[StBernard] Our Most Precious Asset

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends, 

As we gather together this holiday season to celebrate with friends and
family we have the chance to reflect on the past year and look forward to
the year to come.  It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks we
will begin our third year in office. While we still have more work to do to
make Louisiana the best place in the world to raise a family and pursue a
great career, the improvements we've already made on ethics reform,
workforce training, education, and economic development have been
tremendous, and folks all across our state are taking notice.

Just last week the Baton Rouge Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c929%7c9390&digest
=rDhRPxFEYmjCjGiUQS0CdA>  said that educators nationwide are paying more
attention to the way our state prepares teachers.  U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan confirmed that Louisiana was on the cutting edge of
educator preparedness and assessment and suggested that every state should
be following our lead.  We know our children are our most precious asset,
and the New Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c920%7c9390&digest
=9tzQUFBxsREWxiyxsa8x7g>  wrote about their support for legislation we will
pursue during the next legislative session to have school districts evaluate
teachers based on how much progress students show. The paper said we need
"to do what is best for students, not what is most comfortable for the
grown-ups in the education bureaucracy," and that's exactly what I intend to
do.

More good news for our education system came last Tuesday when officials for
L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Houma announced the purchase of
32 acres of land that will serve as their new campus. I am glad we helped
secure $2.7 million for the school's expansion. As System President Joe D.
May told the Thibodaux Daily Come
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c921%7c9390&digest
=shmz98FJR9%2bL1NDoVNwxbw> t, this new campus will "help us in our ongoing
mission to train Louisiana's future workforce and provide an outstanding
education to our citizens."

The Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c922%7c9390&digest
=BvTtDFSTgiJkWKmiAJHWOw>  also recently noted the importance of public
scrutiny of state contracts and commended our efforts "to push for
improvements in Internet access to the spending of taxpayers' dollars."  The
people of Louisiana have a right to know how their tax dollars are being
spent and our new online database for state spending, LaTrac, is an
important part of ensuring transparency and openness in government.
Originally designed to make state expenditures and performance standards
more easily accessible to the public via the Internet, we added a new
section including contracts between the state and private companies as well
as nonprofits engaged in state activities.  

Finally, the Opelousas Daily World
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c923%7c9390&digest
=8Aruf3q4gvr9sfntNDS5Cg>  recently took note of our efforts to jump start
transportation projects by freeing up state money to pay for road projects
now that can later be reimbursed with federal dollars.  The Daily World
declared that in the face of "looming fiscal problems," they were grateful
that "officials applied some problem-solving skill to Acadiana's continuing
need for transportation improvements."

As we continue to work together, I know we will make 2010 another historic
year for moving Louisiana forward. Supriya and I wish each and every one of
you a very Happy New Year! 

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal