EDUCATION AND
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
In order to ensure a quality education for every child, LABI continues to support public
education reform and providing additional choices in the delivery of education. Charter schools
and the expansion of the scholarship program for children in Orleans Parish have made
Louisiana one of the most “school choice friendly” states in the nation and offer educational
options at unprecedented levels. Quality charter school operators are willing to come to
Louisiana, but traditional opponents to reform -- the entrenched educational bureaucracy –
continue to put up roadblocks. LABI will support legislation that eliminates roadblocks to
success and allows public education to serve the public instead of the adults who benefit from the
traditional system.
Expansion of the New Orleans scholarship program and charter schools to other regions of
the state are top priorities. Louisiana does not have a sufficient trained, ready workforce, and
our public education system continues to perform at the bottom of most national achievement
standards in spite of years of reform efforts, a nationally recognized public education
accountability system, and the infusion of hundreds of millions of new dollars into the system.
We must be vigilant in protecting what we’ve gained (there are still some who do not believe
that all children can learn and would do away with high stakes testing and some high school
graduation requirements) while continuing to advocate for quality educational opportunities for
all. We must work to further develop skills training in high school. We must address critical
issues in higher education so that institutions serve students, businesses and the communities
where they are located in a more efficient and mission-oriented manner. We must examine laws
and policies that are barriers to progress and eliminate obstacles where they exist, such as the
ability of school leaders to choose their teams based on merit instead of the antiquated teacher
tenure job protection system. External pressure is critical – bureaucracies usually don’t reform
from within.
MAJOR ISSUES
Teacher Quality Initiative
The Issue: Louisiana currently has antiquated school system employment practices that prohibit school
leaders from building teams of their choosing; make dismissal of employees for any reason very difficult;
pay teachers based on degrees awarded and length of service without consideration of merit, such as how
well teachers help their students achieve; and lay off employees during reduction-in-force situations based
on the “Last In/First Out” (LIFO) philosophy rather than on how well teachers are performing in the
classroom.
LABI Position: Support legislation that would reduce or eliminate tenure and sabbatical leaves for bus
drivers and other school personnel. Support legislation that would reform the current teacher tenure
system, aligning it with the value-added teacher evaluation system, including renewable contracts tied to
performance (as measured by the value-added teacher evaluation model); a merit pay structure that
rewards excellent educators; extending the time period in which teachers earn tenure; streamlining tenure
hearings and review processes; revise reduction-in-force practices to include an employee’s performance
as an integral part of the process in determining what personnel is laid off; and any other legislation that
would transform Louisiana’s antiquated teacher and employee tenure practices. Oppose legislation that
would expand tenure, sabbatical and extended leave benefits for all school employees, including postsecondary institutions.
Reasoning: The recent release of school letter grades provides a clear, concise picture of how a school is
performing as measured by the state’s public education accountability system. Though scores have risen
in recent years, almost half of Louisiana schools earned either a “D” or an “F” under the letter grade
system. This is unacceptable, and our state must undertake bold, brave measures that buck an entrenched
system that is in place only to protect jobs, if we are ever to rise from the bottom. School success is not a
magic formula. It requires a strong leader who has the power to select staff based on school and student
needs, with the budgetary authority and flexibility to allocate dollars as indicated by student and school
needs. Bureaucratic apologists, who for years have cited the “Failure Mantra” of high poverty, parental
involvement, funding, too much accountability, or the latest trendy “blame” indicator, are at a loss to
explain how some high poverty schools perform at high levels with the same student populations as some
schools that chronically fail.
It’s time for the citizens who pay the taxes that support schools to send a strong message that school
systems belong to citizens, not bureaucrats. Many school system employees, whose salaries are paid by
taxpayers, have created a coalition to enact anti-taxpayer education policy, and they lobby for these
policies on the taxpayer’s dime. Only in public education would this irony be tolerated.
Post-secondary Education
The Issue: Does the state need to continue funding all of the four-year universities, as well as community
and technical colleges, that currently exist? Is there too much bureaucracy? Are there too many
management boards, sites/campuses and duplicative programming? Are streamlining and consolidation
possible, particularly in areas where educational opportunities outnumber students? Do we have an
overrepresentation of students in four-year universities, and an underrepresentation of students in twoyear institutions?
LABI Position: Support recommendations that call for defining the role, scope and mission of each
higher education institution, including the adoption and full implementation of higher admission
standards for four-year universities; discontinuing low-enrollment programs; reducing remediation;
improving articulation and dual enrollments; encouraging electronic distance learning; addressing the
issue of duplicative programs among institutions; implementing performance-based funding, restructuring
governance to maximize efficiency; and reorganize campuses to support their missions and align them to
regional economic development priorities.
Reasoning: The Board of Regents and the latest higher education study commission should examine all
institutions of higher education and begin to make recommendations for closing and/or consolidating
programs and institutions. Geographical proximity, enrollment, graduation rates, students’ performance
on professional examinations, job placement and retention, duplication of programs and accreditation
warnings or difficulties are good starting points for consideration. Shared facilities, faculty and supplies
for technical training (secondary, technical college and four-year universities) should be part of the effort
to consolidate and improve efficiency. Studies should include the role of higher education in management
of the state’s charity hospital system.
Public School K-12 Accountability System
The Issue: It is very important that the Louisiana business community continue to support, monitor,
defend and strengthen the K-12 public school accountability program. There will be continued attacks on
accountability and standards from the education bureaucracy; we must defend against all attacks on
education reform.
LABI Position: Support, protect and strengthen the K-12 accountability program. Stop efforts to
eliminate or suspend all accountability components such as high stakes testing or passing the Graduation
Exit Exam (or the new End of Course exams) to earn a high school diploma, as well as any attempts to
weaken high school graduation standards or other accountability measures such as the assignment of letter
grades to schools.
Reasoning: The foundation of a strong public school system must include academically rigorous
standardized tests and a plan to determine what to do about schools and school systems with poor student
achievement results. We must defend the high stakes testing program for students in grades 4 and 8 to
measure how well students are learning and to curb social promotion. We must continue to support the
Graduation Exit Exam (or the new End of Course exams) as a requirement for high school graduation.
The iLEAP exams, administered at other grade levels, should be used diagnostically to assist students.
We should continue to support the state’s literacy initiative and the use of an individualized reading test to
be given in the early grades with continued reading remediation in the upper grades if necessary. We
should further support the state’s math initiative to address Louisiana’s chronically poor performance on
standardized math tests. Support and additional assistance should be provided for struggling readers at
every grade. And, we must oppose efforts to create a diploma that would allow students to graduate from
high school without passing the Graduation Exit Exam or End of Course exams. We must monitor and
strengthen the state’s dropout prevention programs as a component of High School Redesign. Finally, we
should support the value-added teacher evaluation system and a plan to sanction and/or reward school
personnel based upon student academic achievement such as the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP)
or other merit pay for performance programs.
—Direct Small Business Impact—
Creating New School Systems
The Issue: In the wake of the 2005 hurricanes, schools and entire school systems have been built and
redesigned. Most of the schools in Orleans Parish have been taken over by the State Board of Education
(BESE), which is operating some schools and chartering others. The charter school movement in Orleans
has garnered national attention and is becoming a model for the redesign of urban education. BESE will
soon vote on whether or not to return Recovery School District (RSD) schools to the local school board.
LABI Position: Support the efforts of the RSD, particularly its efforts to provide choice for parents
through charter schools. Encourage the replication of successful models throughout the state, beginning
with failed and failing schools in other school districts. Work with the public and private sectors to create
quality educational opportunities for every student, including progressive public schools, increased skills
and technical training in high schools, charter schools and the use of vouchers that could be redeemed at
participating nonpublic schools. Prior to returning any schools to local school boards, BESE should
review capacity, performance, and gain input from the students and parents at each school being
considered for return to the local district governance structure. Oppose all efforts to mandate the return of
RSD schools to local school boards.
Reasoning: The devastation brought to schools and school systems by the 2005 hurricanes has presented
the state with an opportunity to build student-focused quality public education. Louisiana has a unique
opportunity to envision and implement a world class education system, kindergarten through postsecondary, that is worthy of being replicated. We must seize this opportunity with the knowledge that: 1)
Louisiana’s students are owed a meaningful educational opportunity; 2) the human and economic future
of the state is entirely dependent upon it; and 3) the world is watching.
CURRENT ISSUES
Workforce Development: Support and assist the proper implementation of recent legislative reforms, as
well as any additional necessary ancillary reforms, designed to transform Louisiana’s workforce
development system to become market driven and employer connected by delegating to local workforce
investment boards decision making and administration relative to training and employment programs
while reserving oversight and funding responsibilities to a state commission.
—Direct Small Business Impact—
Local School Board Reform: Support legislation and policy that would encourage the focus of local
school boards to be on improving failing schools and raising student academic achievement. Examine
bureaucratic impediments to reform at the local school board level and support legislation that would
require local school boards to be more accountable for the academic achievement of the students in their
districts.
Workforce Development/Vocational Education: Continue to support LCTCS efforts to improve the
delivery of training in vocational education and community colleges. LABI will encourage the continued
development of a post-secondary education system (adult education, technical colleges, community colleges
and university systems) that will be efficiently coordinated to provide shared resources, shared facilities,
non-duplicated offerings and articulation agreements. This system should be tailored in each region of the
state to address the proper mix of special workforce training programs, vocational and technical training,
industry-based certifications, two-year associate degrees and advanced degrees, and to provide a rapid
response to changes in the business environment. Development and direction of these systems should
include input from the business community and include systems designed to measure the progress of each
educational component, holding accountable those responsible for the success of their students. The
business community should expect coordination of money and resources among the Louisiana Workforce
Commission, the Incumbent Worker Training Program, and training funds from the Department of
Economic Development, as well as other agencies.
Adult Education/GED Programs: Support legislation and long-range public policy decisions to
reorganize and improve the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) Program and other training options.
School Choice: Create or support legislation to implement or expand publicly supported education that
gives parents maximum choice among government and non-government schools. Vouchers are a
reasonable, viable option for educating students that has been successfully operated in other nations and
states for decades and is successfully operating in Orleans Parish. Like Louisiana’s very successful early
childhood voucher program, it should be given a chance in other grade levels. Other avenues to increase
choice, such as tax credits or deductions for tuition to attend nonpublic schools, should also be supported.
Charter Schools: Facilitate the expansion of charter schools by amending the charter school law or
recommending policy changes to BESE to streamline the approval process. Charter schools have played a
significant role in the building of a quality public education system both in hurricane-impacted areas and
in districts with schools being taken over by the state.
Explore other states’ charter school authorizing authorities (state boards of education, local school boards,
universities, etc.) to determine if Louisiana could improve the charter school approval process, making it
more streamlined while maintaining full transparency and taxpayer accountability.
Support efforts of the Louisiana Public Charter School Association to improve public education utilizing
innovative methods and the chartering process.
Teacher Quality: Support efforts to improve teacher quality in Louisiana. The classroom teacher is the
single most important factor in and influence on students’ educational success, and LABI will work to
strengthen the state’s professional teaching corps. Support models such as TAP which rewards teaching
excellence based on student performance. Support other merit pay models that could benefit Louisiana’s
top teaching professionals. Continue to work with BESE and the State Department of Education to
support the state Teacher and Principal of the Year programs. These events recognize and reward
Louisiana’s best educators and elevate the profession.
Leadership Development: Support efforts to identify and recruit outstanding individuals with records of
success into school leadership positions, especially principals and superintendents. Support the new
alternative certification paths for principals that allow and encourage professionals and leaders in fields
outside of education to consider becoming principals.
8(g): Support the integrity of the 8(g) fund and oppose any attempts to use those funds to supplant general
fund revenues for education.
Classroom Funding: Re-examine the state’s school finance funding formula, the MFP, to determine how
to get more money into the classroom, ensure that tax dollars follow the student, and determine the actual
cost of delivering quality educational services.
Local districts should begin to consolidate schools, school districts and bus routes, engage in cooperative
agreements to serve students and maximize financial efficiency, privatize services (if found to be cost
effective), and undergo teacher retirement system reform.
Support the funding of classroom instruction and financial accountability in all areas, including categoryspecific financial reporting, as top priorities in K-12 education funding.
School Discipline: Support efforts to address the issue of school discipline and work to identify solutions
to classroom management problems while keeping disruptive students in learning environments.
TOPS Eligibility Requirements: Support efforts to strengthen the academic requirements to receive the
merit-based Tuition Opportunity Program for Students scholarship and oppose efforts to weaken current
requirements. Support the substitution of ACT WorkKeys assessments (silver or higher level attainment)
as an alternative eligibility requirement to the ACT score for TOPS-Tech scholarships.
High School Redesign/Dropouts: Support efforts to reduce Louisiana’s public school dropout rate and
draw recent dropouts back into school or training, including the creation and expansion of courses that
emphasize technical training. Continue to work with the High School Redesign Commission to create
viable educational opportunities for all students, including those who have not successfully passed the
Graduation Exit Exam (or End of Course exams), or the 8th grade LEAP test. Partner with local
businesses to design skills-based courses and training, and expand dual enrollments to allow students to
earn both high school and post-secondary course credits simultaneously.
Higher Education Governance: Support the creation of a single board for post-secondary education to
manage and oversee the state’s four-year post-secondary education institutions. Additionally, recognizing
the unique mission of two-year institutions and their significant role in workforce development, support a
separate LCTCS board to govern the state’s community and technical college system.
ONGOING POLICY
Alternative Schools: Support efforts to create effective alternative schools for students who do not
perform well in traditional school settings.
Early Childhood Education: Support providing a quality academic program in pre-K and in the first
three years of elementary school to lay the proper foundation for later learning, and support diverse
delivery when providing quality academic programming.
Parent/Teacher/Citizen Empowerment: Support efforts to provide parents, citizens and educators with
factual information about education issues at all levels and teach them how to get involved and make the
education system work for them and their children.
Collective Bargaining: Oppose legislation mandating collective bargaining and/or binding arbitration by
any public body.
Contact: Brigitte Nieland (225/215-6670; or BrigitteN@LABI.org) As Director of the Education
Council, Brigitte coordinates business’ involvement in education reform issues, including workforce
development. She also oversees the communications operation as Vice President of Communications.
Brigitte Nieland
Director, Education and Workforce
Development Council
Vice President, Communications
LABI
Lane Grigsby
Chairman, Education and Workforce
Development Council
Cajun Industries, LLC