Teachers sick-out to protest charter school pay cut

Teachers at a Baton Rouge charter school staged a sick-out on Wednesday to protest a 20 percent pay cut imposed by the board that runs the school.

Crestworth Learning Academy, which is operated by Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, is apparently facing a budget crisis because of low pupil enrolment.

Teachers say they will lose between $400 and $80 per paycheck because of the decision. They are also being removed from the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana, which will affect retirement plans.

Neither the principal of the school nor spokesmen for the church would speak to reporter Kiran Chawla, who filed this report for WAFB-TV.

Why teachers should worry about retirement bills this year

Some legislators are upset that teachers and school employees are calling them about retirement issues. They point out that current K-12 educators are not included in the governor's attacks on state retirement systems this year. They say that teachers and school employees have nothing to worry about this year.

On a very simple and misleading level, they are correct. Currently employed K-12 teachers and school employees were carefully edited out of some retirement bills, although higher education faculty members of the Teachers Retirement System are definitely at risk.

Simply saying that K-12 educators aren't affected this year, however, does not mean they have nothing to worry about. If the so-called "reforms" pass this year, it is almost certain that teachers and school employees will be added to the list in upcoming legislative sessions.

But that's not the only reason for teachers and school employees to oppose attacks on the retirement systems of other workers.

First of all, we owe it to other employees to support their interests, especially if we ever hope to have their support when we are under the gun. The more we stick together, the better our chances of having decent and sustainable retirement plans for all of us.

And if you are looking for a more technical and layered reason for concern, we have that for you as well.

If the proposed retirement system changes go through, teachers and school employees will be indirectly but definitely affected. Here's how LFT Legislative Director Mary-Patricia Wray explains it:

The investment strategy of the board will change, and the decisions made on behalf of all plan participants, new or old, will be influenced by the changes made to final average compensation, retirement eligibility, DROP eligibility, employer and employee contribution rates and the proposed institution of a cash balance plan.

The prospective language in the bills is a facade that fails to fully disguise the retroactive nature of these bills. The governor's package, if adopted in whole or part, will increase the unique investment interests of plan participants since different members will be eligible to retire at different ages, under different styles of pensions, and with vastly different income levels.

The board managing of each retirement system will have a fiduciary duty to all members, making the wisest investment decisions for each fund. Meanwhile they will have to change past investment strategies to accommodate new hires who will have completely different levels of tolerance for risk-taking. Ultimately it will impact the funded ratio of the system, and thereby every single member of the system, whether a career employee or a new hire.

Coalition fights to save state pensions

Rep. James Armes (D-Leesville) says Gov. Jindal's retirement system changes threaten the state's middle class.

At a capitol press conference Monday, a coalition of firefighters, teachers, law enforcement personnel, AARP retirees, local leaders, state budget experts, and others exposed and rejected Governor Jindal’s pension-slashing scheme on middle class Louisiana workers.

Governor Jindal is trying to force through the legislature one of the most extreme overhauls of a state-run pension system anywhere in the nation, without the benefit of a transparent and open debate.

Shrouded in secrecy, Jindal’s pension slashing scheme, includes a so-called “cash balance plan” that turns pensions over to Wall Street. According to an actuarial note prepared by the Actuarial Services Department of the Office of the Legislative Auditor, the proposed cash balance plan would likely cost more than the current defined benefit plan. The report goes on to note, “Because there is no Social Security coverage [for state workers], such a member may very well become a ward of the state because he or she has no other available resources.”

Rep. James K. Armes (District 30) said: “The public deserves openness and transparency from their government especially when it comes to their retirement security. Unfortunately, Governor Jindal insists on secrecy. Even worse, his plan punishes Louisiana’s middle class workers by handing over their pensions to greedy Wall Street insiders who crashed our economy in the first place.”

Kerri Everitt, Advocacy Director for AARP said: “The Governor’s ‘cash balance plan,’ is particularly bad for retirees because state employees do not get Social Security. The plan will cost the state money and leave retirees in poverty. Instead of punishing working people and our seniors we should be making big corporations and Wall Street pay their fair share.”

Jan Moller, Director for Louisiana Budget Project said: “The cash balance plan is a lose-lose for Louisiana. It’s bad for taxpayers and bad for state employees. It’s especially risky for state employees, who do not receive Social Security and whose families would be vulnerable if they die or become disabled before they retire.”

Stacy Birdwell, Professional Fire fighters Association of Louisiana: “Firefighters don’t become firefighters to get rich. But we at least expect there to be a decent and guaranteed retirement at the end of a lifetime of hard work. We stand with our fellow state workers and demand politicians stop trying to turn our retirement security over to Wall Street.

Brenda G Matthews, qualified teacher aide, East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers: “It’s shameful when politicians show such disrespect to the people who work every day to make the next generation of this state better and smarter. This plan is immoral and does not represent Louisiana values it represents Wall Street values. We must stop trying to sell the state and its people off to Wall Street and start making Wall Street and the richest one percent pay their fair share.

According to a new study from the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, based on the decisions they make, a worker who has already worked 10 years and plans to retire at age 55 with 28 years of service would have their pension slashed by $18,500 per year. Alternatively, someone currently with 20 years under their belt and plans to retire at age 55 with 25 years of service would see their pension chopped by $6000 per year.

Retirement bills taking center stage

Now that major elements of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education package have been steamrolled through the legislature, attention is turning to the bills filed on his behalf that change state retirement systems.

Teacher and school employee system merger: Only one of the bills directly affects K-12 teachers and school employees – HB 60 by Rep. Kevin Pearson (R-Slidell), which would merge the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana and the Louisiana School Employees Retirement System. That bill was changed so drastically on the House floor (it ballooned from 10 pages to 86 pages) that it was assigned a new number, HB 1198 by Rep. Pearson.

LFT opposes the bill because both systems work well, provide better retirement security than the private market and have earned the confidence of their members. It will be heard on the House floor on April 25.

The merger would abolish LSERS and transfer all its property, rights, obligations and employees into the Teachers’ system. In the process, 30 employees would lose their jobs within a year. That greatly increases the work load on remaining staff, and could cause a reduction in services for the members of the merged systems.

Why other retirement bills should concern educators

Other retirement bills in the governor’s package pose a threat to K-12 educators, even though they are not directly mentioned. The net effect of the Jindal plan is to dismantle the state‘s defined benefit retirement system. The ultimate objective is to replace pensions with market-based plans, putting employee retirement into 401(k)-type investment plans that do not guarantee an income.

If the governor succeeds in dismantling state employee pension systems, there is little doubt that teacher and school employee pensions will be next.

To read about specific retirement bills, please click here.

A message from LFT President Steve Monaghan: Elections have consequences

“Elections have consequences.”

Type that sentence into your search engine, and you’re likely to get more than 32 million hits.

What has happened to public education in the past few weeks has taught me (and I am quite sure many others) new respect for the “consequences” statement. Never have we seen an election that has had such dire consequences.

Attacks on the professionals who dedicate their lives to our children have never been so vicious. The destruction of our public schools has never been so imminent.

In January, Gov. Jindal launched his “bold education reform” in a speech to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In it, he compared teachers to drug dealers and batterers.

This month, the legislature passed one law that will dismantle our schools and divert billions of public dollars to private, religious and corporate schools, and another law that bases virtually all personnel decisions on the controversial new ‘Value Added Model” of teacher evaluation. The proverbial train is on the tracks.

Education was first in the crosshairs, but we’re not the only target. Governor Jindal and his allies are ruthlessly pursuing the most radical deconstruction of public services ever seen in Louisiana. State employees, public safety and health care will be next on the chopping block.

To read more, please click here.

Don't let them silence our voices!

Click here to send a message to members of the House and Govenmental Affairs Committee.

In an effort to silence the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and other public sector unions, a bill has been introduced to strike at the unions’ source of funding.

The bill is clearly aimed at stopping us from taking a civil, principled stand against current anti-public education and anti-public services legislation.

HB 1023 by Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport) would prohibit “any entity which engages in political activity from receiving public payroll withholdings or deductions.”

Under current law, members of unions like ours can opt to pay their dues through payroll deduction. This is neither a special privilege nor a burden on taxpayers. It is a service that is available to credit unions, insurance companies and other recognized vendors, as well as unions.

Because most members of LFT and other public sector unions pay their dues through payroll deduction, Rep. Seabaugh’s bill is an obvious threat to the very existence of advocacy organizations.

This bill is an effort to silence the voice of opposition. It is aimed at the LFT and other public sector unions that oppose attacks on professional educators, the wholesale privatization of public services, and the destruction of the public retirement systems.

Organizations that support these schemes are financed by deep-pocketed corporations and individuals. Their funding would not be affected by Rep. Seabaugh’s bill.

Unions like the LFT represent the interests of workers who dedicate their professional lives to the children of the state. In a civil, professional manner, we bring their concerns to the legislature.

Freedom of speech and freedom of association are crucial to a representative form of government. Prohibiting the payroll deduction of union dues would stifle those freedoms and ultimately weaken our democracy.

HB 1023 has been assigned to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs. Please take action now, and ask members to vote NO when the bill comes before them.

Click here to send a message to members of the House and Govenmental Affairs Committee.

Appeal court rules school furloughs violate the law

(Baton Rouge – April 11, 2012) In a decision that will have a major impact on school districts around the state, an appeals court has ruled that districts may not reduce school employees’ salaries by furloughs or other means.

The unanimous ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal declares that the Jefferson Parish School Board acted improperly when it imposed a one-day furlough on non-teaching school employees on June 7 of 2011. The ruling overturns a trial court’s decision that the board’s action was within the law.

“This is a great day for the rights of school employees,” Jefferson Federation of Teachers President Meladie Munch said of the ruling. “It asserts that employees must be treated with respect and dignity, and it affirms the rule of law over the whims of the school board.
“The legislature passed these bills to protect school employees from actions like this,” she said.

To read more, please click here.

The world behind the world behind the scenes

In the realm of legislation, there are at least three layers. The most visible to the public is the one in which votes are taken and laws adopted. Behind the scenes of that world is another in which deals are made and votes traded.

That is the layer most people think of when they hear the quote usually attributed to Otto von Bismarck, “Laws are like sausages – it’s best not to see them being made.” The idea of legislators basing their votes on the currency of favors and promises can make the public queasy. It’s an inelegant and gritty system, but it grinds out laws like sausage and keeps the machinery of government functioning.

But there is at least one other world, deeper in the legislative shadows, that can have a much greater impact than petty cloakroom horse trading. That is the world in which the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, operates.

ALEC, as Matt Reichel reports in this post, is “a conduit between corporate boardrooms and elected officials willing to enact their agenda of austerity and privatization.” ALEC’s agenda is to simultaneously reduce the tax burden on its corporate sponsors and to channel what government funds remain into their corporate coffers.

ALEC creates model legislation that benefits its members, including, Reichel writes, “prison privatization, stripping collective bargaining rights, reducing or eliminating environmental protections, and enacting regressive tax laws.”

Also looming large on ALEC’s agenda is a corruption of the charter school movement to enrich corporate providers.

One example is Act 417 of the 2011 Louisiana legislature, which was written “to provide for enrollment preferences and membership on the governing or management board of a charter school for certain major corporate donors; and to provide for related matters.”

Note that charter school expansion benefitting corporate providers, prison privatization, regressive tax laws and an attack on collective bargaining rights all figure prominently in this year’s legislative session as well.

Maybe – just maybe – ALEC has gone too far in its underground campaign to raid the public treasury and turn our nation in to a corporate plutocracy. Jamie Lorber, a reporter for Roll Call on Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill, writes here that some of ALEC’s sponsors are reconsidering their support.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has withdrawn support for ALEC. Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and Intuit have also announced that they are pulling back from ALEC.

The reason why should bring a smile to all true believers in small-d democracy. An African-American civil rights group, Color of Change, has campaigned relentlessly for corporations to sever their ties to ALEC.

Color of Change, writes Lorber, went after ALEC because of its model legislation opposing voter ID laws:

“Civil rights activists say the laws disproportionately target minority, student and elderly voters, who tend to vote Democratic, and could bar up to 5 million voters from the polls this fall…Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson said the group is using Internet appeals to pressure companies that have made explicit efforts to build a strong relationship with African-American customers.”

It’s a good sign that people aren’t completely powerless in the face of the corporate juggernaut. If you’d like to join Color of Change’s campaign to separate ALEC from its corporate sponsors, click here.

Be at the capitol on April 4!

For our STUDENTS
For our SCHOOLS
For our PROFESSION
BE AT THE CAPITOL on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

On April 4, the Louisiana Senate will consider bills that will

• Base almost all personnel decisions – your salaries, your tenure and your job itself – on the unproven new teacher evaluation system.



• Virtually abolish public education in favor of private and religious schools, virtual schools, home schools and charter schools created by corporations, businesses and industry providers.

The Senate is the LAST STOP before Gov. Jindal signs these bills into law. The Senate could convene as early as 9 AM, and stay in session until a vote is taken.

Be there! If you have an hour, or two, or can stay all day…
BE AT THE CAPITOL ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4!

Click here to download a rally flier.

Tell your senator to reject Jindal's radical scheme!

Click here to send your senator a message!

Tell your senator to reject Jindal's radical scheme!

The House of Representatives approved Gov. Jindal's extreme agenda...
Now it's up to the Senate!

In spite of thousands of e-mails, phone calls, and personal contacts, the House of Representatives approved two of Gov. Jindal's radical plans to privatize public education and de-professionalize teaching.

These two bills, HB 974 and HB 976, are expected to be approved by the Jindal-controlled Senate Education Committee and sent to the full Senate for a vote as soon as the first week of April.

Our next real chance to have an impact on these bills is on the Senate floor. Please send a message to your senators, asking them to vote against these assaults on public education.

Click here to send your senator a message!

LFT president responds to Jindal's intimidation

(Baton Rouge – March 21, 2012) Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan responded with outrage to the Jindal administration’s efforts to intimidate lawmakers and teachers opposed to his radical education “reform” scheme.

“The heavy hand of politics is always involved in the legislative process, but never so obviously and so ominously,” Monaghan said.

The LFT president was responding to an announcement that a law firm affiliated with the Republican Party has requested copies of all e-mail correspondence between State Rep. John Bel Edwards and Monaghan or any other member of the LFT staff.

Read the rest of this story - click here.

Watch Rep. John Bel Edwards respond to intimidation from Jindal's allies:

The Jindal plan: Social promotion for private school failures

There's a lot the administration hasn't had time to tell us about Gov. Jindal's voucher scheme. That's one of the problems with ramming a bill through committee in the first week of the legislative session.

Times-Picayune columnist Jarvis deBerry exposes some of what they missed in this essay about the unequal treatment given students in public schools versus those in private and religious schools.

If a public school student fails the LEAP test, the student is held back. If a student in one of Gov. Jindal's voucher schools fails the LEAP, the student gets a social promotion.

That unfairness is just one of the many reasons why Gov. Jindal's vouchers shouldn't spread to the rest of the state.

As previously reported here, voucher schools in New Orleans in fact produced worse test scores than public schools.

Public schools showing such dismal results would be sanctioned, then closed or chartered. There is no such accountability for Gov. Jindal's voucher schools.

Reporter deBerry asked the governor's spokesperson if it is true that voucher students get social promotions. The response was less than direct:

"We've provided evidence that the scholarship program is working and parents are overwhelmingly satisfied. It's also clear that current system is failing far too many students. How many kids over how many decades would you trap in failing schools while you wait on MORE data the program is working."

Accountability in public schools means test scores. Accountability in Gov. Jindal's voucher schools means parents are satisfied (that their child got a social promotion).

And that stuff they've been saying for years about using data to gauge a school's success? That only applies to public schools. In Gov. Jindal's voucher schools, a happy smile is proof enough.

Three ways to stop the Jindal agenda

Gov. Jindal’s anti-public education, anti-teacher agenda: Tell your Senator and Representative to vote NO on these bills: HB 974 and SB603, and HB976 and SB 597

By now you know how educators were disrespected at the State Capitol on March 14 and 15. Thousands were turned away at the door while the House and Senate Education Committees marched almost lockstep to approve the Jindal agenda. The few lawmakers who stood with us were railroaded by the most extreme display of executive overreach since Huey Long.

It’s important for the rest of the Legislature to hear from the voters before these bills become law. They have the potential to destroy public education and our profession. Here are 3 things you can do right now to help derail Gov. Jindal’s train before public education and the teaching profession are damaged beyond repair.

1. Click here and send an e-mail message to your Senator and Representative, telling them about your opposition to the bills.

2. Call your Senator and Representative.

Your Senator’s contact information is here, and your Representatives information is here. If you don’t know who they are, click here to find out.

Using the information listed below, explain to them that you are a voter in their district and you oppose these bills.

3. Send this link to everyone in your address book – legislators need to hear from as many people as possible!

Here’s what is at stake with these bills:

HB 974/SB 603: Attacks on the teaching profession

If these bills pass, virtually all personnel decisions will be based on the controversial new ‘Value Added Model” of teacher evaluation.

• There will never be another across-the-board pay raise, and no more salary schedule for new teachers. Local superintendents will decide how much each teacher and school employee will earn, largely based on evaluations.


• Any teacher who receives an ”ineffective” rating even once will be ineligible for pay raises, will lose tenure rights and will be considered an “at will” employee who can be fired immediately.


• Teachers will have to be rated “highly effective” for five straight years to earn tenure. The architect of Gov. Jindal’s Value Added evaluation program says that is nearly impossible to do.


• In dismissal proceedings, teachers have no right to a list of specific charges, may not appeal to the school board, and have only 60 days to lodge an appeal, instead of the current one-year limitation. Language requiring teachers to be found guilty is removed.

HB 976/SB 597: The destruction of public education

These bills will use the funding process to virtually abolish public education. Your tax dollars will be spent on private and religious schools, virtual schools, home schools and charter schools created by corporations, businesses and industry providers.

• These bills violate the State Constitution, which says that Minimum Foundation Program funds can only be used for “public elementary and secondary schools.”


• Tax money approved by voters for local salaries, construction and maintenance will go to these schools, even if the schools are in a different city or parish.


• The only requirement to teach in these schools will be a Bachelor’s degree – no certification will be necessary.


• The only fiscal oversight for these new charter schools is an annual report to the unelected charter authorizer, not to BESE or the local school board.


• Online teachers from anywhere in the world will automatically be certified as Louisiana teachers. These online teachers will NOT be subject to Louisiana teacher evaluations or accountability.

Tell lawmakers to slow down the Jindal train!

The House and Senate Education Committees must allow full and open debate of the Jindal agenda!

Click here to send a message to committee members!

Click here to download a flier explaining the issues at stake.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 14, lawmakers will begin deliberations on the most radical changes to the education profession ever considered in Louisiana.

Whether or not you agree with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s legislative agenda, it is important to understand that his plan needs to be considered openly, transparently and with adequate public comment.

The governor’s supporters say they want to pass major bills very early in the session, as quickly as possible, and without amendments. The House Education Committee has already scheduled a hearing on the governor’s package, HB 974, HB 976 and HB 933 for Wednesday morning at 8:30 A.M.

There are indications that the Senate Education Committee may deliberate its versions of the governor’s package on Thursday.

To read more, please click here.

Ravitch ravages Jindal agenda

Fresh from her appearance at the Louisiana School Boards Association convention, historian/educator Diane Ravitch has penned a column for Education Week that eviscerates Gov. Bobby Jindal's education agenda.

In this column, she writes that the governor's plan "is as punitive as possible with respect to public education and teachers. It says nothing about helping to improve or support them. It's all about enabling students to leave public schools and creating the tools to intimidate and fire teachers. This 'reform' is not conservative. I would say it is radical and reactionary."

Ravitch was also a guest on Jim Engster's radio program on WRKF-FM in Baton Rouge today. On that show Ravitch, who served as Assistant Secretary of Education under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, opined that the governor's agenda is to privatize public education as much as possible and to strip the dignity and professionalism from teaching.

Listen to a podcast of the show by clicking here, and then click "Listen to Podcasts," and the March 6 program.

Monaghan letter: MFP violates Constitution

In a letter to newspaper editors around the state, LFT President Steve Monaghan explained how the Minimum Foundation Program formula adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education last week was railroaded through without adequate public comment.

As Monaghan put it, "Debate was stifled in a manner reminiscent of the very worst political shenanigans of the past. Ironically, it was the very administration that touts itself as the most ethical in history that apparently orchestrated this exercise in faux democracy."

Read the whole letter, as printed by The Advocate in Baton Rouge, here.

Ravitch in Lafayette: Education gimmicks don't work

The Louisiana School Boards Association got a good dose of Diane Ravitch at their convention in Lafayette last week. As reported here by Mike Hasten in the Lafayette Advertiser, Ravitch told the gathered school board members that school reform gimmicks like vouchers, charter schools and high-stakes testing "don't work."

Ravitch is a veteran educator, established researcher and former official in both the George W. Bush and Obama education departments. Once a supporter of those education options, she has come to believe that they are unworkable fads or, worse, tricks aimed at privatizing education and funneling public funds into corporate coffers.

She obviously touched a nerve with Louisiana's new State Superintendent of Education, the relatively inexperienced John White.

His response to her comments - "It's an insult to talk about educators and parents as though they were corporate pawns" - misses the point. Nobody's accusing parents and educators of being corporate pawns. It could be said that those who promote vouchers and other forms of privatization are corporate shills, however.

A bad day for good government

With little debate, BESE adopts MFP that funds vouchers

February 27, 2012 was not a good day for good government.

In a more than obvious display of deference to Governor Bobby Jindal, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Monday approved a public school funding formula that would guarantee spending taxpayer money – including local education funds - for private and religious school tuition vouchers.

With almost no public input and very little opportunity to inspect the document, BESE voted to send the $3.41 billion Minimum Foundation Program formula to the legislature for adoption. The legislature must either approve or reject the formula, but may not amend it.

If the MFP is approved by lawmakers, and if the governor’s as-yet unveiled voucher law is adopted, students receiving vouchers would, for the first time, be included in the student count of the local school board and would be eligible for both the state and local shares of education funds.

This unprecedented action raises serious constitutional questions, and is currently being reviewed by legal counsel.

To read more, please click here.

Better Choices launches petition drive

The Better Choices for a Better Louisiana coalition was created with a simple guiding principle: that a prosperous future for Louisiana requires a transparent and balanced approach to budgeting that includes responsible revenue measures alongside common-sense savings.

Governor Bobby Jindal has launched an aggressive attempt to privatize state services such as health care, prisons and schools, shift cost and financial risk to state workers and give even more tax breaks to large corporations. But there are better choices available, and we need your help to remind legislators of his by signing the attached online petition.

The BCBL coalition is urging legislators to not make wholesale commitments, sight unseen, to the governor's agenda. Legislators should instead demand transparency, accountability, and detailed, measurable outcomes.

There are better choices for creating jobs, improving health care and public safety, building better schools and infrastructure to create a more prosperous future for Louisiana. And it starts by letting your voice be heard.

Please sign the online petition today in support of Louisiana’s future.

Change.orgStart an Online Petition »

Stand for Children, or Stand for Profit?

Stand for Children presents itself as a grassroots, pro-education organization. And that's how it began. But as this video shows, Stand for Children morphed from its original intent into a lobbying arm of the for-profit education cabal.

State, not parents, may decide who gets vouchers

State Superintendent of Education John White

In a revealing discussion of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s school voucher scheme, State Superintendent of Education John White said Thursday that the State Department of Education, not parents or schools, will have the final say in deciding which students get to attend private and religious schools at public expense.

White’s admission came after State Rep. John Bel Edwards said that he objects to the governor’s voucher plan because non-public schools will not have to conform to the same accountability standards as their public counterparts, and because they are able to selectively determine their students.

Addressing the luncheon crowd at the League of Women Voters of Baton Rouge meeting, Edwards said, “If you don’t think the private and parochial schools will cherry pick the best students, you didn’t just eat a seafood lunch.”

The Jindal administration is making vouchers a centerpiece of the 2012 legislative agenda, claiming that parents should have more choices for their children’s education. Opponents say that, unless the schools release information comparable to that available for public schools, parents cannot make an informed choice.

In his answer to those objections, White revealed that neither the parent nor the school will actually be deciding which students attend the voucher schools.

Under the plan, private and religious schools will tell the state how many voucher students whey are prepared to accept. Parents interested in the program will give the state a list of schools they would like their children to attend. Bureaucrats at the State Department of Education would then presumably match the students to the school.

“The state then says to the school…you are going to take those children,” White said. “At that point it is the law that you accept those children.”

Rather than appease opponents, White’s announcement is likely to raise many more questions about the voucher scheme. Parents may be shocked to learn that, despite the governor’s talk about parental choice, the real decisions will be made by the State Department of Education.
And skeptics will continue to believe that the private and religious schools will find ways to ultimately exclude any students that believe do not fit in their institutions.

LFT leader to League: Listen to educators!

United Teachers of New Orleans President Larry Carter

United Teachers of New Orleans President Larry Carter delivered an important message to the League of Women Voters of Baton Rouge this week: include teachers and school employees when making policy for public education.

The message was a timely one, as lawmakers are preparing to vote on some radical overhauls of public education when the legislative session begins on March 12.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has announced that he will push for changes that could destroy the teacher salary schedule, endanger tenure and due process rights, radically expand vouchers for private and religious schools and impose even more state control over local school districts.

What’s missing in the governor’s agenda, Carter said, is the voice of professional educators.
“We must never lose sight of the fact that educators are the experts in the classroom,” Carter told the League. “The voice of teachers should be at the center of the dialog.”

Carter reminded the audience that “teaching conditions are learning conditions,” and said that in all too many circumstances, schools lack textbooks, learning materials an even properly certified teachers. Teachers should not be blamed for circumstances they cannot control, he said, and ought to be consulted about the best ways to improve our schools.

Advocate calls 'baloney' on higher education budget

Today's editorial in The Advocate calls 'baloney' Gov. Bobby Jindal's claim that his proposed budget spares higher education from further budget cuts.

Baton Rouge's own Gray Lady gets it right: "Behind a bureaucratic façade, the reality is that Gov. Bobby Jindal has again proposed cutting state government’s support for higher education, forcing colleges to make up reduced state aid with increased tuition and fees."

Advocate editorialists point out that the governor's budget, which they call "Category 5 political spin," includes a $50 million mid-year reduction from this year, and relies on tuition increases to avoid going into negative territory.

"Louisiana’s future is the poorer for this," the editorial concludes. "But it will provide endless material for college courses of the future, in which the political abuse of language is discussed."