Governor Jindal finished the week by responding to a tragic chemical explosion that claimed two lives at a plant in Geismar, Louisiana. The Governor held a Unified Command Group briefing shortly after the explosion and traveled to the plant site to meet with first responders along with parish officials where he gave an update on the emergency response status and vowed to investigate the cause of the explosion.
Here Is A Quick Recap Of The News About The Governor’s Week:
Governor Jindal Responded Thursday To The Tragic Accident At A Chemical Plant By Holding A Unified Command Group Briefing And Traveling To The Plant Site To Meet With First Responders. Over 300 workers were evacuated from the site in total…Jindal said the “focus today is to get people out safely.” But he also said there will “absolutely” be an investigation into the plant and what caused the explosion. “This is a tragic incident,” Jindal said.
Earlier In The Week, Governor Jindal Penned An Op-Ed Which Outlined The Successes Of The 2013 Legislative Session. First, we produced a balanced budget that invests in our priorities, doesn’t raise taxes and includes nearly $70 million in increased funding for K-12 education. Much of this increased education funding will go toward pay raises for our teachers…Third, the state budget does not include any tax increases. We defeated an attempt by some legislators to pass a $1.3 billion tax hike on families and businesses that would have jeopardized the major economic gains Louisiana has made over the last few years…Fourth and finally, we worked with the Legislature to reject Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion in Louisiana that would cost taxpayers up to $1.7 billion, put 41 percent of the state’s population in a welfare program . . .
The Louisiana Department Of Education Released Data Showing Gains On Several Key Barometers During The 2012-2013 School Year, Including Higher Graduation Rates, More Children Prepared For Kindergarten, And Higher High School Participation In Courses For College Credit. Public school students in the past school year showed gains on several key barometers, a report issued Tuesday morning by the state Department of Education shows. The reviews show that: The state’s high school graduation rate was 72.3 percent in 2012, up from 71.3 percent in the previous year. The rate of children prepared for kindergarten was 54 percent in the fall of 2012, up from 52 percent a year earlier. Participation in classes for college credit, historically among the nation’s lowest, rose 33 percent in 2013. . . . In other areas, the rate of students who passed a pre-ACT exam before entering the ninth grade doubled, from 20 percent in the spring of 2010 and 40 percent in the spring of 2013.
Education Officials Announced That Because Of Teacher Training Reforms, New Teachers Are Exceeding Expectations And Making Significant Gains On Job Evaluations. More than half of new teachers trained in state-approved preparation programs showed significant gains in at least one subject on their job evaluations, officials said Monday. The results exceeded expectations, said Jeanne Burns, associate commissioner for teacher and leadership initiatives. In a prepared statement, Burns said the outcome is noteworthy because, under the reviews, first- and second-year teachers are compared with veterans and others statewide. The evaluations are part of the sweeping changes in teacher preparation programs from 2001 to 2010.
