The elections for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education around the state could become expensive if the slate of so-called reform candidates from 2011 face serious challenges this go around.
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry estimates that 47 percent of its total election budget, which stands today at $675,000 but will grow, will be dedicated to BESE races only.
“We spent $30,000 in 2007, around $305,000 in 2011 and it’s looking like we’ll reach that level again soon for the current BESE races,” said Brian Landry, LABI vice president of political action.
At stake are the reform seats secured last cycle and the eight-vote bloc needed to keep, or remove, Education Superintendent John White next term. The reform group on the 11-member board has overhauled teacher tenure, boosted charters and championed private school vouchers.
Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana Republican Party played a big role in underwriting the election of those reform members in 2011. But Common Core, which the reform members and White (in favor) and Jindal (against) split on, has also splintered the party and now neither are playing in the races.
“We haven’t endorsed anyone in the races and most are Republican versus Republican. So as of now, no,” said state GOP executive director Jason Doré when asked whether the party would get involved.
So who is picking up the slack? In addition to LABI, there’s the Alliance for Better Classrooms PAC, organized by businessman Lane Grigsby and directed by Dan Juneau, LABI’s former president. Juneau said he’ll have a better handle on just how active the races will be after qualifying, but he expects ABC to raise money in the high six figures or maybe even the low seven figures.
Empower Louisiana, whose board Grigsby sits on, may be the only super PAC in the field on the pro-reform side. While union groups from outside Louisiana aren’t showing much interest, opting to instead attack on the school board level, several national groups with Louisiana affiliates will be fighting for the reform candidates, including the pro-charter Stand For Children; Federation For Children, which has businessman Eddie Rispone attached; Democrats For Education Reform; and Black Alliance For Educational Options. The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, run by Carline Roemer Shirley, is part of this coalition as well.
On the other side of the fence, so far, is only FlipBESE, which has been loosely organized by anti-Common Core parents. It has its own slate of candidates opposing the so-called reform campaign and they’re being promoted primarily on a Facebook page.
“There is no money involved in this whatsoever from our side,” said spokesperson Amy Lemoine of Lafayette. “We want a board not tied to out-of-state special interests and candidates who realize the current education agenda is inadequate. We want a board that will get rid of John White. We want him gone.”
Another player to watch for is the Network for Public Education, which was founded by activist and education historian Diane Ravitch of New York. The advocacy group, which opposes corporation-backed school reforms, has started making endorsements in the state.