School board term limits bill dies in committee

By Debbie Glover
St. Tammany News
Published on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 10:52 PM CDT

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Proposed legislation that would limit the number of terms served by local school board members throughout the state has failed in committee. HB 664 would have limited the number of terms served by members elected after Jan. 1, 2010 to two and a half four year terms, or 12 years.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Carter (R-Baton Rouge) was supported by Gov. Bobby Jindal and State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek. The committee vote was 5-11.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers released a statement that “term limits should be a local matter decided by voters in school board districts and should not be dictated by the legislature.”

The St. Tammany Parish School Board had earlier passed a resolution stating “local education agencies work within a system of checks and balances, which is the hallmark of our democratic political structure and citizens have the right to determine who serves them.”

Proponents of the bill have stated that poor performance in schools across the state call for radical changes in the structure of school government. However, no data was cited to connect term limits to student performance, according to the LFT.

St. Tammany Parish schools are ranked among the top in the state.

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