Maybe you haven’t heard. I don’t know if it was said in a public forum, or in a radio interview, but it was definitely tweeted by Will Sentell of the Baton Rouge Advocate.
John White and wife expecting baby any day. Girl.#laed
— Will Sentell (@WillSentell) August 15, 2018
I’ve said for years that if these reformers had children in public school, they wouldn’t tolerate anyone doing to their schools what they are doing to ours. When I saw Sentell’s tweet, I was overcome with a momentary feeling of relief. Finally! But then reality set in. A child of John White will never attend a public school. No, they will attend the very finest private schools; probably on a state financed voucher. One would assume that with a $275K/yr salary, and a spouse employed as an executive in an education reform nonprofit known for overpaying its leaders, White could easily afford to pay for a quality private education. I mean that is what school choice is about, right? Without the current state of school choice, parents who can’t afford a private education might be forced to give legal custody of their child to someone who lives in a better school zone.
It would seem that Mr. White has also made some good investment decisions with his large salary that will better enable him to pay for a top notch private education. On June 13th, White submitted a disclosure statement to the Board of Ethics indicating that the VF Corporation paid for travel and lodging expenses for White to attend its annual meeting in Scottsdale, Az., on May 16th. Public officials are required to submit disclosures anytime they “accept complimentary admission, lodging, or travel to and from an education, or professional, development seminar or conference.
The VF Corporation isn’t, in any way, affiliated with education. It’s a textile retail corporation. They sell apparel, shoes, etc. and they own the VF Factory outlets across the country. I mean, really…why would they pay for White to attend their annual meeting; unless, he is a shareholder…a significant shareholder? If that’s the case, why submit a disclosure?
Anyway, I’m rambling through all of this trying to get the original point of this blog, which was distracted by Will Sentell’s tweet. For the 6th year in a row, BESE has given Supt. John White a favorable evaluation. As I have written on multiple occasions, White’s contract expired on January 11, 2015. The newly elected BESE members allowed White to remain employed per the terms of his contract which state that he may remain until he is reappointed, or another appointment is made. This is also supported in Revised Statute 17:21; however, the length of time that this may happen is defined in Revised Statute 24:14 which limits it to the last day of the 2nd regular session after expiration of the appointment. That date was June 8, 2017.
As you know, BESE has not, at anytime, discussed a contract for White in a public meeting. They have not discussed keeping White on a month to month basis in a public meeting. They have not submitted White to the Louisiana Senate for confirmation. BESE has twice defended its failure to carry out its duty to appoint a superintendent in lawsuits that were dismissed not for lack of merit, but because an ordinary citizen doesn’t have standing to file suit. The people who do have standing, Gov. John Bel Edwards, Senate President John Alario, and Attorney General Jeff Landry have not taken action to force BESE to full their responsibility.
BESE president, Dr. Gary Jones, communicated to me in an email that “there was no appetite among BESE members to discuss White’s contract.” Essentially, BESE has no desire to carry out its responsibility. Why is that? Under the previous BESE, and the current BESE, White has received 6 favorable evaluations. If BESE is pleased and satisfied with White’s performance, why haven’t they voted to extend him a contract? Well, that’s easy. They don’t have the votes to reappoint him, so they will just float along, answering to no one, until the next BESE election in 2019. I have no doubt that LABI et al, with their deep pockets, will secure all eight elected seats, then proceed to reappoint.
In the next blog, I’ll explain why BESE is making a grave mistake. Pay attention.
