[StBernard] State education chief visits St. Bernard Parish schools

[Westley Annis]

Kicking off a 30-day tour of schools across Louisiana, the state's new top
public education official visited renovated schools in Chalmette on Monday
and vowed to support increased funding for the cash-strapped St. Bernard
Parish school system. 

State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said he will back a special
payment of $5.6 million to cover skyrocketing health care costs for the
system's retired employees. 

More than 200 employees have retired since Hurricane Katrina, causing
payments for health insurance premiums to balloon to more than 40 percent of
the system's $13 million general operating budget. 

"That is a phenomenally large amount of money," Pastorek said at a news
conference in the Chalmette High School library. "No other school system in
the state is facing that kind of a problem." 

Pastorek also said the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
will ask the legislature to continue funding the system next year at its
current level of $13 million, which is about $2.5 million more than it would
receive under the state's per-pupil funding formula. 

"We're trying to maintain a certain level of funding that is more generous
than what other districts would get because St. Bernard has fewer students
to support its infrastructure," he said. 

About 3,800 students attend three schools in St. Bernard, less than half the
pre-Katrina enrollment of 8,800 students at 15 schools. Two more schools are
expected to reopen next year. 

Doris Voitier, superintendent of St. Bernard schools, said the proposal for
the state to pay the health insurance costs next year would give the system
some breathing room but wouldn't solve the problem. 

"I'm happy with the funding for next year, but we're looking for a
commitment for a longer period of time," she said. "This problem isn't going
away anytime soon, and we don't want to have to come back and deal with it
each year." 

Pastorek, a former member of the state board of education who officially
began his new job Friday, was appointed March 1 to replace Cecil Picard, who
died in February of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou
Gehrig's disease. 

Pastorek said he will visit other New Orleans area school systems in the
coming days as part of a month-long effort to meet school officials across
the state and solicit ideas for improving public education. 

"I think St. Bernard schools were probably hit the hardest by the
hurricanes," he said. "That's why I wanted to come here first." 

After touring Chalmette High and Andrew Jackson Elementary School, Pastorek
said he was impressed by how far the system has come since Katrina
devastated the parish. 

"You have done some truly amazing things," he said. "It just shows the
indomitable spirit of the people of St. Bernard Parish." 

Pastorek said he was particularly intrigued by a preschool program at Andrew
Jackson that takes children as young as 3. He said early-childhood education
is essential to close the achievement gap between poor and wealthy children.

"St. Bernard may be the only school system in the state that offers
pre-school to 3-year-olds," he said. "I know it's expensive, but you've got
to keep doing it." 

Pastorek said he will announce a plan for improving public education in May.


A strong proponent of boosting school accountability through LEAP
standardized tests, Pastorek said he's concerned that 250 of the state's
1,400 public schools have been dubbed "academically unacceptable." 

"We have some really good reforms in place, but we have to expand on them
and introduce some new ones to keep making progress," he said. 

(Paul Rioux can be reached at prioux at timespicayune.com or at (985)
645-2852.)