KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |Jindal pitches education reform to Monroe business leaders

Jindal pitches education reform to Monroe business leaders

By Patrick Roberts

WEST MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) – Republican Governor Bobby Jindal visited the Twin Cities today.

He addressed the Monroe Chamber of Commerce at a lunchtime meeting at the West Monroe Convention Center to push his education reform plan.

It was a luncheon for business leaders but Governor Jindal came to talk education.  He said there's a link between successful education and successful business, and ultimately a successful state.

"Businesses and employers and chambers (are) stepping up to the plate, saying this is going to be their top priority," Jindal said.

"Saying that they absolutely need to make sure they've got a better education system to provide them with better workers so they can expand and invest in our state."

Business leaders agreed.

"There's an absolute direct link between education and the quality of our workforce.  And we hear it time and again from our employers," Monroe Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Sue Nicholson said.

Jindal's plan would make a number of changes to the state's education system, especially for teachers – no more automatic tenure, no more use of seniority to make personnel decisions, and no more scheduled pay increases.

"For good teachers, help is on the way.  For teachers who want to improve, help is on the way," Jindal said.

"For the extremely low performing teachers that aren't getting better, they probably shouldn't be in the classroom in the first place."

Jindal's plan would also expand the state's voucher system for low-income families and ease restrictions on charter operators.

"Years from now, people are going to look back, and they're either going to say, Louisiana seized the opportunity to change our state, or they're going to ask us why didn't we have the courage to do what we know needs to be done," Jindal told business leaders today.

Leaders of teachers' unions remain bitterly opposed to many of the governor's proposals.

"I'm very confident we'll be successful this year," Jindal said.

"Because you've got students, you've got parents, you've got employers, you've got teachers, you've got leaders in the educational system, all demanding change."

The Governor's education reform plan is expected to go before the State Legislature in March.