Education

La. Governor Says Panel’s Plan Provides a Blueprint for Schools

February 05, 1992 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Gov. Edwin W. Edwards of Louisiana has endorsed an ambitions list of more than 100 recommendations by a citizens’ panel on the schools as providing the blueprint for his new administration’s approach to education.

The recommendations, issued last month, include calls for mandating a health-education program, providing more flexibility for successful school districts, and reforming the state school-finance system to provide more funding for low-wealth districts.

The panel also urged revisions in the controversial teacher-evaluation program established by former Gov. Buddy Roemer, which was bitterly opposed by the state’s two major teachers’ unions.

During his gubernatorial campaign last fall, Mr. Edwards avoided discussing specific changes in the evaluation program, promising only that he would seek a system aimed at helping teachers improve rather than punishing them for poor performance.

That was enough to gain him the backing of the teachers’ unions, however, both in the nonpartisan primary against Governor Roemer and in the runoff election against the state legislator and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. (See Education Week, Oct. 30, 1991.)

At a news conference last month after receiving the recommendations, Mr. Edwards vowed that “my commitment to education is unfailing.”

The Governor noted, however, that he must contend with a projected $900-million deficit for fiscal year 1993 and made clear that he would make no promises on new spending.

Mr. Edwards said that he would convene an education summit next week for the heads of the state’s major companies to discuss vocational education and workforce needs.

In addition, the Governor said he had asked his staff to identify statutes that are “obsolete, cumbersome, duplicative, or conflicting” in an attempt to provide school districts with more flexibility and less regulation, while maintaining accountability.

Other Recommendations

Other recommendations by the citizens’ panel included proposals to:

  • Establish an office for children to coordinate services for children and families.
  • Increase spending on at-risk children.
  • Locate services for children and youths within or near schools.
  • Form a clearinghouse to provide information on successful education programs and innovations.
  • Establish an office of educational technology for the implementation of reforms using technology.
  • Convene a statewide conference next fall on innovations in education.
  • Boost teacher competence by encouraging collaborations between public schools and colleges of teacher education and by providing more professional-development time and mentors for teachers.

A version of this article appeared in the February 05, 1992 edition of Education Week as La. Governor Says Panel’s Plan Provides a Blueprint for Schools

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read