Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was the keynote speaker for the close of the National Charter School Conference in New Orleans. He said that the state had serious problems before Hurricane Katrina hit and killed more than 1,000 people. He said the government was wasteful and bureaucratic; the storm just exposed the corruption. In speaking of the education system, he said that students were neglected. He told the story of a high school Valedictorian who scored only a 13 on the SAT. He also said a local school district had spent $27 million by sending checks to former or dead employees.Gov. Jindal spoke about this year's legislative accomplishments including school vouchers, a "Teacher's Bill of Rights" that strengthens classroom discipline policies and increases teacher pay, increased career and technical options for high school students, and dual enrollment opportunities. The Governor stated his firm commitment to charter schools and said there were 52 charter schools operating in Louisiana with more than 20,000 students. He proudly said last year ALL of the charter schools reached AYP.
Gov. Jindal said the legislature passed a law that will help charter schools expand in Louisiana. The law:
- Increases the cap by 67%
- Increases flexibility for the state board of education to charter
- Allows for-profits to operate charter schools
- Limits authorizer administrative fees
- Institutes greater controls before charter schools are returned to their local school district
Gov. Jindal closed with the comment, "Politics should stop at the classroom door."
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