"BATON ROUGE -- Low-performing public schools that are under threat of state takeover would get new freedom to waive some state regulations under a proposal unveiled Thursday by Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Local school districts would be allowed to seek four-year waivers from curriculum requirements, textbook requirements, teacher tenure rules, salary schedules and other regulations authored by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In exchange, schools where more than half the students are performing below grade level would have to implement 'turnaround strategies,' such as replacing principals and other key leaders or reopening as a charter school."
Local school districts would be allowed to seek four-year waivers from curriculum requirements, textbook requirements, teacher tenure rules, salary schedules and other regulations authored by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In exchange, schools where more than half the students are performing below grade level would have to implement 'turnaround strategies,' such as replacing principals and other key leaders or reopening as a charter school."
School districts would not be allowed to get waivers from federal regulations or those that affect student safety or the state's existing accountability programs.
Each of the waiver requests would be considered individually by BESE.
Jindal said the proposal is aimed at giving school districts the ability to improve struggling campuses before their test scores are so low that they get taken over by the state and become part of the Recovery School District.
"Schools should not have to wait until they are in the RSD to begin their turnaround," Jindal said.
The governor said high-performing schools also would be able to apply for greater autonomy, which Jindal characterized as a way to reward them for strong results.
There are 55 Louisiana public schools designated as "academically unacceptable," and 30 of those are in the state-run recovery district. The rest have either signed agreements with the state to make specific changes or are on a list that makes them vulnerable to a state takeover if they don't show major improvement.
The proposal will be up for debate during the three-month legislative session that kicks off March 29. It already has support from BESE, the Louisiana School Superintendents Association and at least a handful of legislators who were on hand for the announcement.