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Louisiana Board of Elementary & Secondary Education

History & Structure

The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was established as a constitutional body during the 1973 Constitutional Convention. That Convention revised Chapter XII of the Constitution of 1921 entitled "Public Education" and the vast number of amendments which had been added over a fifty-year period. Prior to adoption of the 1974 Constitution, education at all levels except LSU had been governed by a single state board of education. At that time, the state superintendent of public education was an elected position which also served as ex officio secretary to the State Board, and the primary administrator and Chief State School Officer for Elementary and Secondary Education.

In 1974, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education became the administrative policy-making body for elementary-secondary schools, and it was also made the governing board for vocational-technical education, for special schools, and for units in Special School District #1.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held its first meeting on May 1, 1975, in the A. D. Smith Auditorium in the State Department of Education in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its eleven members served six-year overlapping terms. In 1984, the terms were shortened and made concurrent with the four-year term of the Governor.

Initially, eight of the eleven members were elected from the eight congressional districts and three at-large members were appointed by the Governor. After the 1990 Census, Louisiana lost one Congressional District. Since the Constitution provides for eight members elected from single-member districts, eight BESE districts were created from which eight members were elected.

In 1988, the State Superintendent of Education became an appointed position under the State Board.

In 1999, authority for postsecondary vocational-technical education was transferred to a newly created board within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS).

The State Legislature approved reapportionment plans for BESE in 1992, in 1997, and again in 2001.

Composition

The Board is composed of eleven members; eight members are elected from BESE districts and 3 members-at-large are appointed by the Governor. All members must take an oath of office and appointed members are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The Board has a student member on the Academic Goals and Instructional Improvement Committee. The student member is selected each year through a competitive process sponsored by the Louisiana Association of Student Councils.

Duties

The powers and duties of the State Board can be broadly grouped into six main categories, which include:

Enacting policies and adopting regulations governing the state-wide operations of public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, including special schools and entities in Special School District # l;
Exercising administrative oversight over functions of the state's three special schools (blind, deaf, physically handicapped), and Special School Districts #1 and #2, including personnel, budget, and program operations;
Administering and serving as the fiscal agent and as program control agent for the Education Quality Trust Fund (8(g) programs;
Conducting administrative hearings and serving as the "court of last resort" prior to judicial proceedings in cases/controversies deriving from Board actions;
Exercising budgetary and fiscal control over the educational programs and services at the elementary and secondary (state and federal funds);
Preparing the MFP and presenting it to the Legislature for approval and distributing funds to local school systems.

The Board has other more specifically defined duties assigned to it by law. These include:

Approval of certification requirements for school personnel, including approval of National Teacher Examination scores for classroom teachers and school administrators;
Adoption of policies for the assessment and evaluation of teachers/administrators;
Adoption of policies for the assessment of student performance, including the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE), and policies for remediation of students performing below standard;
Awarding of diplomas and certificates for successful completion of programs of study;
Serving as local school Board for the state special schools for blind, deaf, and physically handicapped;
Coordinating the educational programs in the state correctional institutions and mental health facilities (Special School Districts # 1 and # 2);
Approval of textbooks, library and reference books purchased with state funds;
Administration of school food service programs in all schools;
Adoption of operating standards for public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools;
Administer the 8(g) Quality Trust Fund Program;
Administer the state's Charter Schools Program.

Compensation

Board members do not receive a salary, insurance or retirement benefits. They receive the same per diem provided by law for members of the State Legislature for each day of service at Committee meetings, Board meetings or on business assigned by the Board. Members are reimbursed for travel expenses for Committee and Board meetings and other activities they attend in their capacity as a member of the Board.

Officers

By law the members of the Board shall elect from among their members a president and a vice president and such other officers as they deem necessary, whose terms shall be fixed by the Board.

According to Board policy, the Board shall elect a President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer from its membership whose terms of office are fixed by the Board, not to exceed one year. The officers assume their duties at the Board meeting immediately following their election.