[StBernard] Growing The Economy, Improving Education Outcomes

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends,

This week we announced another great economic development win for Baton
Rouge and our entire state. BitRaider, a digital media company that offers
Netflix-style streaming for video games, is moving to Baton Rouge from
Florida. 

BitRaider cited tax incentives and strong economic development programs for
its decision to move to Louisiana. As I told the Baton Rouge Business Report
<http://cl.publicaster.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c7873%7c9390%7c791501&
digest=Q16lp3FtXuVqPErsLOFFEA&sysid=1> , the high-paying jobs that accompany
these innovative digital ventures also mean more opportunities for our
children to find high-paying careers right here in Louisiana. 

We also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Our Lady of the Lake
Medical Center's new Heart Tower and Level 1 Trauma Center in Baton Rouge.
This groundbreaking is the result of a partnership between the state and Our
Lady of the Lake to transform the way we deliver healthcare in Louisiana. 

On the education front, the Department of Education announced that our
students continue to make big gains. As WAFB
<http://cl.publicaster.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c7874%7c9390%7c791501&
digest=jF16qQjLXKegAkXLosTkbg&sysid=1>  reported, students showed
improvement on standardized test scores statewide for the third year in a
row. In the New Orleans region, we also continue to see great progress in
the performance of our students. In fact, the New Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://cl.publicaster.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c7885%7c9390%7c791501&
digest=6RdLoGNYvYSvcjDihrSqLw&sysid=1>  noted that "standardized test scores
improved for the fourth year in a row for students in the state's Recovery
School District, providing more evidence that the radical reforms undertaken
after Hurricane Katrina are producing results." Obviously, we must continue
pushing forward to ensure every child in Louisiana gets the education they
need to compete for good paying jobs in the modern economy. 

 
<http://images.publicaster.com/ImageLibrary/account848/images/2011-5-25.jpg>
Finally, we continue to monitor and prepare for the Mississippi River
flooding situation. Fortunately, we've seen forecasts downgraded for the
level of flooding, but we cannot let complacency get in the way of ensuring
our people and property are protected as we still expect to get a
significant amount of water. Keeping our people safe is our top priority and
we'll remain vigilant until the situation is over. 


Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal