Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

There is a consistent, overarching theme to Louisiana's public education system that accounts for our low national rankings year after year. This theme is that the money put towards education does not make it to the classroom. There is a lack of availability of affordable, safe, high-quality child care needed to prepare children to enter kindergarten to too many K-12 students failing to achieve important measure of progress such as reading and math performance, the Louisiana public education system is failing its students by not preparing them with the basic skills and knowledge needed for continued success. Louisiana spends an average of over $12,000 per student which is much higher and provides worse results than most of our southern neighbors. Money will not fix this issue without fundamental reform. We need more transparency for funding from Baton Rouge to local school districts while reducing a top-heavy administrative system.

According to US News, Louisiana ranks 48th nationwide in education. This ranking is disappointing because it is clearly not a reflection of the potential greatness of Louisiana's students and teachers. The state ranked 1st is Massachusetts who made it to that ranking by means of a very high standard of academic achievement and stringent accountability systems for both schools and teachers. In order to progress towards a better education system for Louisiana, we must look to states with higher rankings and higher-performing students for ideas and insights into what works.

Although change is hard and takes time, the path to being ranked 40th in education in 4 years starts with Louisiana investing more in early childhood care, supporting and strengthening accountability programs like holding lower-performing teachers accountable, and supporting an increased minimum standard proficiency levels in math, science, and English. These solutions coupled with more transparent school funding from Baton Rouge to local levels and the reduction of "top-heavy" administrative systems that drain monetary resources are just a step in the right direction to making the Louisiana public education system the best it can be. Not all of these may be the long-term, end-all-be-all solutions for Louisiana education, but at least they are a step in the right direction.

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