Letters to the Editor

CAPITOL CONFRONTATION

Let me see if I have this straight. Dr. James Easton was at the committee hearing for HB 851, the so-called “micromanagement” bill. Testimony was given that school board members micromanage by their involvement in some personnel matters. Later that day, there was a spat in a Capitol hallway between Lawrence Lilly, deputy superintendent of Lafayette Parish and Easton, the former Lafayette superintendent. Easton followed up the incident with a letter to the board demanding that the Lafayette Parish School Board intervene [and in an interview with The Daily Advertiser called for Lilly’s firing], even though there was no recommendation to do so from Superintendent Burnell Lemoine, who witnessed the incident.

I am trying to understand how it is that Dr. Easton was testifying in support of HB 851 to prevent school boards from even having a vote in personnel matters, yet the first thing that is demanded is for the board to get involved in a personal issue involving Lilly.

In fact, current state law prohibits board members from exerting influence on personnel matters or to involve itself in matters where there is no superintendent recommendation. HB 851 would take away the voting requirement and leaving personnel matters solely to the superintendent’s discretion.

The real irony of the situation is if the board followed the demands of Easton , it would have been a clear violation of current law, much less the proposed HB 851 he supports.

Now that would be micromanaging!