Failing Schools, Certified Teachers, Repeat

 
The Blog  

C. M. Ambrose, Jr.

 Normally excellence requires nearly flawless execution, and above average favorable results, not the case when it comes to evaluating the Superintendent of Calcasieu Parish, you can have failing schools at a yearly rate of 15%.  If no data is available to assess your job performance, like say test scores, how can citizens be sure you are performing the job truly satisfactory and what are the criteria that are being used.There are nine (9) possibly ten (10) schools in the Calcasieu Parish School System that are failing and have been failing for the past three (3) yrs. Louisiana ranks 50th in education, In SWLa. Calcasieu ranks last in the 5 parish area and bottom of the state. According to Neighborhoodscout.com, these are the best neighborhoods for education in Lake Charles.
These are the neighborhoods:

1. Sale R. / Weaver Rd.

2. Prien

3. Grand Chenier / Grand Lake

4.Moss Bluff

5. Gillis

6. Newton

7. Nelson Rd. / Country Club

8.Big Lake Rd / W. Tank Farm Rd

9. Shell Beach / Alvin St.

10. University Place

You won't see any schools in this area without certified teachers, failing in consecutive years. Those are where the best schools are in one of the states largest and worst school systems. Much of the same, with the same excuses.  It's time for the Superintendent to have his evaluation based on his job performance and results,  that is how evaluations work for the rest of the world, but there is one problem, there are no test scores, which are a large indicator of system progress.  We know that for the past 3 years roughly 15% of the schools in the parish have failed, but the evaluations don't reflect that.  As a public servant, elected by a board of elected officials be open and honest with his personal evaluation. Should it be public? If there is no data, how can he be effectively evaluated on job performance and how is the interest of the citizens protected? The fact that there are 9 consistently failing schools indicate something other than "Excellent" is going on.  The board itself, which was criticised by board member Wayne Williams as being "incompetent", is as much to blame as the administration.  Mr. Williams also stated that the Superintendent was lying to the citizens of Calcasieu Parish in the same article. it seems the deception runs deep in the CPSB and with a lack of transparency, no one knows what is actually going on with $400 million roughly a year. 

You've been hearing about a lack of certified teachers for years now, as a matter of fact, when the  sales tax was passed in 2015 the Superintendent was quoted in an online article from KPLC saying this

"Now that we will be the number one starting in average salary in our region, we're going to take advantage of that and shout it from the mountaintop. So, if we can draw those certified teachers to Calcasieu Parish, we're going to try to get them," said Bruchhaus."

With issues of consistently failing schools not fully staffed with certified teachers and an inability to recruit those teachers over a period of time demonstrates anything but excellence.  Did the raises attract new teachers?  Was that even a raise? How about this, there are reports that some of the students who graduate from the Calcasieu Parish school system are being required to take remedial classes due to the fact that, in some cases,  they are unprepared for college work.  The sales tax was sold as a pay raise for teachers and a way to hire more certified educators, what has happened is anything but that.

This is what CPSB spokeswoman Kirby Smith said in an email to the American Press back 2015 prior to the measure being passed, stating if passed: 

"The payment of salaries of teachers in the public elementary and secondary schools of the parish and for the expenses of operating said schools, such operating expenses to include payment of salaries of other personnel."The revenues from the tax contribute to the district's general fund for exactly that purpose. In any given year salaries and benefits are approximately 83% of our general fund expenditures, therefore approximately 83% of the permanent 1 percent sales tax is spent on salaries and benefits."

If the above statement is true, why is there $12+ million set aside, from the above-mentioned funds, for a school in southeast Lake Charles? Revenues from the tax are coming in at a 30% higher clip than last year, more than initially anticipated. but the quality of education remains the same.or in some cases worst. Now, a new scheme to double tax the citizens of Calcasieu.  More on that in the next set of articles, as well as the one word, removed from the Superintendents contract, back then, that is present in all standard parish contracts. 

 Finally, last Thursday the American Press wrote an article about a committee meeting which occurred on Tuesday, where a school board member walked out, what they didn't include in the article was the discussion of the certified teachers or lack thereof,  as well as the chronically failing schools.  Down below is a link to hear that discussion. These are just some random thoughts, Yours?

Certified Teacher Discussion Below

Click to hear discussion

NEXT CPSB MEETING IS TUES. OCT. 9

New Season Begins October 16th