Contact: Keith Twitchell, Interim President
(504) 561-0537 or (504) 430-2258
June 7, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee
Clarifies Origin and Intent of House Bill 1659
 Purpose is to help create accountability and establish processes for improved classroom learning

There can be no denying that the present structure and processes in the Orleans Parish Public School System are failing to educate the children of our city.

In the “Blueprint for a Better New Orleans”, released in October 2001, the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee (CBNO/MAC) identified issues of governance within the School System as the number one obstacle to education reform and improving the quality of learning in the classroom. Since then, CBNO/MAC has:

• Conducted national best practices research on education reform
• Participated in the LEGA task force chaired by Sen. Paulette Irons and Rep. Ed Murray
• Commissioned a public opinion survey on education by Dr. Silas Lee, and reported its results to thecommunity
• Produced a Position Paper on Education Reform

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of CBNO/MAC, other organizations focusing on education issues, and many individuals in the community who have called repeatedly for reform, the revolving door of superintendents has continued to spin (see attached list), governance issues remain unresolved, and the quality of education offered in New Orleans public schools remains demonstrably substandard.

Seeing that the School System was clearly in crisis, and believing that such a crisis could only be resolved if there was a clear delineation of responsibility and accountability at the top of the School System, the CBNO/MAC Education Task Force met numerous times to develop language to achieve this type of clarity. The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce also provided input. The Orleans Parish legislators were then approached with this language. Rep. Karen Carter responded by using the language as the basis for HB 1659, which describes a school system in crisis, and explicitly states what are the roles and responsibilities of the school board and superintendent of a system in crisis.

It must be emphasized that at no time was School Superintendent Anthony Amato brought into the discussion, consulted on the content of the bill, or asked to approve the content of the bill. Superintendent Amato played no role whatsoever in the formulation of HB 1659, or in any efforts to pass it through the state legislature.

“The underlying premise of the legislation is that if responsibility is blurred between the school board and the superintendent, then authority is also blurred,” said Bob Reily, a member of the CBNO/MAC Education Task Force. “When authority is blurred, accountability is definitely blurred, as either side can try to take credit or shift blame for whatever happens. Fundamentally, HB 1659 is an accountability measure.”

In addition to clarifying the roles of the school board and superintendent of a school system in crisis, HB 1659 also mandates that when a school system is in crisis, a super majority of the board must vote to fire the superintendent. In the case of Orleans Parish, this means that five votes would be required instead of four. However, in no way does the bill remove the right of the board to fire the superintendent, nor does it in any way infringe on the constitutionally mandated authority of the school board. The board controls the budget, which is essential to its oversight responsibilities, and continues to play its normal role in matters of debt, personnel, property, and other issues. The superintendent remains accountable to the school board. However, the bill does provide some measure of protection for a superintendent who must take strong measures to reform a system in crisis; it also forces the school board to work towards consensus in its own deliberations, while reducing the opportunities for capricious or politically motivated actions.

Concern was expressed among members of both CBNO/MAC and the Chamber that the extremely high turnover rate among superintendents in the New Orleans Public Schools was a major impediment to improving the quality of education in the classroom. “Our school system has had nine superintendents in eleven years,” said Mtumishi St. Julien, a member of the CBNO/MAC Board and its Education Task Force. “No system, no organization of any kind, can succeed without a certain level of continuity and focus. In considering the legislation, it was felt that something needed to be done to ensure stability in the office of the superintendent, while not infringing on constitutional rights or protecting a patently inept individual.” St. Julien added that bringing stability to the superintendent’s office would help boost morale among hard-working school system employees, and assure them as to who was in charge.

HB 1659 also mandates that the superintendent of a system in crisis review the possibility of outsourcing critical system operations such as finances, and present a formal report of his or her findings. The thinking behind this aspect of the legislation is that a school system that is in educational crisis is frequently in financial crisis as well, and that all reasonable and available methods for bringing it out of crisis should be considered.

“The point of all of this is to address basic issues of process and structure in the school system,” added Mr. St. Julien, “and the legislation is just one piece of this. It is not an attack on any specific individuals, and it is not an endorsement of any individuals. It is simply a matter of process and structure, and there are any number of other aspects of the New Orleans Public Schools where the processes must be fixed.”

CBNO/MAC also announced that it would be hiring a staff person with education expertise to monitor the results of HB 1659, if it does become law, and to report the results to the community, so that the community is fully informed and can participate in the work of reforming and upgrading the schools and the school system.

“CBNO/MAC has always believed in public participation and government transparency, and at this time, with our school system, we need every single person in our city who cares about education and about children to participate in these reform efforts,” said Barbara Major, CBNO/MAC Co-Chair. “Everybody needs to be actively engaged in monitoring the schools. Everybody needs to be well-informed about all the candidates for School Board in the October elections, and everybody needs to vote in that election. We choose who sits on the School Board, and ultimately, we are accountable for the education of our children.”

HB 1659 is presently scheduled to be heard by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, June 8, at 2:00 PM. All New Orleanians who wish to see meaningful education reform and a quality learning experience in every New Orleans public school classroom are urged to attend the Committee meeting and support passage of the bill. Citizens who cannot attend the hearing are urged to contact their state senators to express support for the bill.

CBNO/MAC is a racially and culturally diverse group whose mission is to provide leadership and catalyze change, through convening of other individuals and organizations with similar missions and through implementation of the “Blueprint for a Better New Orleans”. The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce is a multi-racial organization of businesses large and small, dedicated to help members achieve maximum business growth while stimulating economic development in the city of New Orleans.
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