Another day, another embarrassing SNAFU on the part of John White and his dysfunctional Louisiana Department of Education.
For that matter, you may have to include our favorite Department of Education (DOE) administrator, Lefty Lefkowith, when handing out the stink weed bouquets for the department’s infamous course choice program.
That’s the program Lefkowith was being paid $146,000 a year to set up and run between his weekly commute to and from Los Angeles.
Now, thanks to the superb digging of the Monroe News Star’s Barbara Leader, we learn that athletic scholarship for Louisiana university students may be in jeopardy because the NCAA has not approved 17 of the 19 course choice providers for Louisiana college athletes.
Uh-oh. Just another day of putting out brush fires at DOE. Remember New Living Word School in Ruston? That was the school initially approved by DOE for 315 vouchers last year despite the fact it had no classrooms, no desks and insufficient staff.
Of course, if you read the department’s Course Choice Overview and Fact Sheet, you read on the very first page that “Course providers had to pass an intensive four-step selection process.”
House Concurrent Resolution 153 by Rep. Patrick Jefferson (D-Homer) and Sens. Mike Walsworth (R-West Monroe) and Francis Thompson (D-Delhi) during the 2013 legislative session urged the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) “to study issues relative to the enrollment of students by course providers and the approval of course providers…”
That resolution noted that the DOE website “states that course providers must ‘pass an intensive four-step selection process’…”
Despite that four-step process and DOE’s “rigorous review” which began in August of 2012, Leader said an email last month from DOE Director Ken Bradford to White indicated that 17 of the 19 listed providers were not NCAA-approved. http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20131018/NEWS01/310180037
Course Choice, overseen at one time by Lefkowith, who works only four days a week at a salary of $146,000, allows high school students who attend a C, D or F-ranked school to enroll in online courses from state-approved private providers if their schools do not offer courses needed for them to graduate.
White told Leader on Friday that virtual classes offered by providers are often used by athletes to complete high school academic requirements. Eligibility problems have never arisen in the past, he said.
That was then. This is now.
Bradford, in his email, said, “Just wanted to put this on your radar. The Choice Academic team is working with our providers to ensure they get approval/authorized with the NCAA for their core offerings. Doomsday scenario for us is that a kid takes a course, gets a scholarship and then walks on to (sic) campus and NCAA will not clear him and the scholarship is in jeopardy.”
Somehow, John White, BESE and doomsday scenario just seem to go together.
Not to diminish the damage this would inflict on affected players, but if this little crisis du jour ends up costing the eligibility of key LSU players or worse yet (in the hearts and minds of Tiger football fans, anyway), causes LSU to forfeit any or all of its wins, the fecal matter will surely hit the oscillating air redistribution device. And the collateral damage might even be felt up on the fourth floor of the State Capitol.
Louisiana Voice 
This must be what I heard two sportscasters talking about on ESPN this week.
They were saying that what a shame it would be if Grambling lost its football program and that there is a chance that this could very well be the case!
No, they were referring to the players’ strike. Grambling fired popular coach Doug Williams in September. He had played his college ball at Grambling under Eddie Robinson and later led the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl win before coming back to Grambling. The school fired him in September after a poor start and his replacement did no better. They are 0-7 for the year and earlier this week, the players refused to report to practice and today’s game with Jackson State was forfeited, costing the school $20,000.
…and no telling what other sanctions. This national story will be another national embarrassment for Louisiana. This is a BIG deal.
All paid for by the taxpayers of Louisiana, under the direction of popular Governor Bobby Jindal, moving the state forward on the pathway of Department of Education privatization progress. Four steps forward, fourteen steps backwards. Who’s counting? NCAA? Athletic virtual scholarships at risk, who would have thunk it?
although White said providers that are not showing approval in the September email may have individual courses approved by the NCAA.” Forgive me but I don’t understand this statement. Is it because much of what White says is not meant to be understood?
Also, if a course is not approved by NCAA, what are the chances it is approved for college acceptance? What is the difference between NCAA approval and university approval got eligibility? How do any of them know the student actually passed the course legitimately? We already know K-12 virtual charters are being sued and in question in several states, as an example of the opportunity for the virtual scam.
I wonder if all the protestations about “common core” via concerned parents and Livingston Parish parents was actually funded by our taxpayer money, bet it was. and notice the BESE illegal ruling to quickly satisfy those concerns start with giving local school board the authority to choose “instruction ” materials. Bet that would include the bogus video and online crap being marketed on our taxpayer dollars. Of course, our Education Reform Governor Jindal does not want any federal involvement, read,until he can destroy the system and ask for more money(taxes) to fix it and take credit fixing it. ron thompson
Your article makes it seem as if Lefkowith is no longer working with Course Choice. Based on recent notifications about the new request for Course Choice Providers it very much seems like he is still working with that program. I bet he’s still making that same salary and continuing his commute. What a shame that a hard-working LA native couldn’t have a job or dedicated employees (those with experience in education) couldn’t get raise due to the high salaries of folks without education experience. When will the focus be back on education and not the business of making money off of education?
I wrote it that way because with this education department, one can never be certain who is doing what—if anything.
If White gets on the wrong side of the TAF he will be history.
Kinda makes you have mixed emotions about LSU having to forfeit its wins, doesn’t it?
This is better than the “Grimm” TV show. Louisiana politics at its best. Now, when will Louisiana lobbyists get its own reality TV show. I see Edwin Edwards got his! Can’t wait…Bobby Jindal Reality…BESE, Lefty, and White in How to Privatize Your School System in 4 Steps Approval – could use in Horrible Bosses or Undercover Bosses.
[…] Here is an article that covers some of Barbara Leader’s work regarding the Louisiana State Voucher System: https://louisianavoice.com/2013/10/18/another-day-another-embarrassment-for-john-white-doe-thanks-to… […]