[StBernard] PINSONAT BLASTS BOARD OF REGENTS

[Westley Annis]

PINSONAT BLASTS BOARD OF REGENTS
by Bernie Pinsonat (Pollster- SMOR)

The Board of Regents hires a consulting firm to find someone to become the
new Commissioner of Higher Education. They are paying this consultant
$105,500 to identify potential candidates for this position. First of all -
they should not be allowed to hire anyone for any position! Governor Jindal
gets to name new board members starting next year. This gang is bankrupt as
far as public trust and waiting for the new board to hire the next
commissioner is in the public interest. Why would anyone want to work for or
even be associated with this gang of regent board members! 

I have a news flash for board member Vic Stelly - it is not because of
legislative oversight that few candidates are interested in working for the
board of regents as its new commissioner. Who would want to work for this
board? The last commissioner made them look like wimps. They failed to act
decisively after finding out in a news article their employees deceived
them. The person (chief of staff) who enabled the last commissioner to
resign and rehire herself is still working at regents. I would not be
surprised if this gang gave the chief of staff a raise. Some board members
actually suggested that the current chief of staff be named the new
commissioner of higher education. Can you believe that! Without the chief of
staff enabling the former commissioner to resign and then rehire herself -
you would not be the most disliked group in government. The legislature
gutted your authority to hire and fire because you chose to protect a couple
of bureaucrats rather than act decisively against deceit and dishonesty. If
this board was not constitutionally mandated, the legislature and the voters
would eradicate regents from state government. 

I guess a poll of Louisiana voters on their opinion of the board of regents
is necessary to enlighten board members as to why the legislature acted to
strip them of their authority to set salaries, hire or fire. Be aware: the
good old days of education boards paying a person hundreds of thousands to
manage a few people is over. None of these higher education boards
represents the students or the tax payers - they have always represented
education bureaucrats. MEMO to Governor Jindal - please appoint new regent
board members who are not anti LSU! The board of regents has never been pro
LSU. In fact, a shuttle drove back and forth from Lafayette to Baton Rouge
shuttling key staff members of regents who all live in Lafayette. LSU is the
flag ship of higher education in Louisiana - board of regents has never
promoted this concept. Stay tuned for poll results!