ENROLLED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 227
BY REPRESENTATIVES JONES AND NANCY LANDRY
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To create a task force to study the structure of local governance of public elementary and
3 secondary education in Louisiana and to provide for the submission of a written
4 report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the House Committee on
5 Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2018 Regular
6 Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
7 WHEREAS, the Constitution of Louisiana charges the legislature with providing for
8 the education of the people of the state and establishing and maintaining a public educational
9 system; and
10 WHEREAS, the constitution further provides that it is the goal of the public
11 educational system to provide learning environments and experiences, at all stages of human
12 development, that are humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that every
13 individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential; and
14 WHEREAS, the structure of school boards in Louisiana was established in the
15 nineteenth century when the state was a much more rural place; and
16 WHEREAS, in today's world, many feel that there are inherent problems in having
17 both the legislative and executive powers lie with the school board and that it would
18 strengthen the state's public education system if school governance were modeled after
19 federal, state, and local forms of government where there is a clear demarcation between
20 executive and legislative powers; and
21 WHEREAS, in these other forms of government, there are checks and balances on
22 each branch of government, which is a bedrock principle of American society that is sorely
23 lacking in the current school governance structure in Louisiana; and
Page 1 of 4 HR NO. 227 ENROLLED
1 WHEREAS, fundamental changes to the way Louisiana's education system is
2 governed at the local level may afford the state's students their best chance of success in the
3 classroom and in life; and
4 WHEREAS, other states may have lessons to offer Louisiana in terms of alternative
5 education governance structures, and these merit serious evaluation and consideration; and
6 WHEREAS, in order to fulfill the state's constitutional duty of affording every
7 student an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential, it is imperative that a balanced
8 group of stakeholders thoroughly study the structure of local governance of public
9 elementary and secondary education in Louisiana.
10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
11 Legislature of Louisiana does hereby create a task force to study the governance of public
12 elementary and secondary education in Louisiana and does hereby request the task force to
13 submit a written report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the House
14 Committee on Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2018 Regular
15 Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the
17 following members who shall serve without compensation:
18 (1) A representative of the office of the governor who shall be selected by the
19 governor.
20 (2) The chairman of the House Committee on Education or her designee.
21 (3) The member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who represents District
22 No. 50 or his designee.
23 (4) A representative of each of the following organizations who shall be selected by
24 the presiding officer of the organization:
25 (a) The Louisiana School Boards Association.
26 (b) The Louisiana Association of School Superintendents.
27 (c) The Louisiana Association of Principals.
28 (d) The Louisiana Association of Educators.
29 (e) The Louisiana Federation of Teachers.
30 (f) The Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana.
31 (g) The Louisiana Parent Teacher Organization.
Page 2 of 4 HR NO. 227 ENROLLED
1 (h) The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
2 (i) Progress Louisiana.
3 (j) The Louisiana Budget Project.
4 (k) The NAACP of Louisiana.
5 (l) The Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options.
6 (m) The Council for a Better Louisiana.
7 (n) The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
8 (o) Stand for Children.
9 (p) Louisiana Federation for Children.
10 (q) Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force's report shall include an
12 examination, at minimum, of all of the following:
13 (1) The advisability, feasibility, and potential effects of providing for each local
14 public school district to have an executive branch, president, or equivalent with veto power
15 over the school board and other powers and duties.
16 (2) The common characteristics of local public school governance structures in states
17 with successful and highly regarded public education systems.
18 (3) Research conducted by think tanks or other academic research on the issue of
19 local school governance.
20 (4) Recommendations, if any, for legislation related to local public school
21 governance.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the representative of the governor's office shall
23 be responsible for convening the task force for its first meeting by September 1, 2016, at
24 which the task force shall adopt rules of procedure, a work schedule, and any additional
25 measures that it deems necessary for the timely performance of its duties.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may seek the input of individuals
27 whose fields of expertise and experience would assist the task force in conducting its duties,
28 including but not limited to representatives of the postsecondary education community in
29 the fields of political science and education and representatives of private organizations with
30 an education mission.
Page 3 of 4 HR NO. 227 ENROLLED
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2 governor of Louisiana and to the presiding officer of each of the organizations from which
3 the members of the task force are being selected.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Page 4 of 4