Politico gives
us the latest crazy update about “education” in Louisiana. Why don’t the politicians just go away and let teachers teach?

“BUDGET CLASH ON THE BAYOU: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal releases his budget proposal today – and teachers and parents are anxious. Louisiana faces big-time fiscal woes [http://politi.co/1zL24uY ] that will require deep cuts. And Jindal has made clear he’s furious with many of Superintendent John White’s policies, including implementing the Common Core and using PARCC questions in the state tests. Put those two dynamics together and you’ve got a sizzling stew of rumors that education will take a big hit. Kristy Nichols, Jindal’s commissioner of administration, wouldn’t divulge budget details, but she told Morning Education that she and the governor “do have concerns with how much the department is spending on standardized tests.” Nichols said “there will be reductions” to education but added that White will have discretion in managing the cuts. “We cannot say it won’t have any impact,” Nichols said. “That will be up to the superintendent.”

– Before he even saw the numbers, White was fighting back. In a press call earlier this week, he scoffed at the idea that he could reduce spending simply by cutting tests aligned to the Common Core. “It is important to know that accountability and standardized testing are the laws of this state,” he said. “You cannot eliminate them by virtue of not putting them in the budget.” White also pointed out that scrapping the annual tests would violate No Child Left Behind and jeopardize $800 million in federal funding for Louisiana schools. “That would be crippling,” he said.

– Jindal’s chief of staff, Stafford Palmieri, shot back with a statement accusing White of threatening calamity if he didn’t get his way with the Common Core. “John White and President Obama want to bully moms and dads into accepting Common Core’s federal control of our children’s education,” she said. “We’re not going to be intimidated by their fear tactics.”

– In related news, a federal judge has ruled that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s case against the federal government over the Common Core has a right to be heard in court. The ruling has nothing to do with the merits of the case, merely allowing the case to move forward. A hearing is set for May 28 in Baton Rouge. The ruling: http://politico.pro/1wtdtny. Jindal also railed against the Common Core at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday: http://politi.co/1Dw25GX.”