FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DFER-Louisiana Stands Behind Louisiana’s Students and State Superintendent John White
Recent lawsuit filed to oust Education Superintendent dismissed
NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Monday, July 10, 2017, District Judge William Morvant dismissed the lawsuit filed by State Senator John Milkovich earlier this year. Following this ruling, Democrats for Education Reform-Louisiana’s State Director Eva Kemp made this statement:
“This ruling is a win for our state and more importantly for our kids. We’ve said from the beginning that this lawsuit was a desperate and frivolous attempt to remove a leader who is deeply committed to moving our state’s public education system toward excellence,” said Kemp. “When we think about what we want for our students and what we want in a leader, Louisiana parents, students, community members and voters should be proud of the progress made over the last several years in public education. DFER-Louisiana applauds the work led by Superintendent White and the thousands of teachers and school leaders across our state. Now it’s time we put our focus back into our classrooms instead of on petty political plays; it’s time we all start putting Louisiana’s students first.”
Under John White and BESE’s leadership, ACT scores are up, graduation rates continue to improve, and early childhood programs have expanded significantly across the state. Seven thousand more students completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in 2016 than in 2013, affording them greater access to post-secondary education and training. That number has continued to rise in 2017. Moreover, nearly 2,500 more graduates in the Class of 2016 were eligible for TOPS than in the class of 2012.
###
Contact: Leslie Leavoy, leslie@dfer.org