The deadline is approaching to register for the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's 2009 Annual Banquet. The Annual Banquet will be held on Thursday, January 22nd at the CajundomeConvention Center from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal will provide the keynote address. In addition, Kam Movassaghi of FENSTERMAKER will be inducted as the Chamber's 2009 Chairman of the Board as well as the installation of the 2009 Board of Directors.
Chamber members may purchase tickets for $70 each, non-members may purchase tickets for $100 each and tables of eight are also available at $675 per table. Dressy business attire.
Click here to register on the Chamber's Web site or contact Events Coordinator, Erin Kelley at erin@lafchamber.org or at 337-408-3657.
*The Chamber has a strict deadline of Thursday, January 15 to register for this event...no exceptions.
Retail Sales
The US Commerce Department has estimated on Wednesday that after adjusting for seasonal factors and struck by falling prices, it was not a very Merry Christmas.U.S. retail sales plunged 2.7% in December from November.The US retail sales have fallen for six months in a row.Throughout the economy, sales were weak except for health and personal care stores.Sales at food and beverage stores dropped 1.4%.
Public Service Commission
Newly-elected Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta will vote today to end the practice of commissioners and staff from accepting free meals from regulated companies.
According to a Skrmetta press release, “in 2003, the legislative auditor offered 17 recommendations that would have improved the commission’s reputation for avoiding any appearance of conflict of interest.For five years, the commission has mostly ignored the report, especially on matters regarding free meals from those that the commission regulates.Over the five year period, regulated companies claim to have spent about $28,000 on food and beverage for commissioners and staff.That was following the audit that showed that PSC officials and staff accepted over $50,000 in free meals in 2002 alone.
The free meal issue came up again at the November commission meeting, and was rejected by a 3-2 vote to stick with current policy.Said Skrmetta, “Ending this ongoing debate by eliminating the controversial free meal policy will strengthen the public’s confidence in the commission and its decisions.I am submitting a very clear, concise motion to alleviate any perception of conflict of interest.”
Skrmetta will submit a substitute motion to the ethics agenda at the January 14, 2009 Public Service Commission meeting that states”
The press release quotes Skrmetta saying “All meals and beverages provided to commissioners and staff shall be billed to and paid for by the Louisiana Public Service Commission.”
Energy and Natural Resources
According to a press release from US Senator Mary Landrieu, the Senator on Tuesday “questioned Energy Secretary Nominee Dr. Steven Chu during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which she is a member. In addition to emphasizing the need for a comprehensive, technology-driven inventory of America’s oil and gas resources, Sen. Landrieu spoke of the global benefits to allowing the oil and gas industries to operate in America, where they are able to work most safely.
Sen. Landrieu asked Dr. Chu about his strategies for moving the country forward with regard to nuclear power, and also urged him to consider changing the policy that excludes sugar as a base for producing biofuels.
Housing Program State Sen. Ed Murray, Rep. Walker Hines and Rep. Juan LaFonta will speak at the Key Exchange Ceremony today in Hollygrove when a local family is given the keys to their new house.
Students from SummersworthHigh School in Summersworth, New Hampshire, have built the house under a grant from the Jeanie C. Linders Fund, a non-profit organization that provides homes to female-headed families in areas affected by disaster. Linders herself will also be on-hand tomorrow afternoon for the 2 p.m. ceremony, along with several students who participated in the home’s construction.
The ceremony will be held at the homesite, 3435 Joliet St., in New Orleans’ Hollygrove community, at 2 p.m. Other invited guests include Louisiana’s First Lady, Supriya Jindal, and New Orleans City Councilman Arnie Fielkow, among other area legislators.
The Linders Fund promotes its housing program, called There’s No Place Like Home National™ (TNPLH), with funding from “Menopause the Musical.” Students in high school or vo-tech programs are given the opportunity to build the house under mentorship from professional craftsmen and tradespeople. In addition to providing housing, the program seeks to stimulate interest in the homebuilding trades and provide students with education that will guide and benefit them in such careers.
TNPLH works with local non-profit organizations – in this case, Trinity Christian Community (TCC) – to find suitable families to receive housing. Families must own the land on which the home will be placed, must have a sustainable family structure, and must give back to the community through volunteer work. In addition to Murray, Hines and LaFonta, TCC Executive Director Kevin Brown will offer closing remarks at tomorrow’s event.
School Intervention
On Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Education made public its recommendation regarding 33 Louisiana public schools labeled Academically Unacceptable Schools (AUS) for at least four consecutive years. On Wednesday, members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will consider the proposed interventions, including the Department's recommendation to place nearly one-third of the schools into the state's Recovery School District (RSD).
"I believe," said Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, "that the Louisiana Department of Education must be an unwavering voice for the nearly 15,000 children that are educated in Louisiana's most chronically failing schools. We must do the best we can with the resources that we have to significantly change the governance of schools so that we can offer these children not only hope, but a real chance to succeed."
Pastorek said Department and RSD staff dedicated countless hours to in-depth discussions, concrete analysis and careful consideration of the circumstances at each school.
"These are excruciatingly tough decisions, and a great deal of effort has gone into studying and analyzing the circumstances around each one ! of these schools and their respective communities. But the answer is unmistakable when we focus on our responsibility to provide the children in these schools with a high-quality education that adequately prepares them for a successful future. The right choice in the case of 10 of these schools is to place them under the direct control of the RSD," said Pastorek. "There are many good teachers and administrators in these schools. There are many good students, too. Nonetheless, the school systems in which these schools are located have not been able to bring the right array of resources and strategies to the classroom to give children what they need."
The 10 schools recommended for placement into the RecoverySchool District include two schools from Caddo Parish and eight schools from East Baton Rouge Parish.
"Looking at these 10 schools, some have made incremental gains at various points, and it would be unfair not to recognize their progress," Pastorek said. "But in most cases, their School Performance Scores have been at or below the 60 mark for almost a decade, representing chronic failure to achieve even minimal standards. To put this into context, on average, an SPS of 60 or below means that approximately 80 percent of the students in a school are performing below grade level. When the SPS is below 60, the average percentage of students who have fallen behind is even higher."
A school's SPS is comprised of several components, including student assessments, attendance and in the case of high schools, graduation rates.
"These SPS scores, which have drawn so many complaints, aren't just calculations," continued Pastorek. "These scores represent real children with a valid right and sincere desire to succeed in school. On their behalf, I am advocating for the most appropriate level of intervention that we have the capacity to bring, which we have determined to be placement into the RSD."
The proposal outlined today ! would al low the remaining 23 schools to continue under a type of receivership. While the district can continue to operate the school, it will do so with the supervision of the RecoverySchool 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 a Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the District and the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE), including a related school Recovery Plan.
Additionally, 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 will retain the right to exercise an option of placing the school into the RSD.
All total, the 33 schools under consideration are operated in 11 local school districts across Louisiana.
Additionally, one school, the LouisianaSchool for the Deaf (LSD), is presently overseen by the Acting Director of the Special School District (SSD) and governed by BESE. Already the SSD has changed the management of the LSD and has retained education experts to support further progress. While the RSD does not have particular expertise in the area of Deaf Education, it will serve in a supervisory function to the LSD to assure that the scope of work planned for the school will be carried out.
In August, 32 schools were labeled AUS 4 after their SPS fell below 60, and they were deemed Academically Unacceptable for the fourth straight year. Captiol Elementary School, a new school that opened in August in East Baton Rouge Parish, was added to the list in late October after it was determined that a majority of the students enrolled there had transferred from other AUS 4 schools, including Eden Park Elementary, which closed in Spring 2008, as well as Greenville Elementary School and Dalton Elementary School.
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On Tuesday, the Department proposed the following recommendations:
Placement into the RecoverySchool District effective July 1, 2009:
Linear Middle SchoolCaddo Parish
LinwoodMiddle SchoolCaddo Parish
BanksElementary SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
CapitolElementary SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
CapitolMiddle SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
CrestworthMiddle SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
DaltonElementary SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
KenilworthMiddle SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
LanierElementary SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
ParkElementary SchoolEast Baton Rouge Parish
Placement into the Recovery School District unless the local school district agrees to comply with the terms of Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding within the next 60 days and shows adequate progress toward the implementation of school recovery plan during the first year of the agreement:
LakeProvidenceJunior High SchoolEast Carroll Parish
WinnsboroElementary SchoolFranklin Parish
MadisonMiddle SchoolMadison Parish
ReedAvenueElementary SchoolRapides Parish
Ewell S. Aiken Optional SchoolRapides Parish
DelhiHigh SchoolRichland Parish
St. Helena Central Middle SchoolSt.Helena Parish
Romeville Elementary SchoolSt. James Parish
St. Landry Accelerated Transition SchoolSt. Landry Parish
LouisianaSchool for the DeafSpecialSchool District
Through their Supervisory MOU with the Department, local districts will agree to immediately implement their school Recovery Plans at the failing school. The degree of oversight involved in each school's Supervisory MOU will vary and will be based on the level of intervention Department officials deem necessary for the school to succeed . Some schools will face broad reorganization and realignment while other schools will be given greater flexibility to implement their plan.
For each school, Supervisory MOU agreements will also spell out a list of specific provisions and may include requirements such as assigning new school leadership, allowing the school principal more autonomy, providing additional content specialists, reassigning faculty and staff, and/or service contracts with third party providers. The Supervisory MOU is a binding agreement between the local district, LDE and BESE. Central to the efficacy of the Supervisory MOU, Pastorek emphasized, are the targets the Department will set with districts for school improv! ement.
"Failure to meet specific targets set forth in the Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding will be considered a material breach, and the Department may choose to exercise the option to place the school into the RSD," noted Pastorek. "We will not allow two or three more years to pass by before needed changes are set in motion and agreed upon progress is made."
Today's announcement, in fact, included some specific contractual terms. The Department is calling for an agreement that requires the RapidesParishSchool District to retain an experienced alternative provider to advise and/or manage Ewell S. Aiken Optional School, an alternative program in the district. The Department will also recommend that the Supervisory MOU for MadisonMiddle School allow the LDE to take a supervisory role over TallulahElementary School and WrightElementary School, the two elementary schools that feed into MadisonMiddle School. A similar arrangement is proposed for St. HelenaCentralMiddle School, as the Department is seeking a supervisory role over St. HelenaCentralElementary School and St. Helena Central High.
"There are inherent challenges and potential opportunities in leveraging our efforts when schools are linked," explained Deputy State Superintendent of Education Ollie Tyler. "Our experience indicates the infusion of resources and best practices across feeder patterns is a more effective approach than when improvements are attempted in a sporadic order or through unrelated initiatives."
The recommendations presented today follow months of school and district site visits, dialogue with district and school leaders, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis of performance data and trends. But the evaluation process, Department leaders said, also required them to consider the capacity of districts and schools to effect significant progress as well as which intervention offered the greatest opportunity for the Department to support! that pr ogress.
"From the beginning of this deliberation, we have consistently sought to balance the impact of these decisions on all the students, families, teachers and staff served by these districts," said Tyler. "At the same time, we cannot ignore our responsibility to see to it that the students in these failing schools receive the high-quality education that they deserve. These issues are complex, and we must weigh all possible options."
The RSD, which is administered by the Department, is a school district created by legislative authority in 2003 for the purpose of turning underperforming schools into successful schools. Schools placed in the RSD remain under its jurisdiction for a minimum of five years. Five schools in New Orleans were transferred to the RSD before Hurricane Katrina. As a result of legislation passed in November 2005, another 107 low-performing schools in New Orleans were transferred to the RecoverySchool District. Currently 66 of the 85 schools in Orleans Parish are operated by the RSD. Last February, five additional schools outside the New Orleans area (four in East Baton Rouge Parish and one in Pointe Coupee Parish) were placed in the RSD.
"Post-Katrina and Rita, we've watched the cultural transformation of schools in the RSD, and after just a full year of implementation, the performance scores of our students have increased to reflect the extraordinary effort being put forth in our schools," said RSD Superintendent Paul Vallas. "In 2008, across the board, our students demonstrated larger gains in proficiency than the state average in almost every grade level and had no losses.
"Whether these 33 schools are placed in the RSD or whether we provide support for them through their Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding with the Department, we are eager to assist these schools with instructional practices, a managed curriculum and other proven methods and models for raising student performance."
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A ccording to the Department, an examination revealed that approximately 15,000 students ranging from Pre-K-12 th grade attend the 33 schools under discussion. Enrollment figures indicate 96 percent of these students belong to a minority group, 90 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch, approximately 89 percent are considered "at-risk," and about 70.4 percent cannot read at grade level. Also, roughly 25 percent of the teachers in these schools turn over each year.
"Without a doubt, these schools must overcome significant challenges, but there are schools across Louisiana with the same issues that are performing well," said Pastorek. "Granted, there is no conventional model for school success, but as we seek to identify workable solutions, we are certain of one thing -- we all have to work together and move beyond the criticism, fear and disagreement that have surfaced over the last several months around this debate.
"Please rest assured that the Department is sensitive to the fact that these decisions have the potential to impact districts, schools, families and individuals, and we will proceed with those realities in mind. At the same time, this situation requires us, as adults, to set aside our own individual needs and concerns to focus on the best interests of these 15,000 students. I have no doubt that if we put children first, we will nurture the full potential of the next generation."
For reference, please see the document linked below for information and definitions related to the Department's announcement.
Technical Colleges
Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) President Dr. Joe D. May will and others will announce a recent $98,700 donation to the LCTCS Foundation to create the AT&T Community College Global Leadership Program. The new program, which is one of the first of its kind for community colleges in the nation, will help to create a globally informed student base for Louisiana's community colleges through the development of student and faculty exchange programs, study abroad programs, and the creation of international partnerships. Initially, the leadership program will be launched at SOWELATechnicalCommunity College (Lake Charles) and LouisianaDeltaCommunity College (Monroe).
DEQ And Baton Rouge
For the first time in Louisiana’s history, the state meets all federal ozone standards for the original one-hour standard and the eight-hour ozone standard that is in effect until 2010. To mark this occasion, the Department of Environmental Quality and others responsible for achieving this milestone held a celebration Tuesday at the DEQ headquarters in Baton Rouge.
“There has been a tremendous amount of effort and teamwork from the people represented in this room today to reach this achievement in air-quality,” DEQ Secretary Harold Leggett said. “I believe we will see a continued effort from all the leaders who have used their resources for the betterment of Louisiana and I foresee others getting on board in the near future. In the late 1970s there were 20 parishes out of attainment for the initial federal ozone standard. As the standard has gotten lower, the number of parishes out of attainment has dropped to its current status. That is truly an example of teamwork and progress.”
“Today Baton Rouge’s air is the cleanest it has been in over a generation,” said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Larry Starfield. “Baton Rouge is breathing easier because of your steady efforts and teamwork directed toward this critical goal.”
Speakers commenting at the celebration were: East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden; Larry Starfield, Deputy Regional Administrator from EPA, Region 6; Dan Borne, President of the Louisiana Chemical Association; Steven Grissom, Deputy Secretary with the Louisiana Department of Economic Development; Adam Knapp with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber; and Harold Leggett, DEQ Secretary.
