School proposal criticized

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Jan 6, 2009 - Page: 1BA - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LAFAYETTE — Former School Board member and state Rep. Rickey Hardy’s request that the state take over three low-performing schools in Lafayette Parish is a bit premature and an overstep of the legislator’s authority, say board members who represent the targeted schools.

In a letter dated Dec. 22, Hardy requested that state Superintendent Paul Pastorek consider taking over the operation and administration of three schools: N.P. Moss Middle, Alice Boucher Elementary and J.W. Faulk Elementary.

In his letter, Hardy states that in his 13 years on the board, “I witnessed firsthand the academic decline of these three schools.”

Hardy defended his request Monday.

“For two years the schools have been in academic decline; this didn’t happen overnight,” Hardy said. “For too long, the School Board’s been putting peroxide on a heart attack.” 

School performance scores at all three schools fell between 2007 and 2008.

This year, Alice Boucher and N.P. Moss made the state’s list of academically unacceptable schools with scores below 60. It was the second year that Boucher was on the list.

Despite the low scores, neither school has met the state’s requirements for a takeover, Superintendent Burnell Lemoine said.

“There are strict accountability guidelines that must be followed and those schools are not at that point,” Lemoine said. “… I don’t know of any other district in the state that the Department of Education has walked in and said, ‘We’re taking over.’ ”

René Greer, director of communications for the state Department of Education, said the schools are not eligible for a takeover and the state is intensifying its intervention resources at all schools that are deemed academically unsuccessful.

“We certainly appreciate Rep. Hardy’s eagerness to see that the decline in these schools is reversed and that we not allow them to decline further,” Greer said.

There are six-plus levels of academically unacceptable status, with schools moving to a higher level with each year of low performance. Schools become eligible for state takeover at Level 4. Boucher Elementary is at Level 2. N.P. Moss is at Level 1.

Hardy’s request surprised members representing the schools, including Shelton Cobb, the newly elected member Hardy supported to take over his former district.