Because state-level policymaking is not centralized, education in Louisiana falls victim to political battles and special-interest lobbying, a report by Tulane University’s Center for Legal Studies on Intergovernmental Relations argues. The report proposes vesting ultimate authority for education either with the governor or the state board of education. It criticizes the state’s present system of electing both its superintendent of education and the majority of its state board members. It also concludes that the legislature plays too large a role in educational policy.
The study’s conclusions are based on analyses of the state’s constitutional and case law and a survey of members of a transition team appointed by the Governor last year to propose changes in education policy.
The report suggests disbanding the state board of education or granting it ultimate authority for educational decisionmaking, and allowing the board or the governor to appoint the state school chief.--lo
