Value added Louisiana?

Gov. Bobby Jindal signed HB 1033 into law yesterday. That legislation establishes a value added model in the state, tying student test scores with teacher evaluations.


This isn’t the first time that those with decision making power over education have thought about this. There have long been discussions to linking student achievement with teacher salaries as a way to compensate the teachers that have done well and to identify the ones who are not effective.


At its fundamental core—tracking student and teacher success—education gurus agree it’s a good idea. How to execute that idea, however, has always been a point of contention between those in the classroom and those in governing rooms.


But Jackie Lansdale, president of the Caddo Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel, thinks this plan isn’t the best execution.


“It’s not really value added. Value added is when you provide incentives. This is punitive.”
For teachers, Lansdale said, there is a lack of incentives with the law. Teachers being allowed to keep their jobs is not an incentive and creates a problem.


“This is the stick without the carrot. You’re going to base my evaluation on that? There are some schools that they will refuse to go to if they value their career."


Specifically Lansdale said schools with large numbers of low socio-economic children. It’s easier to teach at a school where children are better prepared and therefore will have increased test scores. But schools with a high poverty rate have student who are more difficult to teach. Why? Challenges such as low parental involvement and few resources.


Cedric Choyce, president of the Caddo Association of Educators, agrees. 

"Basically what you have here now is people trying to move from school not performing well to those that are," he said adding that Louisiana will now become a training ground for Texas. 

Choyce, who teaches at Booker T. Washington in Shreveport, also brought up another point. What about teachers who teach electives.

"What are you going to do to measure my effectiveness," he said. "You have all these students that are from different backgrounds how are you going to do that."

So what' the solution?


“Teachers sent (Buddy) Roemer home, it’s time for teachers to send Jindal home,” Lansdale said.

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Podcasting live...sort of

Nicole and I are getting ready to produce our second podcast relatively soon.

So we're putting the question out to our readers...what would you guys like for us to talk about during the podcast?

Let us know!

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Taking a quick look at the Caddo elementary school results

Man, there's a lot of elementary schools in Caddo.

That means that there's a lot to talk about. So let's begin with English/language arts.

Caddo fourth graders had difficulty in the subject with more than half of the schools decreasing the percentage of students who earned basic or above on the state exam. This was a tough subject with some percentage decreases in the double digits including, Pine Grove (from 92 percent last year to 59 percent this year), Timmons (from 61 percent last year to 44 percent this year), Queensborough (from 60 percent last year to 43 percent this year), and Caddo Heights (49 percent last year, 31 percent this year.)

There were some bright spots:

Central, Hosston Alternative, Mooringsport, and Claiborne percentage of students passing the exam is in the double digits. Leading the pack, Hosston Alternative with 30 percentage points over last year, Central with 23 percentage points, and Mooringsport and Caliborne with 17 percentage points each.

Caddo fourth graders did only slightly better in Math. Caddo Heights, Mooretown, and Timmons had large decreases in the percentage of students testing basic and above on the test. Timmons took the biggest dip going from 73 percent to 48 percent.

Some took a double digit increase. Oak Park increase 36 percentage points.

Other big increases: Claiborne, Judson and Mooringsport.

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Taking a quick look at the Caddo middle school results

The Caddo middle school data is showing a different pattern than the high school data -- English is a much more difficult subject than math.

The results from the state shows that 11 out of 15 schools decreased the percentage of students scoring basic and above in English.

More of Caddo's 8th graders were prepared for the math portion of the test this year. Only seven of the 15 schools showed a percentage decrease.

But when it comes to science and social studies, Caddo eighth graders did better than last year. Only six out of 15 school showed decreases.

Some of the bright spots from the middle school data are:

Bethune's 12 percentage point increase in Science.

Caddo Middle Career increasing 11 percentage points in both science and social studies

Donnie Bickham's 12 percentage point increase in math.

Hosston Alternative School's 36 percentage point increase in math

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Taking a quick look at the Caddo high school results

Analyzing the state exam scores for high school (10th and 11th graders) we see that math wasn't a strength this year.

Eight out of the 10 high schools decreased the percentage of students who earned basic or above on math this year. Among the biggest dips are Fair Park who went from 35 percent last year to 21 percent this year, Green Oaks (44 percent last year, 31 percent this year) Southwood (48 percent last year, 38 percent this year )and Woodlawn (29 percent last year to 20 percent this year.)

Most of these schools are on the Superintendent Target Schools list, which means they are on the state's list of academically unacceptable schools. (We'll focus more on the schools on this list in a later post today. )

But there are some bright spots. Among them is Capt. Shreve's 15 percentage point gain from last year on the social studies test.

Continue reading this blog as we continue analyzing the LEAP and GEE scores.

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It's "go-day"

It's test results day or what is known to all education reporters as "go-day".

Writing about test scores is the bread and butter for education reporters. There is a certain amount of stress and preparation that goes into the initial day's reporting. Phone calls are made. Plans are layout and revisited.

But the stories that follow after are what the scores are truly about: the students who triumphed, the schools that fell short, the teachers who became rock stars in the classrooms, the districts that have to readjust to increase next year's scores.

Reassured that as education reporters Nicole and I feel the stress and we are aware that these scores are important to parents, teachers, schools, and administrators. We know this because these scores are important to us too.

We'll keep everyone up dated through the Web site and through the blog on what we find out during the day.

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Caddo new hires, vacant positions

Southwood High Principal Ken Wood
Times Archive

Southwood High School could have a new principal as soon as June 15, pending approval from the Caddo Parish School Board.

Technically the new hire won't assume this role until next school year, but there will be "work during the summer months in transition," said Mary Nash Robinson, assistant superintendent for human resources.

The current principal, Ken Wood, is retiring.

Schools Superintendent Gerald Dawkins, who interviewed the finalists, will have a recommendation for the board no later than June 15. The goal is to make a selection by July 1, which is also the projected date to adopt the district's new salary schedules.

Here are a list of other administrative vacancies in the district:

Summerfield Elementary- principal

Blanchard Elementary- principal

Mrs. Eddie Jones West Shreveport Elementary- principal

Caddo Career and Technology Center- principal (the assistant principal is serving as interim)

Caddo Parish Middle Magnet- assistant principal

Newton Smith Visual and Performing Arts Middle- assistant principal.

These positions were left vacant by retiring administrators. The screening committee will begin interviews on June 9 and will be completed by July 1.

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Updates: Caddo budget

Times archieves

What was discussed at the Caddo Parish School Board budget work session on Monday?

• When schools Superintendent Gerald Dawkins said he was considering everything to get the district where it needed to be, he was serious. Whether the district will implement A/B block scheduling in high schools next year is in question. The new schedule could be phased in at certain schools or scratched altogether.
• The daily operating cost for the school district is $1 million.
• How will the student-teacher ratio be impacted if the staffing formula is changed?
• How much is it costing the district to hire retirees?
• Has the district ever had deficit spending, where expenditures exceeded revenue? Yes. In 2001-02 there was deficit spending of $9.6 million and in the 2002-03 school year it was $4.9 million.
• The district is projecting $9 million in deficit spending this year. That money was covered by the fund balance, which is now at $33 million.
• In the 2003-04 school year there was a projected fund balance deficit of $12 million, but by law the board could not adopt a budget with a deficit fund balance. As a result, reductions were made.
• This year the projected $10 million deficit fund balance will also result in reductions. If not, this would mean the board would end the year with a negative fund balance, which is not permitted by law.

The board will see a draft of the 2010-11 budget at its regular meeting on June 1at 4:30 p.m. at the School Board office, 1961 Midway St. There will be a special work session on June 2.

The goal is to approve a budget by June 15. A budget must be adopted by June 30.

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Caddo School Board faces $10 million deficit

Between now and June 30, the Caddo Parish School Board must find a way to plug a $10 million deficit for its 2010-11 budget.

That could mean a more than $20.2 million cut in instructional areas and $5.7 million from central office. More specific areas that could loose funding are regular and special education and school administration.

A formal recommendation has not gone before the School Board, but other cost-cutting measures include changes in policy, staffing formula, layoffs and hiring freezes. Dawkins added that according to the staffing formula, some schools are over staffed.

But he continually reiterated that nothing has been finalized.

"Just know that I'm considering everything to get us where we need to be," Dawkins said at the first budget work session last week.

It was more of a show-and-tell meeting, and district officials reviewed the $40.9 million impact brought on by a reduction in state funding and other "items impacting operations."
The School Board has about $33 million in its reserve funds, but Finance Director Jim Lee says
that will soon be drained.


The board will meet today at 4:30 p.m. to hammer out the upcoming budget, and another meeting is set for Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. if necessary.

How should Caddo deal with its budget woes? Vote below.

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Legislative updates for the week of May 24

Here's what bills are on scheduled to be heard this week.

The following bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Finance Comm ittee on May 24 at 1pm:

SB 161 - Murray - Creates the Hurricane Recovery Health Insurance Premium Fund as a special fund in the state treasury to provide funds for health insurance premiums for certain school board employees in the hurricane impacted parishes of Cameron, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard.

The following bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Retirement Committee on May 24 at 1pm:

HB 519 - Cortez - Prohibits retirees from receiving retirement benefits from the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana during reemployment unless such retirees are reemployed as classroom teachers in grades K through 12 in the areas of mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, or special education.

The following bills are scheduled to be heard by the House Education Committee on May 25 at 9am:

HB 1399 - Downs - Raises the minimum cumulative grade point average required to receive the TOPS Opportunity Award from a 2.5 to a 2.75 as calculated on a 4.00 scale by using only the grades obtained by the student in completing the core curriculum requirements established by present law.

SB 262 - Nevers - Requires local school districts to establish guidelines for the collection of biometric information, such as fingerprints, should a school be collecting it on students.

SB 486- Nevers - Establishes that the attainment of a silver-level score on the assessment of the ACT WorkKeys system fulfills the eligibility requirements for attaining the TOPS-Tech Award.

SB 487 - Nevers - Renews the law to create LDOE, which would otherwise expire.

SB 490- Nevers - Requires that the questions included on end-of-course examinations for students pursuing a career major curriculum be developed so that the assessments reflect the course design and content.

SB 492- Nevers - Brings the governing boards of charter schools under the fi nancial disclosure requirements of the Ethics Code.

The following bill is scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 25 at 2pm:

HB 468 - Hoffmann - Adds certified school nurses to the list of school employees eligible for sabbatical leave.

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the Senate on May 25 at 2pm:

SB 391- Chaisson - Increases the amount of reductions of appropriations/allocations from the state general fund and dedicated funds in any fiscal year in which these two conditions occur: (1) a deficit is projected and (2) reductions of at least seven-tenths of 1 percent in appropriations from the state general fund have already oc curred. The proposed constitutional amendment increases the amount of reductions of appropriations or allocations from 5 percent to 10 percent.

SB 392- Chaisson - Increases the amount of reductions of appropriations/allocations from the state general fund and dedicated funds in any fiscal year in which these two conditions occur: (1) a deficit is projected and (2) reductions of at least seven-eighths of 1 percent in appropriations from the state general fund have already occurred. The proposed constitutional amendment increases the amount of reductions of appropriations or allocations from 5 percent up to 10 percent.

The following bill is scheduled to be heard by the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice on May 26 at 9:30am:

SB 536 - Nevers - Creates the crime of simple burglary of a school. Simple burglary is the unauthorized entry of any facility with the intent to commit theft.

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 26 at 2pm:

HB 923 - Leger - Authorizes the Recovery School District to contract with outside legal counsel.

HB 1055 - Richmond - Eliminates the Division of Adult and Family Services within the Louisiana Department of Education and transfers the responsibility for adult and family services programs from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to the Louisiana Co mmunity and Technical College System (LCTCS).

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 27 at 1pm:

SB 83- Appel - Expands the test type options used for 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th grade students with disabilities.

SB 89 - Long - Removes the requirement that the administration of Louisiana School of Math, Science, and the Arts be classified within LDOE

SB 112 - Long - The standardized test scores of students in Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) facilities will not be sent to students' home schools or included in t he performance score of local districts.

SB 285 - Donahue - States that students educated in secure facilities under the jurisdiction of Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) shall be considered as enrolled in a public school for inclusion by BESE in the MFP formula. Also requires that the MFP funds be transferred to from the students' local districts to OJJ to operate such facilities.

SB 297- Donahue - Eliminates the Division of Adult and Family Services within the Louisiana Department of Education and transfers the responsibility for adult and family services programs from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

SB 298- Donahue - Requires the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to broadcast its meetings over the Internet and to archive such broadcasts.

SB 527- Broome - Revises the requirements of local school districts to provide certain classroom management training to school pers

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What's it like to be a non-traditional college student?

I'm extremely excited about USAToday's week long video series "Degrees of Difficulty" on non-traditional students. It begins today.

This is a great story to tell and one that is important to northwest Louisiana, and most especially to BPCC. They specialize in non-traditional students. CALL, an accelerated college program, is tailor made for non-traditional students or students who want to get their credits quickly. The school has had so much success with it that last year it went statewide.

Here's the video that kicks off the series.

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I'll come back...if you're here next year.

Students, especially college students, live in a constant state of stress. Classes. Professors. Extra curricular activities. Money. 

Money? 

Yup. 

It's something new that LSUS director of counseling Paula Lewis is noticing. More students came seeking counseling services on matter of money. 

"More people are concerned about money," she said. 

And it's not just about whether they'll have a job upon graduation, which is also a concern. Students are worried about the existence of their university. 

Just like professors and administrators have anxiety about upcoming budget cuts, so do students. They worry whether they'll have a program to graduate from and if the classes they need to for graduation will be available. 

On a survey recently done by the school's counseling center of students in a mentor program, one of the comments to the question whether they'll return to school next year was this: 

If the school is still around next year. 

Stress about classes, relationships and even money all add up to one thing...

"All that impacts success in college," Lewis said. 

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Legislative Update for week starting May 17

Here's what bills are on scheduled to be heard next week.

The following bills are scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on May 17 at 9 am:

HB 468 - Hoffmann - Adds certified school nurses to the list of school employees eligible for sabbatical leave.

HB 905 - Harrison - Increases the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) necessary to qualify for certain awards under the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), from 2.5 to 3.0. This change would apply to graduating seniors, beginning with the 2014-2015 school year.

HB 1049 - Harrison - Authorizes public school boards to enter into public/private partnerships for the provision of ancillary services, such as cafeteria, custodial, and transportation services.

HB 1411 - Richmond - Requires the Recovery School District to receive Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget approval of capital expenses and change orders in excess of $100,000.

The following bills are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee on May 17 at 10 am:

SB 391- Chaisson - Increases the amount of reductions of appropriations/allocations from the state general fund and dedicated funds in any fiscal year in which these two conditions occur: (1) a deficit is projected and (2) reductions of at least s even-tenths of 1 percent in appropriations from the state general fund have already occurred. The proposed constitutional amendment increases the amount of reductions of appropriations or allocations from 5 percent to 10 percent.

SB 392- Chaisson - Increases the amount of reductions of appropriations/allocations from the state general fund and dedicated funds in any fiscal year in which these two conditions occur: (1) a deficit is projected and (2) reductions of at least seven-eighths of 1 percent in appropriations from the state general fund have already occurred. The proposed constitutional amendment increases the amount of reductions of appropriations or allocations from 5 percent up to 10 percent.

SB 509 - Long - Includes the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), classifying it as a public secondary education institution for the purposes of the MFP formula.

The following bills are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Retirement Committee on May 17 at 12:30 pm:

SB 274 - Heitmeier - Requires a charter school teacher, who is an active member of the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) to remain an active member of TSSL for the duration of his/her employment at the charter school, under certain circumstances.

SB 729 - Shaw - For members of the Teachers' Retirement Systems of Louisiana (TRSL), a separate fund known as the Experience Account provides cost-of-living adjustments to retiree pensions.  If there are sufficient funds in the TRSL Experience Account, a Permanent Benefit Increase is payable to each eligible TRSL retiree or their beneficiary each year on July 1, subject to a recommendation by TRSL's Board and legislative approval.  Currently, the Experience Account is funded with up to 50 percent of all TRSL investment earnings in excess of the actuarial rate of 8.25 percent, after the first $200 million of investment returns have been used to pay down retirement system debt. SB 729 seeks to provide that 50% of the net investment experience gain of the TRSL is credited to the TRSL's experience account before the allocation to reduce the unfunded accrued liability.  Currently, if TRSL fails to exceed the actuarially assumed rate of return and is less than 80 percent funded, no Permanent Benefit Increase will be granted.  SB 729 seeks to allow a Permanent Benefit Increase in years in which the TRSL is below 80% funded and fails to exceed the actuarially assumed rate of return.

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 17 at 2pm:

HB 529 - P. Smith - Requires, rather than authorizes, sex education for public school students in grades 4-12. Requires BESE to prescribe guidelines and suitable curricula.

HB 561 - Baldone - Provides that certain educational diagnosticians who hold a valid Louisiana teaching certificate, state educational diagnostician certification, and the Nationally Certified Educational Diagnostician (NCED) credential are eligible to receive an annual salary supplement of $5,000 (subject to the ap propriation of funds).

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the Senate on May 17 at 3pm:

SB 293 - Donahue - Requires each agency to conduct an annual internal review of employee vacancies and attrition rates.  Establishes the goal of attaining strategic reductions in positions of five percent annually for three years and requires annual reports to the Commission on Streamlining Government.

The following bills are scheduled to be heard in the House Education Committee on May 18 at 9 am:

HB 1128 - Leger - Requires the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to develop, by December 31, 2010, a master plan for how charter schools are to administer special education and related services. The bill also requires BESE to provide local school districts with guidelines on reviewing and approving charter school applicants as well as establishing requirements and restrictions for charter schools. The bill also requires BESE to give an annual charter school report to the Governor.

SB 83- Appel - Expands the test type options used for 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th grade students with disabilities.

SB 89 - Long - Removes the unnecessary requirement that the administration of Louisiana School of Math, Science, and the Arts be classified within the Louisiana Department of Education

SB 112 - Long - The standardized test scores of students in Office of Juvenile Justice facilities will not be sent to students' home schools or included in the performance score of local districts.

SB 285 - Donahue - States that students educated in secure facilities under the jurisdiction of the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) shall be considered as enrolled in a public school for inclusion by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula. Also requires that the MFP funds be transferred from the students' local districts to OJJ to operate such facilities.

SB 297- Donahue - Eliminates the Division of Adult and Family Services w ithin the Louisiana Department of Education and transfers the responsibility for adult and family services programs from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to the Louisiana Community Technical College System.

SB 298- Donahue - Requires the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to broadcast its meetings over the Internet and to archive such broadcasts.

SB 302 - Appel - In addition to current performance labels given to public schools and school districts, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will adopt a letter-grade system corresponding to school and district performance scores. For example, a top-performing school would get an "A."

SB 344 - Duplessis - Lengthens and revises the process that guides local districts in the review of charter school proposals.

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 18 at 2pm:

HB 257 - Harrison  - Requires local school boards to spend at least 5 percent of their gross proceeds collected from extracurricular athletic activities and programs to fund academic tutoring for student athletes in grades 5-12.

HB 486 - Harrison - Requires school guidance counselors to complete academic profiles for each 9th grade student and specifies certain information, such as college or ca reer planning, to be included in the profiles. The bill also requires students and parents to be involved in completing the profiles and to review them annually.

HB 488 - Harrison - Requires school board members to receive at least six hours of training and instruction annually. The bill also requires that school board members receive a minimum of 16 hours of training and instruction during their first year of service on the board. School board members who complete this training will be given the designation of "Distinguished School Board Member." The bill also requires school superintendents to annually submit to the school system's official news publication information on the trainings completed by each school board member and stipulate each member who has earned the "Distinguished School Board Member" credential.

The following b ills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 19 at 2pm:

HB 923 - Leger - Authorizes the Recovery School District to contract with outside legal counsel.

HB 962 - Carter - Requires local school boards to accept charter school proposals until February 28 of each year. Local school boards will also be required to provide written notification of their final decision on approvals no later than May 31. The bill also requires local school boards to publish in print media and web sites the guidelines, the forms required for submission, the timelines for acceptance and review, the process that will be used for review, and a point of contact for all charter school proposals.

HB 1141 - Landry - Establishes guidelines for denying nutrition to students. For example, before a local district can withhold a meal from a student, the school's governing authority must notify parents and obtain confirmation from a school nurse or the student's personal doctor.

The following bills are scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives on May 20 at 1pm:

HB 1376 - Hines - Present law requires local school districts to provide transportation to students who attend and live at least one mile from a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) non-public school. Current law also requires that 17 specific school districts provide such transportation to students living within one mile of the school.  Proposed law would revise the law to make 1,000 feet the distance specified in those two provisions.  Proposed legislation also updates the requirement to provide Louisiana Department of Education-funded reimbursements to families or tutors of such students whose local school boards are granted exceptions to this law for justifiable financial reasons approved by BESE.

HB 1442 - Carmody - Allows any public school employee to report testing irregularities or improprieties directly to the Louisiana Department of Education. This bill also authorizes the Department to investigate allegations.  Current Board of Elementary and Secondary (BESE) policy already provides for this reporting and investigation. However this legislation is designed to strengthen that policy.  Additionally, the bill makes it a crime to attempt to cover up testing improprieties.  And any school governing authority that fires, threatens, or in any other way retaliates against a school employee who reports testing irregularities could be convicted of a misdemeanor.  HB1442 also imposes penalties against school employees who file false reports about testing irregularities.

HB 1458 - Labruzzo - Requires a local school board to conduct a review of its student code of conduct and amend the code as may be necessary to assure that the policy prohibiting the harassment, intimidation, and bullying of a student by another student specifically addresses the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyber-bullying. Also defines "cyber-bullying" for this purpose.

The following bills are due for final passage in the House, subject to call:

HB 1014 - Norton - Requires local school boards to provide planning time to each teacher -- a minimum of 30 minutes for lunch each day that is duty-free and a minimum of 45 minutes daily or its weekly equivalent. These planning times and lunch periods will not result in a longer school day. Current law states that the availability of state funding for this purpose is a condition for the effectiveness of the present law. This proposed measure removes the funding requirement of present law.

HB 1055 - Richmond - Eliminates the Division of Adult and Family Services within the Louisiana Department of Education and transfers the responsibility for adult and family services programs from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to th e Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS)

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To monitor or not to monitor... that is the question

Local colleges and universities have can tell you at any give time in the year the following things:

1) Their enrollment

2) How many students are in their programs

3) The demographics of their students. 

They know these facts because the board of regents told them too. They report this information every year to the governing entity. They also keep these facts for themselves for grant application purposes, etc. 

But schools from out-of-state aren't under the same scrutiny. 

In the May 6 story about out-of-state colleges, we reported that there are 40 schools teaching courses in the state. But they are not held up to the same standards as a Louisiana school. 

The state relies on accrediting agencies to police the schools. Although each school is required to be accredited, they are not required to turn in data such as enrollment and program information.  So the 5,000 students statewide is an estimation.

So should the board of regents watch these schools more closely? How would they do that? Respond in the comments section. 

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Cursive writing...the lost art

Times file photo

I can remember learning cursive for the first time in third grade.

Mrs. Benes was very serious when it came to penmanship and learning how to properly loop an "e" or an "l." There was actually time set aside each day to practice our writing.

I came across an article in The Augusta Chronicle that made me realize how valuable that time was.
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Mother knows best.

A mother in Florida has decided that kids in her neighborhood library should not read books in the Gossip Girl series. So she checked them all out and is refusing to return them...two years later.

So what's the policy for Caddo Parish School District's libraries?

District officials said that there is no policy. It's really up to the librarians at each school what books make it to their shelves. As a general rule, each librarian orders what they feel their school needs.

Of course if there are parent objections, they can file a complaint with the district but that doesn't mean that the book will be taken off the shelf, district officials say.


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No laptops were harmed in the making of this video

It's quite comical actually.

Here's a video of a professor destroying a laptop to make a point: NO LAPTOPS IN CLASS

I've heard this complaint from some professor about hearing students clacking on the devices during their lectures. Are they taking notes? Are they updating their Facebook?

Wonder they're doing on those laptops during class?




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Overcrowding in schools

Although the big news out of the Caddo Parish School Board was how they would fill the district five seat, there was also other business conducted. 

Among the most heated discussions was board member Barry Rachal's plea for another school in his district. He cited the recent incident where fire marshals had to excuse parents from a school event because there were too many people in the small auditorium. 

Rachal wants to have a public discussion on criteria on for neighborhood schools. This thought has come up in one form or another throughout the years. Each board member is a fan of having, developing, and implementing neighborhood schools but not all are for magnet schools as they are now. A huge reason, they say, is that it drains neighborhood schools of academic talent.

But Rachal's district, University Elementary in particular, has the opposite problem. According to the board member's comments during Tuesday night's meeting, there are 1,025 students in school constructed for 878. He also mentioned during his comments that 10 percent of the entire district's enrollment lives in that school's attendance zone. 

That's a lot of students.

Other schools like Youree Drive and Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle have more 1,000 students. 

So what's the solution? District administrator hope the solution presents itself after the faculties study has been completed. As part of Vision 20/20, the district is currently conducting a facilities study. Consider it like taking inventory, a very detailed inventory. That report is expected in the summer. 

One board member, Tammy Phelps, mentioned that the issue with overcrowding at some of the schools isn't about an increase in population. It's a migration problem. More people are moving to these areas away from the heart of the city. This would be interesting to find out and would probably be part of whatever results the Census finds. However, this phenomenon has happened in other districts. 

What ever the solution or thought, this is one issue that will not being going away any time soon. Superintendent Gerald Dawkins promised lively discussions on this in the future. 

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LaTech vs Houston? Great!

After the last weeks whirlwind of stories, I've been lacking in my blogging duties. So when I looked at the last week's worth of papers, a story from our wonderful sports desk caught my eye.

Jimmy Watson, wrote a story April 30, on LaTech playing Houston in 2011.

Be still my heart!

I am a proud Houston alum and when my alma mater got to go to the dance this year, I was elated. And when they got into a bowl game again this year...my heart was full. This will be a good match up. Of course we can go back and forth on player and team stats but it's an education blog so let's talk education...

A football game does so much for a school's recruiting effort. Studies have found that a winning team means more applications for the fall-- more viability and warm fuzzies for the team. It piques interests from would be freshmen and transfers.

So this match up is good for both schools since they'll be exposed to groups they aren't usually exposed to.

As far as the game, I'm not choosing sides on a game that's going to be played next year but I will say this ...I am a devoted alum.

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Requirements to be a board member

Here is board member Charlotte Crawley reading the motion to establish procedures for the district five vacant seat.

Board member Crawley reading the motion

Icess Fernandez's Podcast

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Legislative Update

The following bills are scheduled to be heard on May 3 during the Senate Committee on Retirement meeting at 1:00pm:



SB 274 - Heitmeier - Requires a charter school teacher, who is an active member of the teachers ' retirement system, to remain an active member for the duration of employment at the charter school, under certain circumstances.
SB 694 - B. Gautreaux - Requires membership in the Teachers' Retirement System for charter school teachers.
SB 729 - Shaw -Mandates that 50 percent of the net investment gains for the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana be credited to the system's account that funds retirement benefit increases.  This amount is to be credited before the $200 million allocation to reduce unfunded accrued liability. The present law states the 50 percent investment gain be credited after the $200 million allocation. The bill also reduces the eligibility age from 60 to 55 for those recipients eligible for benefi t increases. The bill also allows a benefit increase in years that the system is below 80 percent funded and fails to exceed the actuarially assumed rate of return.


The following bills are scheduled to be heard for final passage on May 3 during the House Session:



HB 561 - Baldone - Provides that certain educational diagnosticians who hold a valid Louisiana teaching certificate, state educational diagnostician certification, and the Nationally Certified Educational Diagnostician (NCED) credential are eligible to receive an annual salary supplement of $5,000 (subject to appropriation of funds).


The following bills are scheduled to be heard for final passage on May 3 during the Senate Session:



SB 293- Donahue - Requires an annual internal review by each agency of employee vacancies and attrition rates.  Establishes the goal of attaining strategic reductions in positions by five percent annually for three years and requires annual reports to the Commission on Streamlining Government.


The following bills are scheduled to be heard for debate on May 6 during the House Session:


HB 43 - Hardy - Increases the drug free zone of any school property, drug treatment facility, religious building property, public housing authority property, or child day care facility from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet.
HB 556 - Wooton - Eliminates present law prohibiting the carrying of a concealed handgun within 1,000 feet of a school. The proposed law would allow any holder of a concealed handgun permit to carry his/her handgun within 1,000 feet of a school while retaining the ban on concealed handguns in school buildings, on school property, or in a school bus.


The foll0wing bills are due for final passage in the House, subject to call:



HB 405 - Dixon - Requires BESE to establish and adopt rules and regulations on the use of physical restraint and/or seclusion of students.
HB 1014 - Norton - Requires local school boards to provide planning time to each teacher -- a minimum of 30 minutes for lunch each day that is d uty-free and a minimum of 45 minutes daily or its weekly equivalent. These planning times and lunch periods will not result in a longer school day. Current law states that the availability of state funding for this purpose is a condition for the effectiveness of the present law. This proposed measure removes the funding requirement of present law.
HB 1055 - Richmond - Eliminates the Division of Adult and Family Services within LDOE and transfers the responsibility for adult and family services programs from BESE to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS).


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