Jindal Says No to Roemer, Garvey and Boffy’s 2014-15 Assessment “Offer”
On July 10, 2014, three members of the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)– President Chas Roemer, James Garvey, and Holly Boffy– decided that they would make Governor Bobby Jindal an offer regarding a plan for 2014-15 assessments in Louisiana schools.
Within hours, Jindal rejected the Roemer et al. offer.
The decision to approach Jindal with this letter was not the work of the entire BESE board, which voted 6 to 3 in the July 1, 2014, special meeting to reject BESE member Jane Smith’s motion to use 2013-14 assessments in 2014-15 and insisted that “clarity” was needed via legal counsel. No arrangement for 2014-15 assessments was approved in any BESE meeting.
As a matter of open meeting record, Roemer, Garvey, and Boffy decided to reject Smith’s idea of using last year’s plan for the coming school year. As a matter of open meeting record, these three offered no alternative resolution regarding 2014-15 Louisiana assessments.
Instead, they decided nine days later to take it upon themselves on behalf of the entire BESE board to send Jindal the offer detailed in this letter.
For Roemer, Garvey, and Boffy to take this initiative on behalf of a public body is in direct violation of Louisiana Open Meetings Law. In the letter, Roemer, Garvey, and Boffy copy the letter to the remaining nine BESE members. They also failed to advertise the meeting and offer an agenda 24 hours prior to the meeting, and open the meeting to public comment and formal vote by a meeting comprised of at least six BESE members.
So, right out of the starting gate, Roemer, Garvey, and Boffy have broken the law.
Thus, it is an irony that in their letter, they purport to include PARCC questions on a Jindal Says No to Roemer, Garvey and Boffy’s 2014-15 Assessment “Offer” | deutsch29: