Back in 1897, Mark Twain wrote, “In the first place, God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made School Boards.” It seems not much has changed since Twain penned these infamous words, as public contempt for the elected bodies that oversee our government-run school systems is stronger than ever.

It’s the dog days of summer, and many Louisianians have been focused on LSU baseball, the missing Titanic sub, and the 4th of July holiday. Here’s a rundown of key headlines that you may have missed.

Thousands of Louisiana seniors graduated high school this summer. They did so by staying in school and working hard to meet a modest set of graduation standards that have been in place for at least 30 years. Now BESE is considering action that will eviscerate the state’s existing graduation requirements and make those diplomas far less valuable.

Despite the serious and long-lasting consequences that extended school closures had on student achievement, many public-school districts are throwing recovery money into pet projects that have nothing to do with helping students recover from the pandemic.

Louisiana spends over $4 billion a year on K-12 education. Taxpayers and parents have a right to know where that money is going and how it is being spent—but the education swamp is pushing to ensure that never happens.

As the debate over public school spending transparency ramps up at the Louisiana State Capitol this Legislative Session, public school superintendents from across the state are working overtime to kill reform efforts that would make it easier for you to find out how they are spending your money.