Oxford American food events come to New Orleans
April 15, 201026 years later, HTCB keeping toes tapping
April 19, 2010
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu called on state lawmakers to fully fund education during Friday’s visit to Thibodaux Elementary School. Beyond recent stimulus dollars, she noted additional federal funding to Louisiana’s public school systems is unlikely.
“The state needs to step up and say education is off limits for cuts. I hope the state will do that,” Landrieu said. The comment came on the heels of a plea from Lafourche Parish School Board member Ronald Pere’, who noted locally-strapped budgets have school systems in Lafourche, Terrebonne and neighboring parishes considering staff and teacher layoffs.
“We’ve done everything we can,” he told Landrieu.
“The high quality of education you see here today is because all of these people [local school teachers and administrators] have worked their butts off. Now, we’re faced with these cuts.
“We feel like we’ve done everything at the local level,” he continued. “Do you see anything on the horizon? Is there anything that the federal government is looking at?”
The senator said Friday’s visit provided an opportunity to see stimulus dollars at work educating children.
“The federal government has already stepped up in a significant way, despite some opposition at the state and local level – mostly at the state level – against stimulus dollars,” she said, noting the federal funding helped prevent layoffs the last two years. “We’re hoping to do what we can to extend that help next year.
“I know we all have to balance our budgets; we all have to tighten our budgets,” Landrieu continued. “And I understand the federal government has the ability to deficit spend, which state and local governments cannot. But we made significant investments on the federal level. Now is not the time to cut teachers or lay off these extraordinary professionals.”
The senator called on state lawmakers “to be faithful” to teachers in the budgeting process. Louisiana currently funds 70 percent of its public schools’ budgets.
“Stimulus dollars came in here to stabilize the budget last year,” Landrieu said. “Now, there is going to have to be a bigger push at the state level to stabilize these education budgets or else it’s just going to be a very tight time.”
During Friday’s tour, Thibodaux Elementary Principal Jimi Encalade said the school purchased laptop computers and new interactive learning tools – smart and promethean boards – allowing children in a classroom of 25 to 30 to learn at their own rate.
“That’s technology worth progress,” Encalade said.
Landrieu also took a moment to add her name to those on a commitment wall at the school, joining other professionals in supporting the school’s effort to achieve.
“I saw some good work with stimulus dollars here today,” Landrieu said following her school tour. “We’re trying to teach each child with an income of $5,000 to $10,000 yearly. That sounds like a lot of money, but it takes a significant investment to provide a quality education to each child in the state. That’s what my goal is, starting in pre-K.”
The senator echoed sentiments expressed earlier by Gov. Bobby Jindal and state school Superintendent Paul Pastorek, vowing to continue to seek Race to the Top federal grants.
“Race to the top is still ongoing, although we were terribly disappointed – actually, I was shocked that we did not get in on the first round because we have been on the cutting edge of so much of this reform from the beginning,” Landrieu said. “We’re still in the hunt for that money, whether it’s $50 million, $100 million or $130 million. Whatever it is, it will be extremely helpful to our state.
“But again, the federal government has stepped up its commitment to education by billions of dollars and the state is going to have to find a way to streamline other things and help keep its investments in our schools because that is where it needs to be,” she added.
Fourth grader Justin Meirer, a student in Alayne Joffrion’s class, demonstrates a learning program for U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. The laptop and software were among the items Thibodaux Elementary purchased with stimulus dollars. * Photo by HOWARD CASTAY JR.
