Red Tape Reduction Act (Wavier Bill) 

Governor Jindal and Superintendent Paul Pastorek pushed the Red Tape Reduction Act in the last legislative session. Both are now disappointed that no school district has applied for waivers as of February.  The Red Tape Reduction Act was designed to allow superintendents to request a waiver from specific laws if they had a support of their Boards of Education and a majority of the teachers. Pastorek expressed his belief that the support of a majority of the teachers is holding superintendents back.

LAE President Joyce Haynes characterized both BESE’s discussion of the Wavier Bill and Governor Jindal’s recent remarks on the same topic as a “political stunt.”

The law followed effective research that indicates school improvement happens at the community, classroom, school and district level, when parents, teachers, principals, superintendents and school board members, work together to focus on helping students learn.  Unfortunately, some in state government, the DOE and BESE believe otherwise. 

It is interesting that Superintendent Pastorek makes a point of traveling around the state telling teachers that they are the key to improved performance in Louisiana schools and then expresses reservations when laws designed to ensure that a majority of the teaching staff is involved.

Perhaps the real “critics” of the current wavier process should realize that one of the greatest problems plaguing school improvement in Louisiana today is the lack of trust between those at the state level who constantly show their disdain for those of us who work tirelessly to educate students daily.