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Archive for the ‘Higher Education’ Category

The plantation overseer has spoken: ‘There shall be no words of discontent about the budget from college administrators’

Posted in Budget, Governor's Office, Higher Education, Teague, Transparency on February 10, 2012| 5 Comments »

Bobby Jindal, the “most transparent, most ethical, most accountable” governor in Louisiana’s history just also happens to be a governor who will brook no dissent.

If you don’t believe that, of course, you need only contact Tommy Teague, the firmer director of the Office of Group Benefits (OGB), who was summarily fired last April when he didn’t jump on board the OGB privatization bandwagon quickly enough. Or his wife, who had the temerity to testify against Jindal’s proposed governmental streamlining plan and was fired the very next day. (She won her job back through Civil Service, but it took several months.)

But a more recent example has just surfaced in the form of a lengthy email from LSU System President John Lombardi and the contents of that memorandum are quite revealing of the Politburo mindset of this administration: “Be grateful for what we give you or suffer the consequences.” (The “Politburo” term was given us by friend Judith Howard, a columnist for Ruston’s Morning Paper.)

Lombardi’s memo went out to LSU administrators only hours before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee convened on Thursday to receive Jindal’s executive budget that called for, among other things, the elimination of 2,837 positions in higher education that turned out to be actually “only a handful,” according to testimony given by the Division of Administration (DOA) during Thursday’s testimony.

The discrepancy was explained that the bulk of the job eliminations were for vacant positions that will not be filled. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater did not explain how eliminating already vacant positions would save the state money. And no one asked, certainly no one in higher education.

“In this upcoming session,” Lombardi said in his email, “the administration will be focused on K-12 and retirement reform, and the administration does not think it helpful to have complicated or difficult or contentious higher education initiatives brought before the legislature. Special tuition bills or other initiatives that do not have the complete support of all of higher education will only distract from their effort to hold the budget intact for higher education and complete the rest of their agenda.”

Does not think it helpful Indeed. How many parents would love to be able to sell that concept to their teenagers?

Lombardi also said the LSU Board of Supervisors leadership “has indicated strong support for coordinated messaging to accompany coordinated representation during the upcoming legislative session.”

Of course Jindal appointees make up the majority of that board’s membership. ‘Nuff said about that.

Lombardi also just happens to be in the final year of his contract. ‘Nuff said that, as well.

The budget counts tuition increases in the system’s total state budget allotment and includes tuition paid through the college scholarship program TOPS in much the same manner as it used grants from the 2009 federal stimulus act to prop colleges and universities.

But rather than complain, Lombardi wrote, “In exchange for this good treatment, the administration would appreciate” it if higher education officials recognize that the budget “gives higher ed special treatment and thank the administration for their attention and concern for higher ed.”

You can almost visualize the college presidents, deans and department heads down on their hands and knees at the fraternity hazing initiation saying as the fraternity president lays the leather strap to their backs and buttocks, “Thank you, sir! May I please have another?”

Here is the complete text of his email, which went out at 6:07 a.m. on Thursday:

As you all know, the Division of Administration will present the Governor’s budget to the legislature today. The best information we have from the Administration is that the general outlines of the budget for higher education will include the following:

1. higher education will be provided the same total all funds budget level as last year;

2. the new budget will include Grad Act tuition increases as part of the total all funds budget;

3. savings from the retirement adjustments will be given back to higher ed institutions;

4. only higher ed receives both the hold harmless all funds budget and the additional opportunity to use any retirement savings;

5. there will be no freezes on salary adjustments for employees whether in civil service or not;

In exchange for this good treatment, the administration would appreciate higher ed leadership doing the following:

A. recognize that the budget gives higher ed special treatment and thank the administration for their attention and concern for higher ed;

B. avoid negative messages about higher ed funding this year or overall as the total means of finance for higher ed has experienced a relatively low
reduction compared to other parts of the state budget and compared to other states;

C. recognize the need for retirement reform and recognize the benefit to higher ed of the ability to use the retirement savings at the institutions,
something not possible for other state agencies. Estimate is $100M from retirement savings to higher ed;

D. provided coordinated responses from our PR offices so that all units of higher education respond in the same generally positive and supportive way
to the Administration’s efforts to avoid significant loss of funding from the all funds budgets of higher education institutions.

In this upcoming session, the Administration will be focused on K-12 and retirement reform, and the Administration does not think it helpful to have
complicated or difficult or contentious higher education initiatives brought before the legislature. Special tuition bills or other initiatives that do
not have the complete support of all of higher education will only distract from their effort to hold the budget intact for higher education and
complete the rest of their agenda.

As usual, we will ask Bob Keaton to coordinate the LSU System institution’s responses to legislative issues, and Charlie Zewe will coordinate with
campus public relations offices on the various messages needed.

The Board of Supervisors leadership has indicated strong support for coordinated messaging to accompany coordinated representation during the
upcoming legislative session.

Many thanks.

John

The email may have been written by Lombardi and sent out by him over his name but the document has Jindal’s fingerprints all over it.

Jindal’s promise of $100 million for higher education should his retirement package pass the Legislature this year isn’t really that much when it’s divvied up among all the universities. The LSU system alone is comprised of 11institutions.

Then there are the various campuses of Southern University (Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport), University of Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Grambling, Northwestern, McNeese, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Nicholls State and Southeastern. Without even factoring in the junior colleges, that comes to 22 campuses, or an average of less than $5 million each.

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Jindal dangles $100 million carrot in front of university presidents in effort to gain support for retirement package

Posted in Budget, Governor's Office, Higher Education, House, Senate, Legislature, Legislators on February 8, 2012| 5 Comments »

Is Gov. Bobby Jindal now trying to pit university and college presidents/faculty against state workers?

That certainly seemed to be the case on Wednesday when he dangled a $100 million carrot in front of state college system presidents (and certain legislators) in the form of a promise that state colleges would share an extra $100 million on the condition that lawmakers pass his radical state retirement system package during the upcoming legislative session.

The tactic represents a new low for the governor as he attempts to play on the fears of colleges and university presidents that their institutions would take large hits as the result of yet another anticipated budgetary shortfall of $900 million in what is becoming a somewhat tiring annual soap opera.

Jindal Chief of Staff Stephen Waguespack said the governor’s executive budget unveiled to lawmakers on Thursday would keep higher education funding at its present level in the 2012-13 fiscal year beginning July 1.

In a brazen attempt at outright bribery, Waguespack told the higher education officials that if the legislature approves Jindal’s proposal to overhaul the retirement system for thousands of state employees, the $100 million saved through cheaper retirement costs at universities would stay with the campuses and would not be used to stop cuts elsewhere in state government.

To that, we would add these words of caution to the university presidents: be careful, it’s a political promise and political promises have a habit of evaporating like yesterday’s cheap aftershave.

Jindal’s suggestion is calculated to build support for his proposed retirement changes among legislators with colleges in their districts. Those changes would, if approved, increase rank-and-file state employee contributions by 3 percent, shrink benefits and push back the age for collecting retirement payments. New state employees would be shifted from defined benefits to defined contributions similar to cheaper 401(k) type accounts.

Such an obvious ploy should be beneath a governor who purports to eschew politics as usual. And make no mistake, this is politics as usual: pure extortion of targeted legislators through anxious college presidents to garner votes necessary to pass a controversial legislative package.

It’s enough to make one sit back and ask, “What’s next?”

What tactic will the most ethical, most transparent, most accountable governor employ next to get his way in his efforts to push through an agenda aimed at destroying public education, slashing state employee retirement and health care benefits, privatizing state agencies and services and shoving thousands of dedicated state employees onto the unemployment rolls.

There may not be a lot of public sympathy out there for state employees, but these people are our neighbors, our relatives, our children’s teachers, and others who provide services across the civilian spectrum on a daily basis.

You may not care for the plight of state workers but they touch our lives each and every day, whether you know it or not.

Rest assured, Jindal has a much larger agenda than what is best for the State of Louisiana. His every move, every action, is carefully calculated to benefit businessmen and corporations who have a vested interest in privatization, who see profit in school vouchers and charter schools, who stand to gain financially by a relaxation of regulations special tax breaks, and who have invested in this governor’s political career.

It’s no accident that he has steadfastly, in the face of one fiscal crisis after another, year after year, refused to consider any increase in corporate taxes.

Jindal hopes those corporations have bigger plans for him.

And there’s your real carrot.

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Notable Quotables (in their own words)

Posted in Education, Governor's Office, Higher Education, Notable Quotables on November 17, 2011| 3 Comments »

“The health, safety and best interests of our children is of paramount concern…”

–Gov. Bobby Jindal, in announcing his executive order that anyone employed by a public Louisiana college who witnesses child abuse or neglect must report it to law enforcement within 24 hours.

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Notable Quotables (in their own words)

Posted in Higher Education, Notable Quotables, Public Records, Transparency on July 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

“The institution will require reimbursement for the associated costs for conducting this research and for preparation of documents necessary to satisy your request. To perform the research and to compile the information, we estimate that the task will take a MSU employee approximately two hours to complete. We estimate the total cost to the university to be approximately $36.”

—Eddie P. Meche, CPA and Vice President of Business Affairs for McNeese State University, in reply to LouisianaVoice request for records of the number and costs of state cell phones issued to McNeese personnel. After some rather intense negotiations over principle (not one other state agency tried to extract funds for compliance with our request), the powers that be at McNeese acquiesced and provided the information at no charge.

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Jindal, like Diogenes, needs lamp to find common sense in his absurd decision to sign bill into law at Baptist church

Posted in Campaign Contributions, Economy, Education, Governor's Office, Higher Education, House, Senate, Legislature, Legislators, Transparency on July 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

BATON ROUGE (CNS)—A few random notes worth sharing in the wake of the most recent legislative session and Gov. Jindal’s ongoing love affair with north Louisiana:

Because Jindal and the legislature have seen fit to play fiscal shell games with education in Louisiana, considerable but unnecessary—and certainly unfair—financial strain has been placed on local school boards around the state.

Even as Jindal, when he was not drumming up campaign contributions in other states by telling Republican supporters in Wisconsin, Illinois and elsewhere what a fine job he has done in Louisiana, was telling actual constituents and state workers they would have to “do more with less.”

Except when it came to golf courses.

Ah, yes, the golf courses, that old bugaboo we talked about last year.

And let’s not forget the other sports venues and pet projects that took priority over education in Priority 1 capital outlay appropriations this year:

• City Park Golf Complex improvements in New Orleans—$6.6 million;

• Junior Golf training facilities for Jerry Tim Brooks Lakeside Golf Course in Caddo Parish—$200,000;

• Golf course development in Calcasieu Parish—$6.1 million;

• Zephyrs baseball facilities in Jefferson Parish—$1.2 million;

• Professional sports facilities and lease hold improvements in Jefferson Parish (provided that $8.5 million is used to improve the New Orleans Hornets’ training center—$17.5 million;

• Recreational complex in Iberia Parish—$1 million;

• Baseball stadium Improvements in Baton Rouge (which has no baseball team)—$1.4 million;

• Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame/Natchitoches State Museum—$7.7 million;

• Bayou Segnette sports complex improvements in Jefferson Parish—$9.2 million;

• West Ouachita Youth Sports Association site renovations—$25,000;

• Poverty Point Reservoir State Park conference center in Richland Parish—$250,000;

• Poverty Point Reservoir (real estate acquisition)—$1.7 million;

• Washington Parish reservoir feasibility study—$2.6 million.

Meanwhile, in Livingston Parish, the local school board has found it necessary to freeze all salaries and to eliminate three work days from the 2011-12 school year in an effort to cut costs.

Three days may not seem like much but why would we want to cheat our kids out of even 10 minutes?

Union Parish schools operated on a four-day week last year and at least one school district, Caldwell Parish, will follow suit this year.

But the state somehow found the money for $50 million in projects for golf courses, reservoirs and recreational facilities.

And we barely scratched the surface. Local projects were down from last year, but they still could be found crammed into this year’s budget.

Jindal, meanwhile, makes use of the tax-supported state web page to post what comes dangerously close to being a political ad for his re-election.

Go to http://www.louisiana.gov and then move your cursor to “Government,” click first on “Executive Branch,” and then on “Governor,” and voila! Up pops a series of photos of Jindal shaking hands with truck drivers, construction workers, National Guardsmen, etc. The accompanying text to the side reads:

“More than 39,500 new direct and indirect jobs will be created from the economic development wins we have announced since taking office in 2008, along with more than $8.5 billion in capital investment in our state. These figures represent thousands of opportunities for generations of Louisianians—Louisianians who will not have to leave our state to secure a great education or find a rewarding career.”

Like plucking chickens in Farmerville, perhaps?

Not that we have anything against chicken pluckers but it seems the really good jobs were handed out by Jindal to folks from out of state—including his Deputy Commissioner of Administration (New Hampshire), his press secretary (New Jersey), the Secretary of Health and Hospitals (Washington State).

Well, you get the picture.

Of course, it’s going to be rather difficult to remain in the state when programs of study at colleges and universities have been cut to the bone, college tuition increased, teacher pay cut, and state agencies privatized, forcing state workers into a virtually non-existent job market.

Our friend Don Whittinghill observed recently that Jindal convinced local school boards that the 2.75 percent growth factor of the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP—the formula used to fund public education in Louisiana)—would not be funded for the third straight year; that the state passed to the local school boards the cost of transporting private and church school students; that the state-promised $5,000 stipend for teachers who achieve the rigorous National Board Certification would have to be absorbed by the already-shrunken MFP, and that local school boards’ state retirement system contributions would jump to 22 percent.

But, hey! We got our golf courses and Baton Rouge has its baseball park improvements, just no team to play on it.

And Jindal continues to commandeer the state helicopter to fly to north Louisiana churches to give testimonials that are really little more than thinly-disguised efforts to raise still more campaign funds.

In something like five months, Whittinghill tells us, Jindal spent more than $45,000 flying to exotic places like Downsville, Dry Prong, and Shongaloo to give witness to adoring Protestant congregations.

As recently as Friday, July 8, he boarded that helicopter and flew north to the First Baptist Church of West Monroe. There, he took the occasion of signing into law HB-636 by Rep. Frank Hoffmann (R-West Monroe).

If something as blatantly political as that single action doesn’t cost the First Baptist Church of West Monroe its IRS tax-exempt status, nothing should.

How the governor could do something so ill-advised as to put the church’s tax-exempt status in jeopardy or why the church officials would allow it is a mystery.

Moreover, it’s another of those mindless laws that is almost certain to be contested in the courts at considerable cost to the taxpayers of Louisiana and it’s just as certain that the state ultimately will lose the case.

What is this bill? It’s a measure that would require women to be informed of their specific legal rights and options before they undergo an abortion procedure.

Whatever your position on this emotional issue, a church is no place to be holding a ceremony signing it—or any other bill, for that matter—into law.

Abortion providers will be required to post signs around their clinics stating that “it is illegal to coerce a woman into getting an abortion, that the child’s father must provide child support, that certain agencies can assist them during and after the pregnancy, and that adoptive parents can pay some of the medical costs.”

The law also creates a Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) website and a mobile platform to deliver information “about public and private pregnancy resources” for avoiding abortions.

The first question that comes to mind is how are fathers going to be forced into providing child support given the current deadbeat dad caseload backlog?

Second, just who is going to be around to enforce the child support laws after Jindal gets through gutting DHH as part of his far-reaching obsession with privatization of state agencies?

The most bizarre statement yet was uttered by Jindal while signing the bill into law when he compared women who receive abortions to criminals:

“Now if we’re giving criminals their basic rights and they have to be informed of those rights, it seems to me only common sense (that) we would have to do the same thing for women before they make the choice about whether to get an abortion,” he said.

Common sense?

Indeed.

That would seem to be the rarest of commodities with this governor.

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