[CharterSchools] SENATOR GRAY EVANS: JINDAL KILLED SCHOOL FACILITIES HELP

[charterschools at LACharter.org]

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE VOTES DOWN SCHOOL FACILITIES LEGISLATION 
THAT WOULD PUT LOUISIANA IN LINE WITH 41 OTHER STATES
 
For the second year in a row, school children were denied improved 
buildings due to the position of Governor Jindal, despite strong leadership efforts 
in the State Legislature to create an authority to improve facilities.

The House Appropriations Committee voted down legislation that would have 
created an authority designed to improve school facilities for the entire 
state of Louisiana. This legislation—SB 90—authored by Senator Cheryl Gray 
Evans received significant support from legislators across the state. It passed 
the entire Senate this legislative session and both the House and the 
Senate in the 2008 legislative session. 

“Employees from the Administration sent by Governor Jindal spoke at every 
Committee Meeting against the legislation,” said Senator Gray Evans. “The 
Administration believes that local schools districts should pay for facilities 
needs while at the same time he expects them to pay more for the operations 
of their schools than other districts in the southwest region.”
 
Numerous organizations were in support of SB 90: Agenda for Children, 
Algiers Charter School Association, Avoyelles Parish School Board, Board of 
Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), Children’s Defense Fund, Citizens for 
One Greater New Orleans, Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools, League 
of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, 
Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, Louisiana School Board Association, 
School Leadership Center, and many others. 

“Not only was School Facility Authority legislation supported unanimously by
 legislators in 2008, the bills were also thoroughly researched by a Task 
Force created by HCR 230 (a school facilities resolution passed in the 2007 
session) consisting of facilities experts from around the country who 
produced a report that was presented and approved by BESE in January of 2008,” said 
Senator Gray Evans. “Why would the Administration work against good policy?”

 
Louisiana ranks the fourth lowest among all states in terms of funding for 
public school facilities, Senator Gray Evans said. Forty-one other states 
provide some form of funding for their school facilities—Louisiana is not one 
of them. 

“The fact is that Louisiana spends less on our schools than our regional 
counterparts.   In 2004-2005, the last year for which good data is available, 
Louisiana schools spent less per student on their facilities than schools in 
Mississippi, Alabama, or Arkansas.   In fact, Louisiana spent only 57 
percent of the amount the Arkansas spent per pupil,” she said.
 
“At the same time, our local school districts already contribute a larger 
amount of funding per student than schools districts in Mississippi, Alabama, 
or Arkansas.   While these four states spend similar amounts of money per 
student on operations, the state of Louisiana contributes the least per 
student of all of these states and local districts in Louisiana contribute the 
most per student.   Our local school districts are already taxing themselves 
at a rate higher than other districts in our region just to run their schools,
” she added.
 
Research conducted by the Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education 
Initiatives showed that school facilities are in disrepair and the local tax 
based is not enough to provide repairs, maintenance, renovation or new 
construction. 

“The Governor says that he is not supportive of SB 90 in part because of 
unmet need across the state in areas such as roads and state buildings.   It 
is difficult to imagine a more pressing unmet need than the school buildings 
where the next generation of Louisianans is educated. Studies have 
demonstrated that improved school building quality is linked with improved student 
performance, teacher performance, and teacher retention,” said Senator Gray 
Evans.
 
“Louisiana should step up, as 41 other states have done, and offer funding 
for our school facilities. The issue of repair, renovation and construction 
of facilities will continue to come up and it is time for Louisiana to take 
the first steps to help achieve higher quality buildings for all of our 
children,” she said.

For more info: NASH MOLPUS (nmolpus at tulane.edu)


cheron brylski
the brylski company
3418 coliseum street
new orleans, louisiana 70115
(504) 897-6110
cell (504) 460-1468
fax (504) 897-0778
www.brylskicompany.com



**************
An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy 
Steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823273x1201398689/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&
bcd=JuneExcfooterNO62)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nine.pairlist.net/pipermail/charterschools/attachments/20090622/d9af9dbd/attachment.htm>