Vermilion school district joins other school districts in fight with state

Vermilion Parish School Superintendent, Jerome Puyau, continues to advocate for responsible educational reform and made a recommendation that the board consider adopting a resolution that would align local concerns with other educational stakeholder organizations and local school boards.
At last week’s Vermilion Parish School Board meeting, Puyau stated, “Organizations such as the Louisiana School Board Association (LSBA), the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents (LASS), the Louisiana Association of School Executives (LASE), The Louisiana State Parent Teacher Association (LAPTA), the Louisiana Association of Principals (LAP), the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT), and the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) have aligned their main concerns around five key principles that will be addressed this legislative session.”
The five key principles include:
• How the state funds public education through the state funding formula (MFP)
• Being an active participant in designing a true transition to raising the expectations and standards and accompanying high-stakes testing
• Creating a system that allows true dialogue between the state and educational stakeholders, that will ensure schools, teachers, and students are not negatively impacted during this transition to higher standards
• Addressing the concerns of local districts regarding the privatization of public education in Louisiana
• Creating a pathway that ensures meaningful and sincere stakeholder input in all education matters

Puyau then announced that the Vermilion Parish would not be the only district to adopt similar resolutions. According to Puyau, “School Boards from Iberville, St. Tammany, West Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and St. Mary have already approved their own resolutions that align to the five key principles.” Puyau continued, “In adopting this resolution, the VPSB will continue to advocate for what we feel is in the best interest of our administrators, teachers, parents, and students in the parish.”

The VPSB unanimously approved the Superintendent’s recommendation to adopt the resolution. School Board member Anthony Fontana stated, “He would like this resolution sent out not only to all Vermilion Parish employee’s, but to all legislators, and educational stakeholders.”