Louisiana teachers who earn national board certification will continue to receive the $5,000 annual award that is provided to them through state law, and Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget does nothing to eliminate this incentive.  I regret that recent comments I made may have failed to communicate the high regard I hold for our Nationally Board Certified Teachers.  I fully recognize and appreciate that these teachers are experienced and valued educators who go through a difficult and costly process to earn the NBCT designation.  I know this sentiment is shared by Governor Jindal and his administration as well as the citizens of this great state. 

At the same time, it is crucial that we concede the reality of our state’s financial circumstances and consider this issue from a broader perspective.  While other states across the country are making drastic cuts to public education, Governor Jindal’s proposed FY2011 budget includes more than $5.2 billion to support the state’s Pre-K-12 public education activities.  The proposed budget also fully funds the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), thus protecting the state’s largest allocation of education funding.  In fact, the Governor’s recommended FY2011 MFP allocation of $3.3 billion reflects an increase of $33.4 million from the state’s initial FY2010 allocation.  While significant adjustments have been made to the state’s FY2010 and FY2011 budgets through initial allocations and mid-year adjustments, the Governor and the legislature have chosen not to exercise their authority to reduce the MFP, which is allowed under certain circumstances.  And despite lower enrollment numbers, Louisiana’s per pupil funding allocation has increased by $684 million since 2005, representing a bump from $3,696 to $5,035 per student, a 36 percent increase.  

While the Governor’s proposed budget does not dedicate state funding to support teacher stipends, our Nationally Board Certified Teachers will receive their annual $5,000 stipend through their local school districts.  Even though the state may appropriate funding for the stipends, and in fact has done so for the last ten years, the 1999 law that was passed to guarantee teachers receive rewards for earning the national certification places the responsibility of funding the annual stipends on local districts.  This year, as state leaders are faced with a $1 billion budget deficit, we must consider the best use of state funds and take into account alternative sources of funding for previous expenditures. 

To fully convey our circumstances, we must consider Louisiana’s total access to and allocation of public education funding dollars, and in particular, the limited discretion the state has to assign these dollars to specific initiatives.  Funding for state initiatives is approximately $175 million, or about 2.3 percent of the total annual funding allocated for public education across Louisiana, Specifically, LDOE will be required to decrease agency expenditures by $9 million next year.  For FY2011, total projected funding for local school districts -- MFP, federal and local dollars combined -- is $7.5 billion.  And Louisiana’s 70 districts have more than $1.1 billion in undesignated fund balances that they may use to support professional stipends as well as other initiatives. 

On the other hand, we must be fair and acknowledge that our local school districts are facing tough economic challenges too.  Like many government agencies, they are feeling the impact of decreasing tax revenues, recent budget reductions and growing employee and retirement benefit costs.  We have made every effort to minimize the impact of reductions on districts, schools and students, and we will continue working with local districts to support them through these difficult times.  But let us be clear.  These are difficult times, and all of us -- every government-supported agency -- must come to terms with the fact that we will be asked to do more with less.  This will require us to carefully evaluate how we do business, giving priority to those programs and initiatives that positively affect student achievement.  

Recognizing that teacher stipends would be funded by local districts and the compelling need to use limited undesignated state funds to support initiatives and programs that have a demonstrated ability to improve student achievement, the proposed budget shifts the costs of the teacher stipends to districts in order to allow the state to continue supporting highly effective statewide initiatives and programs, including:

• LA4 – the state’s Pre-kindergarten programs - $75.9 million, serving 16,000 at risk students;
• Ensuring Literacy and Numeracy – a program aimed at ensuring all students are performing at grade level in reading and math by 3rd grade - $36.9 million, benefitting more than 12,000 students;
• Career and Technical Education programs (CTE) - $17.5 million - allowing more than 140,000 students (75 percent of Louisiana’s public high school population) to participate in CTE courses and programs;
• Dropout Prevention programs, such as the highly successful Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program, which is targeted at supporting high school students who are at high risk of dropping out of school (in-school success rate for graduation students – 90 percent) - $11.9 million proposed for JAG, representing an increase of $7.6 million, thus increasing students served from 2,300 during this school year to 6,500 during the 2010-2011 school year.

Like most states, Louisiana’s budget challenges are expected to continue through at least next year. So it will become even more difficult to fund local, state and national education expenditures at current levels. As one who is entrusted with the privilege of  contributing to the current and future success of our students, I recognize that each of us in the education community will be asked to continue advancing student achievement despite additional reductions. But if we are all willing to embrace this difficult time as an opportunity to significantly change how we spend our education dollars – focusing on supporting those initiatives and activities that have a measurable and significant impact on improving our students’ academic achievement, our state and our communities will persevere to overcome these difficult times. In truth, if we are willing to commit ourselves to challenge the status quo and question how we have historically used our resources, we can move beyond our circumstances, and future generations will benefit from our vision, courage and leadership.

The Louisiana Department of Education recently released 2009 School Performance Scores (SPS). The latest report provides us with the opportunity to highlight marked improvement for Louisiana – not only over the last year – but over the last ten years. And I want to congratulate educators across the state for their tremendous effort and success.

When policy makers set the state’s 10-year accountability goal at 100 in 1999, we were unsure about how quickly the state could achieve that goal. In fact, the state had not administered a student assessment prior to setting the goal. The guiding force was the need for the state to improve at a pace that would allow it to move up from its ranking of last or near the bottom in most education measures.

While our 2009 State Performance Score of 91.0 is short of the 10-year goal of 100, the score represents a significant gain from the score of 69.4 that was achieved the first year, in 1999, as well as a substantial 4.7 gain from the 2008 score of 86.3.

Also notable are the measurable gains Louisiana has made in narrowing the gap between black and white students over the last ten years. The performance gap between black and white students has narrowed by more than 10 percent in English, and 9.8 percent in math. In fact, according to the 2009 Education Watch Report, Louisiana is the only state where the gap between African American and white students has narrowed significantly in both 4th grade reading and 8th grade math.

While it’s important for us to celebrate our state’s progress, these performance scores also bring to our attention the need to continue pushing forward with urgency. The number of schools with a School Performance Score below 60 has been drastically reduced -- from 388 in 1999, to 55 in 2009. But there are still more than 400 schools in Louisiana with a School Performance Score below 80, which means that about 40 percent of their students are performing below grade level. And more than 900 of our schools earned a score below 100, meaning that about 25 percent of their students are not proficient for their grade level.

So, still, far too many of our students are being left behind – and Louisiana must remain committed to implementing necessary reforms and focusing available resources on proven strategies if we are going to continue advancing our progress.

With that in mind, the Department is working with policy makers and educators across the state to aggressively pursue the federal Race to the Top grant, valued at $4.35 billion.

This highly competitive grant application could provide Louisiana’s K-12 education community with an unprecedented level of resources – estimated at $250 to $300 million.

And this opportunity is not just limited to low-performing schools. Districts that choose to participate in the state’s Race to the Top application will have access to additional financial resources that they can use to turn around not just their lowest-performing schools – but schools that may be performing above the state average. And this potential aid comes at a crucial time for Louisiana – as we seek to build on our state’s accomplishments.

Louisiana public education is indeed in the midst of great promise, as evidenced by our proven ability to elevate the quality of our public schools and ultimately, improve outcomes for our students. But we cannot pause. The potential financial resources available to us through Race to the Top can assist us in our efforts to transform each and every one of our schools to world class education programs. Louisiana is in the race, and we intend to finish at the top.

Today I publicly announced my recommendation that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) place 10 public schools in the state’s Recovery School District (RSD). BESE will take action on that recommendation tomorrow, determining the future for these schools and 23 others that have been labeled Academically Unacceptable Schools (AUS) for at least four consecutive years.

The 10 schools the Department of Education (LDE) recommends placing in the Recovery School District include two schools from Caddo Parish and eight schools from East Baton Rouge Parish.

I want to reassure the communities that are affected by this recommendation that the decision to place these schools in the RSD came after careful consideration and thorough analysis. In the end, we made the recommendation based on our responsibility to provide the children in these schools with a high-quality education that adequately prepares them for a successful future. We believe the right choice in the case of these 10 schools is to place them under the direct control of the RSD.

For the other 23 schools eligible for state takeover, we are recommending a type of receivership to be carried out through a Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). While the district can continue to operate the school, it will do so with the supervision of the Recovery School District. However, operating under receivership and remaining in the jurisdiction of the local district depends on whether the respective school board agrees to the requirements outlined in the Supervisory MOU between the District and LDE, including a related school Recovery Plan.

If the district fails to comply with the terms of the Supervisory MOU or fails to make progress toward the implementation of the school Recovery Plan during the first year of the agreement, the Department may exercise its option to place the school into the RSD.

Nevertheless, either action, placement in the RSD or operation under a Supervisory MOU, involves continued cooperation between LDE, the local district and the school community. As we make progress toward our ultimate goal of improving academic achievement at all 33 of these schools, I look forward to working with these school communities.

Specifically, I want to emphasize that there are many talented and dedicated teachers and administrators in these schools. I want to say to them that we realize these decisions have undoubtedly brought uncertainty into your lives, and over the next few weeks we will reach out to you to address your questions and concerns through faculty meetings and other communication. We value the tremendous effort you have put forth and look forward to working with you as we explore workable solutions to these complex challenges.

And last, but certainly top of mind, we want to emphasize to the students and families in these schools that the Department is determined to see to it that every child in this state receives a world-class education. And we will do whatever it takes to achieve that vision.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and I look forward to receiving your feedback. Also, for your reference, the link to today’s press release and Frequently Asked Questions around today’s announcement can be found at this link: www.LouisianaSchools.net.

On November 4, 2008, the citizens of the United States of America elected Barack Obama as their first African-American president.

For a nation founded on the principles of freedom and democracy that refused to extend equal rights and liberties to black Americans for almost 200 years, to many Americans the election of this country’s first African American president signifies a defining moment in our history and is celebrated with hope and pride for the progress this country has made.

For some, Obama’s victory was a reminder of the discrimination and prejudice that dominated American history for far too long and, despite significant progress, still exists today.

Others expressed the sentiment that the color of Obama’s skin was irrelevant and the election of a black president is “no big deal.” Sadly, some Americans have responded with expressions of bigotry and hatred with words and actions that have reopened old wounds and introduced a new generation to the hostility and division caused by racism and misunderstanding.

As the significance of Obama’s approaching presidency is debated across the world on blogs, talk shows and even from the pulpits of some churches, young Americans are clearly engaged in the effort to give meaning to his election. Their curiosity, insight, and participation are paramount in this conversation as they represent the future of this country.

While our state has had no reported incidents of conflict between students – which unfortunately has been reported elsewhere across the United States – discussions centering on the election of Obama are undoubtedly surfacing not only in our schools but also in homes and communities across Louisiana.

I encourage teachers, school leaders, families and community leaders to facilitate healthy, productive conversations about President-elect Obama and what his election means for our country, especially for African-Americans. If we, as adults, help young people talk about this event in a constructive, non-threatening way without limiting or down-playing their feelings, enthusiasm or anxiety, we can continue building bridges that will connect them to a future where prejudice in this country has not only diminished, but has disappeared.

Seven years ago our nation was attacked. It is a moment in history we will never forget.

Yet, despite the chaos and destruction caused by the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, our nation rose to the occasion and remains steadfast in its beliefs of liberty and democracy for all people. As citizens of this country, it is our duty to see that those core beliefs on which this nation was founded continue to reign supreme.

The anniversary of 9-11 reminds us all that we are a nation rich in opportunity, and that as individuals, each of us enjoys the right to achieve anything we can imagine. We know that is not the case in many parts of the world. My message today is primarily geared to students, our future leaders. I urge you to seriously pursue your education so that you are equipped to not only succeed in your own life, but so that you are also armed with the knowledge and wisdom to advocate for liberty and justice throughout our world.

A nation of informed, educated citizens cannot and will not be overpowered.

Peace to you and your families.

Superintendent Paul Pastorek