Monday, November 2, 2009

Legislative Update

The Cowen Institute is pleased to share with you the latest in K-12 education policy at the local, state and federal levels. If you would like more information on any topic, please contact Nash Molpus at nmolpus@tulane.edu. Learn more information about other initiatives that the Cowen Institute is undertaking at http://education.tulane.edu.

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Orleans Parish School Board Approves a Millage Roll Forward

On October 22nd, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) voted to roll forward the millage with a provision that some of the revenue is dedicated to legacy costs and the Community Disaster Loan repayment. At current collection rates, the roll forward will result in an additional $12 million in revenue, $9 million of which will be dedicated to these costs. The Board inherited a difficult financial situation. In adopting the 2010 budget it took a significant step by cutting in half a $14 million budget shortfall. The millage roll forward will completely close the remaining budget gap.

Read the full story from the Times Picayune here.

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Race to the Top Update

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) has officially released a draft plan for its federal Race to the Top application. The agency also announced a statewide Race to the Top Summit, to be held in Baton Rouge on November 5th, in order to allow stakeholders to hear the details and provide input on the latest draft.

The plan, titled Why We Can’t Wait, is designed to meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Education and calls on districts throughout the state to voluntarily overhaul some of their lowest-performing schools. Participating schools would receive $500,000 annually for four years, or $2 million total, according to the draft. The proposal also calls for half the money to go to supporting the capacity and infrastructure of LDE. Louisiana has been cited as a top contender to receive a share of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top fund. LDE estimates potential funding of around $250 million.

Read the complete proposal here.

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U.S. Representative Joseph Cao Pushes for Community Disaster Loan (CDL) Forgiveness

United States Congressman Joseph Cao raised the issue of Community Disaster Loan forgiveness with David Garratt, Acting Deputy Administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), at a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Hearing on September 29th. He spoke on behalf of the Orleans Parish School Board and other governmental bodies, saying that “[You] have people…waiting for these criteria to see whether or not they will be qualified for these CDL waivers because they have to work out their budgets.” Cao called for the CDL regulations to be promulgated before 2010.

Following Rep. Cao’s testimony, FEMA said that it will work with the Office of Management and Budget to issue a final rule in 2009 or early 2010 in order to provide sufficient time for communities seeking special CDL cancellation to apply for such cancellation before any loans become due in November 2010.
 

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Education Study Moves Forward on Retiree Health Care Costs

Introduced by Louisiana state Representative Patricia Smith and adopted during the 2009 Regular Legislative Session, House Concurrent Resolution 164 (HCR 164) requests the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to conduct an in-depth study of the financial burden on local school systems imposed by rising costs of providing retiree health care benefits and to recommend a solution.

On October 8th, a taskforce including representatives from the Cowen Institute, convened. Because of the rapidly increasing cost of health care, which has outpaced the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), school districts across Louisiana are struggling to pay their retiree health care benefits. However, the issue is legally complex, and any policy recommendation must take into account the financial burden potentially placed on retired teachers. Therefore, the taskforce recommended that Representative Smith seek an appropriation from the legislature this spring to fund an expert study of the issue. At the October 14th meeting of the BESE Legislative Committee, Patrick Dobard, the Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs for the Louisiana Department of Education, reported the taskforce’s recommendations.
 

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Cowen Institute Receives Grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The Cowen Institute, in partnership with the Center for Urban and Public Affairs at the University of New Orleans, has been selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to receive a year of technical assistance and a $6,000 grant. The purpose of the grant is to analyze state policies and practices and develop recommendations to help encourage community-centered schools.

In Louisiana, the state provides no funding to local districts for facilities construction or maintenance, and it offers no technical assistance or guidance regarding facilities decisions. This lack of appropriate statewide guidance is a significant problem for encouraging sensitive school siting policies that both respect the historic patterns of Louisiana’s many long-established communities and encourage healthy school commuting patterns. The grant from the National Trust will help bring educational organizations throughout the state together with smart growth, historic preservation, and nonmotorized transportation groups to help improve school facilities decisions.

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