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School Board Members' Kin Could Be Promoted Under Bills

Posted on: Friday, 31 March 2006, 18:00 CST

By WILL SENTELL

School board members' kin could be promoted under bills

Public-school teachers with immediate family members on the school board could be promoted to administrative jobs under a bill sponsored by a St. Francisville lawmaker.

The effort, which stems from a push by West Feliciana Parish Superintendent Lloyd Lindsey, faces major hurdles in the Legislature.

"Anytime you are changing ethics laws, it is going to be tough," said Rep. Tom McVea, R-St. Francisville and sponsor of the House version.

"It is not going to be an easy battle."

Sen. Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro, and sponsor of a similar measure in the Senate, agreed with McVea.

"It is going to be tough, I think," Ellington said of prospects for the proposed change. "I really do."

The proposals are House Bill 675 and Senate Bill 604. Both are awaiting committee action.

Under both bills, immediate relatives of school board members or the superintendent could be promoted to administrative positions such as school principal.

Ethics laws ban the practice.

Nepotism laws are designed to prevent government officials from making employment decisions about their own relatives.

As an exception to the law, certified teachers with immediate relatives on the school board can work for the district, but they can't become administrators.

Public school boards generally make decisions on administrators based on the recommendation of superintendents.

Backers said small school districts are hamstrung by the prohibition, which they said discourages top-flight educators from joining the school district.

"Very few professions have a terminal job, and that is what this amounts to," Lindsey said of the prohibition.

"You can have all the credentials, be hired as a teacher, do a good job and, if you are kin to a member of the board, you are never going to become an administrator."

McVea said the president of the West Feliciana Parish School Board is a highly respected, third-generation educator.

Some of his relatives would like to join the school district, he said, but are discouraged from doing so because they know they cannot advance beyond the classroom.

McVea said his proposal is sure to trigger concerns, especially since school boards in rural districts have long been regarded as politically powerful.

Those boards are under more scrutiny today, he said, and that trims chances for abuse.

Lindsey said, if the change becomes law, voters would still have the final say if they conclude that board members are abusing their jobs.

"If they thought a board member was picking somebody because he was a family member, I hope they would vote them out," he said.

Under McVea's bill, board members or superintendents would have to steer clear of decisions that involve relatives seeking administrative posts.

Ellington said his bill may be changed so it only applies to parishes with small school enrollments.

Exactly which parishes would qualify is unclear. He said he also wants to get the opinion of state ethics officials.

The state Ethics Board may decide whether to take a position on the bills when it meets April 13, said Kathleen Allen, deputy general counsel.

The Louisiana School Boards Association backs the change, said Freddie Whitford, executive director.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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