Jindal asks official to resign

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jul 2, 2009 - Page: 1A

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Tammie McDaniel, of Oak Ridge, a member of the state’s top school board, has been asked to resign her post by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office.

“I have not made a decision yet, but I expect we will discuss it after the holiday,” McDaniel said Wednesday.

She declined to say who in Jindal’s administration sought her resignation and what reasons were cited.

Jindal made McDaniel one his three appointees to the board about 18 months ago.

“I’ll say this, every person we appoint to any board, we expect them to support a reform agenda,” Jindal said.

“If they don’t do that, they  can expect to hear from us,” the governor added after a bill-signing ceremony Wednesday.

He declined to elaborate.

McDaniel was named to a four-year term on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in January 2008. The 11-member board sets policies for about 650,000 public school students statewide.

Jindal’s request is highly unusual. Veteran educators could not recall  similar cases in recent memory.

McDaniel said she has backed Jindal on key education votes.

“I have placed a high priority on the governor’s education agenda, and I have done so without exception,” she said.

But McDaniel is also considered sort of a gadfly on the board and has clashed with state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, who is Jindal’s chief public education lieutenant.

“She seems to be very independent,” said Dale Bayard,  of Sulphur, a member of the board. “That is important when you are making those tough education decisions.”