Louisiana
Matt Segraves
Policy Manager
Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University
msegrav@tulane.edu, (504)274-3616
The following are some of the key financial and policy changes regarding P-12 Education in Louisiana for the
year ending March 2013.

The Louisiana Legislature passed an act (Act 2 of the 2012 session) focused on school choice that
created a number of programs:
o
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) began using the school funding formula, the
Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) that funnels public, state money to districts, to fund
vouchers and other financial backpack-like programs that serve students via private
institutions. This funding mechanism was struck down in court and will be heard by the
Louisiana Supreme Court on March 19, 2013.
o
The LDOE is in the process of creating what they are calling the Course Choice program
Students will take classes online, at other schools, or by other approved course providers with
their financial backpack (a portion of the MFP). The state issued a Request for proposals (RFP)
and received many responses; 40 providers are approved to offer 877 classes beginning in the
2013-14 school year. Course choice is slated to use the same funding mechanism as the
voucher program, and is therefore pending the same court decision.
o
The same school choice act also created a parent-trigger to send schools to the state takeover
district and to become a charter.

The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Louisiana Legislature flatfunded the MFP (did not adjust the MFP for inflation for the fourth year in a row), but did
accommodate for student population growth; total funding for public education in LA grew, but per
pupil decreased when you consider inflation.

Following legislation passed in 2010, the LDOE is implementing teacher evaluations that are based
half on the value-added achievement of their students for the entire state and half on a in class
observations measure by an abridged version of the Charlotte Danielson rubric. The evaluations
categorize teachers based on their performance relative to their peers.

The Louisiana Legislature passed an act (Act 1 of the 2012 session) focused on school system
personnel management that ties teacher tenure to teacher evaluations (that are based half on valueadded performance). The act requires a teacher to be rated highly effective for five out of six years in
order to receive tenure. The act also removes tenure from teachers that are rated ineffective for one
year. The act was ruled unconstitutional because the bill had multiple purposes (violated single
purpose clause) and has been appealed to the state supreme court.

BESE and the LDOE began setting policies in accordance with Louisiana’s ESEA Waiver:
o
BESE made changes to the state accountability formula. The LDOE will give bonus points to a
school’s school performance score if the school’s non-proficient performers meet
expectations according to value-added modeling.
The Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University is an action-oriented think tank that creates and
advances solutions to the issues impeding student achievement in New Orleans and beyond. Areas of concentration include Applied
Research, Public Policy, Civic Engagement, and College Readiness Programs. Additional information can be found online at
http://education.tulane.edu.
o
The LDOE is implementing the ACT, PLAN and EXPLORE assessments beginning 2012-13.
o
The LDOE will factor ACT scores as 25% of high school School Performance Scores (SPS) for
high schools beginning 2012-13; the school’s SPS determine school letter grades.
o
When calculating the SPS, the LDOE will no longer give schools points for students that score
approaching basic on state tests.
o
The LDOE will administer the Common Core assessments (PARCC) for grades 3-11 for 2014-15
school year.

The LDOE and BESE have begun to financially incent special education inclusion practices and the
academic performance on state tests of special education students. The LDOE has rewarded districts
that practice inclusion with grants and BESE recommended to the Legislature that special education
weights used in the school funding formula (MFP) depend on the amount schools practice inclusion.

BESE passed a rule that allows charter operators to open up to two additional schools without
making a formal application to their authorizer if they meet the following criteria: their schools’ letter
grades average a B or higher, their schools demonstrate growth in SPS over the last three years, they
meet organizational performance expectations, and they meet financial performance expectations.

The LDOE is beginning to coordinate the multitude of pre-k programs and to measure program
performance based on kindergarten readiness

The state takeover district, the Recovery School District (RSD), directed more attention to Baton
Rouge, LA and created the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone, in partnership with the East Baton Rouge
School District and business leaders in the city, to improve seven schools that have been in AUS for
three years. Most schools are being directly run with increased autonomy by the RSD, others have
MOUs between the district and the RSD, and some have been converted to charter schools.
The following changes are specific to New Orleans:

New Orleans school facility planners are pursuing leveraged financing for capital projects, including
New Market Tax Credits and State Historic Tax Credits. To do so, the local Orleans Parish School
Board (OPSB) and the state takeover district, Recovery School District (RSD) are showing
unprecedented cooperation and coordination.

RSD in New Orleans completed its first-year of OneApp in New Orleans. OneApp is a centralized
enrollment program for open enrollment school systems that optimizes school assignments based on
student/family preference, siblings, and catchment zones. Next year OneApp will factor feeder schools
and will eventually included magnet schools. OPSB and RSD takeover districts are working together to
make the enrollment system truly city-wide.

OPSB and RSD, both with a majority of charter schools, agreed to centralize expulsions. This, too,
shows unprecedented coordination between the two districts.

The past year has seen an influx of foundation money for charter expansion and support, including
about $25 million from the Arnold Foundation.
The Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University is an action-oriented think tank that creates and
advances solutions to the issues impeding student achievement in New Orleans and beyond. Areas of concentration include Applied
Research, Public Policy, Civic Engagement, and College Readiness Programs. Additional information can be found online at
http://education.tulane.edu.