[StBernard] EDITORIAL: Session winners: Education, Blanco

[Westley Annis]

Periodically, the press office will publish editorials and columns that feature Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's work in various areas. 

Daily Advertiser: Session winners: Education, Blanco
Published: July 3, 2007
View the article online <http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/OPINION01/707030327/1014/OPINION> 

There were two winners in the 2007 legislative session: education and Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The session closed with the governor's agenda totally intact. She won virtually every battle. Probably the most significant victories came in blocking efforts by Republicans to cut back on her spending initiatives so more money could be devoted to tax cuts.

State Rep. Monica Walker, D-Hessmer, said the governor has taken a lot of beatings since hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"It was important for her in her final session to come out on top," Walker said. 

Education, the other winner, will receive more than $650 million in new funds. School teacher salaries will be brought to the Southern Regional Education Board's average pay for the first time, and higher education will be funded to 100 percent of the state's formula. Increases in salaries for university professors were authorized. Other successful funding initiatives for education included expanding pre-kindergarten programs and updating school technology.

Blanco says the most significant accomplishments of the session besides the education initiatives were creating a $150 million mega-project fund, increasing road funding and enhancing health insurance for underprivileged children.

There were pay raises for a wide range of public officials and investments in hurricane repairs, a New Orleans teaching hospital and the Road Home program. Blanco's proposals to provide insurance premium relief to homeowners and make the state more attractive to insurance companies were also approved by the Legislature.

While it was a good session for Blanco and the lawmakers who supported her agenda, Republicans have a different perspective. Several criticized the overall spending practices, saying the decision to exceed the state spending cap opened the door to state spending of about $1.8 billion in surplus dollars compared to about $800 million if the cap had remained in effect.

Republicans argued the spending would saddle the next administration with major obligations. There is no question that many of the funding obligations will fall on the shoulders of the next governor.

The spending allocations for roads and bridges also came under fire. Rep. Bodi White, R-Central, expressed disappointment over the fact that the approved funding doesn't make a dent in the state's huge backlog of road and bridge needs.

How will the session be remembered? Most Democrats believe it will be primarily for the investment in education. Republicans believe it will be for exceeding the spending cap and creating funding obligations that will be a crushing burden for the next administration.

If state revenue remains at its present level, the Democrat view is accurate. We hope the session will be remembered best for the education investment.

There is, however, the disturbing, ever-present possibility of a sudden drop in revenue that could send scores of vital programs into a tailspin. At this point, the only certainty is that the session will be remembered for the unprecedented amount of money that was spent.

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People
www.louisianahelp.org