Jay Dardenne: ‘Jindal Is Overreaching On Common Core’

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne hammered Gov. Bobby Jindal’s handling of the controversial Common Core State Standards, saying that he has overstepped his boundaries as governor of Louisiana.

The Common Core State Standards were adopted by the state in 2010, encompassing English language arts (ELA) and math. Full implementation of the standards did not come until this past school year, bypassing a transitional year that was originally planned.

About a month ago, Jindal declared war on Common Core, pledging to get the state out of the federally recognized standards which parents and teachers alike have long decried. Jindal asked that the state be removed from the Common Core-aligned PARCC Assessment, which would be one step closer to ridding the state of the standards.

Dardenne, though, does not approve.

“It is an executive overreach in my view,” said Dardenne about the governor’s approach to the Common Core issue. “I am at a loss to see how this is beneficial to the students of Louisiana.”

Dardenne said there is probably a substantive debate to be had over whether Common Core is right for Louisiana, but the governor’s approach to scrapping the academic standards has not been productive.

Dardenne said that education issues should have been resolved during the legislative session, rather than leaving teachers and parents in the dark about what is to come in the upcoming academic school year.

So with less than month to go until school starts, teachers and students are unclear about what academic assessment will be used to measure their achievement. Dardenne — who thinks differences of education policy should be resolved during the  legislative session — said the governor has overstepped his bounds.

“This is an outrageous exercise in politics. Students and teachers are being left in a lurch,” said Dardenne.

Though Dardenne has not stated whether or not he is for and against the Common Core State Standards, he did hint that he views them much more favorably than Jindal. “It is a not federal creation and it is not a federal dictate,” Dardenne said of the standards.

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