Governor Bobby Jindal’s Education Reform Bills Get Approval

Governor Bobby Jindal's education reform movement received approval yesterday from the State's House Education Committee.

The Committee voted 12-6 to approve HB976, a bill which makes it easier to establish charter schools, creates a statewide voucher program and gives parents the opportunity to vote on whether a school should be taken over by the Recovery School District.

A second bill involving teacher tenure was also approved by the House Education Committee by a vote of 13-5. This bill would essentially make it tougher for teachers to get the job protection known as tenure and to do away with a statewide salary schedule for teachers. If put into effect it would tie tenure to a new evaluation system based partly on student test scores and let school principals set teacher salaries.

Both bills now head to the House floor for debate.

What do you think of these proposals by the Governor? Do you think it will help our state's struggling education system or will it just be a money pit for the taxpayers in a further flawed system?

[The Daily Advertiser/KATC]