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State Posts Record High Graduation Rate for 2012

The Times-Picayune
By Danielle Dreilinger
4/11/13

Louisiana posted its highest four-year graduation rate ever in 2012: 72.3 percent, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Thursday. That marks a small increase from 2011. The school districts in New Orleans beat the state average with 77.8 percent, a staggering 25 percentage points above the 2004 rate, when only 54.4 percent of students graduated from high school.

The graduation rate for the Recovery School District, which took over New Orleans' low-performing schools after Hurricane Katrina, has shot up 10 percentage points in three years, to 67.7 percent. Fourteen of its schools had 12th grades in 2011-12. Half were charter schools and half were traditional direct-run schools.

The eight Orleans Parish School Board high schools continued to post the highest graduation rate in the state. But, even so, the graduation rate for the Orleans Parish School Board schools dropped 4.5 percentage points to 89.3 percent.

The RSD's schools outside New Orleans had a much lower graduation rate of 55.4 percent, but that's a 10-point increase from 2011.

The state's graduation rate for African-American students in 2012 rose to 65.3 percent from 64 percent. Only 33 percent of students with disabilities graduated, a figure that has barely budged in five years.

The four-year graduation measure is stringent. Students who need an extra semester to complete high school requirements do not count as having "graduated," nor do students who earn a GED or a special education completion certificate.

These figures have a direct effect for high schools, constituting 25 percent of the school performance score that determines over time whether charter schools stay open. A different graduation statistic accounts for an additional 25 percent of a school's score.

Orleans Parish School Board interim Superintendent Stan Smith said the school district is proud that its schools remain at the top, but the board plans to look at individual schools to "see what our challenges and issues are and then work to address those." Sci High improved slightly but Karr, McDonogh 35 and McMain's graduation rates went down, he said. Ben Franklin, Lusher and Warren Easton continue to graduate nore thab 95 percent of their students.

The results aren't likely to move Louisiana much in national rankings: In 2011, state four-year graduation rates ranged from 59 percent in Washington, D.C., to 88 percent in Iowa, with Louisiana tied for eighth-lowest. National data for 2012 are not yet available and the U.S. Department of Education has not calculated a four-year cohort average for 2011 because of missing data from Idaho, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

However, a different graduation measure showed Louisiana improving faster than the national average from 2003-2009. An analysis released this month by Brain Track has Louisiana on pace to reach a 90 percent graduation rate with the Class of 2020.

"It's great news," said Leslie Jacobs, former Orleans Parish School Board member, former BESE member and a creator of the state's accountability system. The goal of a K-12 system is to get students prepared when they graduate from high school, she said.

Both Jindal and Education Superintendent John White said the improvement shows that the state's efforts to increase accountability and performance were paying off. "These reforms are working for our students," Jindal said in a statement. However, he said, "We will not stop working until every child in Louisiana has the opportunity to get both a great education and the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century workforce."

"This increase in the number of Louisiana students graduating is a clear sign that the changes set in motion in the schools of our state are working. These steps, along with the dedication of educators and families, have produced great results," White said in a statement.

See the complete graduation rates table.

Published by The Times-Picayune.

Medicaid Expansion Bad for LA

The Daily World
Gov. Bobby Jindal
4/21/13

This week, the Louisiana Legislature will begin debating legislation that would force Louisiana to expand Medicaid as part of President Obama’s health care law. It’s a bad move for Louisiana taxpayers. Here are seven reasons why we shouldn’t expand Medicaid.

1. The expansion of Medicaid will move up to 171,000 Louisianians off of private insurance and stop another 77,000 people from going into private insurance. That would force them into the Medicaid program. The actual uninsured population that should be focused on is about 214,000 people. Instead, President Obama’s health care law would actually add double that number — over 450,000 people — to the Medicaid rolls.

2. President Obama’s Medicaid expansion could cost taxpayers in Louisiana $1.7 billion over the first 10 years of implementation, and the cost will continue to rise. Additionally, the percentage of state funds spent on Medicaid has nearly doubled over the past 16 years and expanding the program could further threaten funding for higher education, transportation, and other critical services.

3. By expanding President Obama’s health care law, 41 percent of Louisiana’s population would be dumped into Medicaid. Soon there will be more people riding in the cart than people pulling the cart. The president is gradually turning the world’s greatest health care system into the world’s largest welfare system.

4. Without expanding Medicaid, and once eligible people are enrolled into health care exchanges set up by the federal government, there will be less than 6 percent of Louisianians without health insurance. That’s why the state is focused on implementing public-private partnerships with charity hospitals across the state to expand access.

5. There’s too much uncertainty in President Obama’s health care law. The President promised that if his law passed, health insurance premiums would go down. Instead, people are seeing health care premium increases. A study from the Society of Actuaries indicates that health insurance premiums will likely increase by 32 percent for individual and small group policies as a result of the president’s health care law. A study by Louisiana Association of Health Plans and America’s Health Insurance Plans estimates that the premium tax in the law will force policyholders in Louisiana to pay over $2,000 more for single coverage and over $4,500 more for family coverage for individuals over the next 10 years.

6. Funding for the president’s health care law is unstable, which could encourage cost shifting to states. For example, the U.S. Senate voted to get rid of an excise tax on medical devices that is supposed to generate $30 billion to pay for Obamacare. Another sign of uncertainty is President Obama’s recent proposal to use a blended Medicaid rate.

7. The billions of dollars obligated for Medicaid expansion will make a likely target for future deficit reduction talks in Congress. Louisianians know better than most that federal funding is never guaranteed. Indeed, the federal government has already cut $1.8 billion in Medicaid funding for Louisiana and dropped the Medicaid match rate to its lowest point in 25 years. We know there is a better way. That’s why we’ve expanded access to care at hospitals across the state through innovative public-private partnerships so that more people can access the quality care they need.

Published by The Daily World.

Bobby Jindal's Tax Plan Is A 'Posterize' Slam Dunk Over Texas Governor Perry

Forbes
Travis Brown
3/15/2013

During this year’s March Madness across state legislatures, governors are competing for bold new ways to grow their job base. This week, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal detailed a jobs strategy that could take the Pelican State into the Final Four of tax competition.

Jindal’s tax bracketology is simple and clear to all businesses — a flat, fair, and simpler tax code is the better choice for moving Louisiana forward in economic growth. Jindal’s plan is far-reaching and intrepid — no state income tax, no corporate income tax, and no corporate franchise tax. Zero. Zilch. Nada. In exchange, the state that lost $6 billion in adjusted gross income since 1995 would modernize its sales tax system to replace nearly $3 billion in state revenues. With lower property tax burdens than the Lone Star State in the Bayou, the loudest opponent to this plan should be Texas Governor Rick Perry.

By lowering the penalty Louisiana currently extracts from workers, nearly 400,000 small businesses with fewer than five employees would get a clear economic signal from their Louisiana Department of Revenue. The more you produce, the more you can reinvest in a much friendlier business environment. If Washington, D.C., or Tea Party groups were looking for a game-changing state initiative, Baton Rouge just became fair tax headquarters.

Of course what comes next in their State Capitol is a boatload of special interest lobbyists, legislative conflicts, and legal hurdles. As this forward-thinking vision for revenue-generating policy enters the sausage grinder in the coming weeks, it will be vital for butchers and carpenters to understand this opportunity.

Most states have sales tax bases that miss two out of every three free throws. Two-thirds of all eligible transactions in state economies (services, exempt products) are not taxed. Some sales tax exemptions already provide relief to our most vulnerable citizens for good reason. However, over time, state sales tax codes usually are slapped with flagrant fouls from special interests. It is appropriate that governors like Jindal call a time-out for the ordinary taxpayer versus those with inside influence.

When consumers can choose how to balance their taxes through consumption, families have the power to make purchasing decisions that are better for their families.

When local governments begin to capture revenues from online sales, elected officials and city leaders will need to sort out how best to structure and deliver services, and how to do away with century-old tax loopholes.

How big is Jindal’s full court press for lower tax burdens? Big enough to make the Tax Foundation rescore Louisiana’s tax code ranking from 32nd to the top four across America if passed. If Jindal slam-dunks this tax reform to advance his state’s tax policy past recent legislative votes in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, his economic team could become the top seed in the fast-break run for jobs.

Published by Forbes.

Louisiana Schools Chief Promises Voucher Program Will Go On

The Daily Advertiser
By Amanda McElfresh
3/6/13

Louisiana Education Superintendent John White vowed that state officials will find a way to fund a voucher program next year, regardless of how the state Supreme Court rules on the matter later this month.

… "If they don't rule in our favor, we are going to fund this program through a different piece of money," White told parents.

Nicole Bob said she will do whatever she can to support the program…Bob said her son was failing in public school last year, but is making passing grades this year because of more individualized attention, smaller class sizes and more opportunities for tutoring and remediation when he is struggling with subjects.

"I think it's because of the smaller environment they are in," Bob said. "I saw an 'A' on my child's report card, and I cried. He just gets so much more help here. They have really given him the opportunity to grow."

…Cheryl McDaniel, said her 16-year-old son was a gifted student at a public school, but she felt he was "falling through the cracks"…Through the voucher program, she sent him to John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette this year, where she said he is tackling more challenging assignments and has spoken highly of a less stressful environment.

"I need the voucher system," McDaniel said. "The (public school) teachers are good, but the environment is not good. I need to do what's best for him."

State Sen. Elbert Guillory… said he doesn't understand why there is controversy surrounding the program, but he is prepared to fight for it during the upcoming legislative session.

"We will find the money in the budget to continue to fund the program," Guillory said. "This program will not die. Education choice will not die in Louisiana."

Published by The Daily Advertiser.

President Obama’s Legacy: Government Greed

National Review Online
Gov. Bobby Jindal
2/28/13

It seems as if President Obama sends out another cabinet secretary every hour to tell the public about the dire consequences we will face if the sequestration cuts are not averted.

You’ve heard them — no vaccinations for children, teachers losing their jobs, less security from terrorist attacks, longer wait times at airports, and fewer food inspections. Now there are even reports that government officials are releasing hundreds of immigrants from deportation centers. What’s next? Is the president going to threaten to open the doors of federal prisons? This is silly.

Sequestration cuts account for less than 3 percent of the federal budget, but the president would have you believe that the world is going to end if they happen. Americans know that at least 3 percent of federal-government spending is wasteful — and they would tell you there’s room to cut the waste without jeopardizing critical services. The president is asking the American people to believe that there is no waste or fat in government. It’s just a ridiculous notion.

It gets better: Even after the sequestration reductions, the federal budget will actually be larger than it was last year. Let that one sink in. Only in Washington, D.C., would this be called a cut.

One idea I had was to delay Obamacare by not implementing the health-insurance exchanges and the Medicaid expansions. This would save tens of billions of dollars, and it wouldn’t cut a program that has already started.

Of course, the president has rejected this idea and every other rational proposal to make these cuts in a way that doesn’t jeopardize services. Instead, he’s using scare tactics and political theater to promote the solution he prefers for every problem — more taxes and more spending.

This week he even rejected an idea that would have given the administration more flexibility to make these reductions in a way that wouldn’t affect critical services. Why, you ask? This administration has an insatiable appetite for higher taxes and government growth. There has been over $600 billion in new spending and nearly $6 trillion in new debt under this president. Last month, he approved over $600 billion in new taxes that will affect nearly every American. Now he wants more money out of our paychecks.

It’s the latest example of why the Obama years will be remembered as the Era of Government Greed. There isn’t a problem President Obama thinks can’t be solved by more taxes and more spending. His solution is always to take more money out of the American economy and put it into the government.

You can’t grow the economy by taking money out of the economy. Yet that’s the president’s plan, and it’s leading us down a dangerous path. First, the greed of Wall Street crippled our economy, and now, President Obama’s Government Greed is threatening to drown our economy. It’s time for the president to show leadership.

It’s time for him to send to Congress a list of reductions that preserves critical services. Every governor has had to balance budgets during tough economic times. Every family has to balance budgets, too. Every business has had to become more efficient and tighten its belt. It’s time for the president to stop campaigning, stop deploying scare tactics, and do his job.

— Bobby Jindal is governor of Louisiana.

Published by the National Review Online.