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LFT asks Jindal to intervene in Pastorek feudThe state’s largest education organization is asking Governor Bobby Jindal to step in and mediate the ongoing dispute between State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek and some advocates for public education. “The last thing our children need at this moment is a bitter feud between the superintendent of education and the organizations that represent teachers and school boards,” Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan wrote in a letter to the governor. “It is time for cooler heads to prevail." In recent
weeks, both the Louisiana Association of Educators and the
Louisiana School Boards Association have called for Pastorek to
be released from his post, citing a lack of trust in the
superintendent and a belief that Pastorek’s agenda is
antithetical to public education.
Pastorek
says he has no intention of leaving, and says that he has the
support of the governor and his employers, the Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education.
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After overcoming a controversy about who should be represented on the panel, a commission aimed at restructuring the state's colleges and universities held its first meeting on August 10. The Louisiana Postsecondary Education Review Commission - commonly called the Tucker Commission because it was the brainchild of Speaker of the House Jim Tucker - is charged with finding better ways to provide higher education in Louisiana. The commission got off to a rocky start because Gov. Bobby Jindal included the chairs of the LSU and Southern boards, but neglected to appoint representatives from the University of Louisiana or Technical and Community College boards. The oversight was corrected by removing LSU and Southern as voting members and giving them, along with ULL and LCTC, advisory memberships on the panel.
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The first full day of hearings was dedicated to instructing members on the dismal state of Louisiana's economy. After taking an eight percent funding cut this year, higher education faces even more reductions in the next two years. In his opening comments to the commission, Jindal said the economy cannot continue to support a system in which under-prepared students enter four-year schools and then drop out burdened with debt. The governor said that the state's four-year institutions should raise their admission standards, and that more students should be directed into two-year associate degree programs. According to officials of the Louisiana Economic Development Commission and Louisiana Workforce Commission, each year some 30,000 students earn either bachelor's or advanced degrees from Louisiana schools, but there are only about 13,000 jobs waiting for them in the state. That means many of our graduates must migrate out of state to find jobs. The commission must present its findings by February 12, 2010. Forty-five days later, the regular legislative session will begin. Lawmakers hope to base legislation on the recommendations of the commission. |
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International exchange students seek sponsors
For more than 60 years, CIEE USA High School Programs has connected foreign exchange students with host families in the U.S. The organization's mission is “to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.”
The program program hosts more than 55 nationalities represented in a group of over 1,300 students each year. CIEE also manages U.S. governmental grants programs for students who have been selected to participate in the prestigious Congress-Bundestag scholarship, Future Leaders Exchange, YES, and A-SMYLE.
If you are interested in hosting a foreign student, please visit the CIEE Web site and check out the opportunities that are available.
Visit EdLog for news commentary and analysis from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. Please click here.
Louisiana Federation of Teachers Web site: click here
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American Federation of Teachers Web site: click here
