The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SB 128 Original 2019 Regular Session Milkovich
Present law provides for the Louisiana Competency-Based Education Program and requires the State
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to adopt state content standards for required
subjects and develop state assessments based upon those standards.
Proposed law retains present law but provides that the governing authority of each public elementary
and secondary school shall have the authority to adopt and implement the content standards and
related assessments it determines best serves the educational needs of the students it serves.
Proposed law prohibits BESE and the state Dept. of Education (DOE) from requiring any public
school governing authority to implement the Common Core state standards or any other content
standards adopted by the board. Additionally prohibits BESE from requiring schools and school
districts to participate in the administration of any state tests or assessments.
Proposed law provides that, upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 10% of the registered voters
residing within the geographic boundaries of a school district, the local school board shall provide
for an election whereby the people shall choose whether state content standards and assessments or
locally adopted content standards and assessments will be used in district schools.
Proposed law provides that in the case of a charter school, upon receipt of a petition signed by at
least 10% of the parents who have children enrolled in the school, the charter school governing
authority shall provide for a process whereby the parents of the children enrolled in the school shall
be able to vote on whether state content standards and assessments or content standards and
assessments adopted by the school's governing authority will be used in the school.
Present law provides that charter schools shall be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies,
and employment practices. Proposed law removes the prohibition against sectarian programs.
Present law provides for the Students Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program (SSEEP)
which provides scholarships to certain students in failing public schools to use at approved nonpublic
schools. To be eligible to participate in SSEEP, the nonpublic schools must meet certain
requirements and ensure that scholarship recipients are administered all examinations required by
the school and district accountability rules and provide the results of these examinations to the
parents or legal guardians of scholarship recipients.
Proposed law repeals present law.
Proposed law prohibits the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state DOE
from requiring a nonpublic school to adhere to state content standards or administer any examination required by the school and district accountability system as a condition of eligibility to participate
in the program.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 17:3991(C)(5) and 4016(A); adds R.S. 17:24.4(E)(7) and 4021(D); repeals 4015(7)(a),
4023, and 4024(A)(5))