Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1984-06-04

Duration: 00:25:43

Subjects: Teacher pay raises | AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE | Banking Industry | Education | Teacher certification | National teacher examinations | Kindergarten | SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION | Louisiana. Legislature | Louisiana Legislative Session, 1984 | Politics | Government

Contributors:

• Johnson, Ken Host
• Ekings, Robyn Host
• Crowley, Bob Interviewee
• Laborde, Raymond Interviewee
• Newman, Cliff Speaker
• Easterly, Richard Speaker
• Thompson, Mike Interviewee
• Bradley, C. Allen Interviewee
• Clausen, Tom Interviewee
• Long, Jimmy Interviewee

This episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from June 4, 1984, features Ken Johnson and Robyn Ekings hosting a daily legislative report on the 1984 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Johnson first reports on the day’s headlines. These stories include: an interview with Bob Crowley of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers on their efforts to lobby legislators for 10% pay raises; an interview with State Representative Raymond Laborde on being short of the votes to pass Governor Edwin Edwards’ $293 million tax plan to fund teacher pay raises; the House Appropriations Committee holding hearings on the state budget; an interview with State Senator Cliff Newman on his package strengthening the laws for driving without car insurance; and Tom Spradley, lobbyist, and Richard Easterley, a bank president, discussing the multi-parish banking bill. Next, Ekings reports on the failure of many of the bills in Governor Edwin Edwards’ 23-point education plan. She highlights a bill requiring the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to approve the lowering of the test scores on the National Teacher Examination (NTE) for teacher certification and a bill requiring a mandatory half-day of kindergarten. Her report includes interviews with State Representative Mike Thompson and State Representative C. Allen Bradley. Lastly, Johnson and Ekings conduct an in-studio interview with Superintendent of Education Tom Clausen and State Representative Jimmy Long, the chairman of the House Education Committee. They discuss: the lack of money to fund many of the programs in the Governor’s education plan; the mandatory kindergarten bill; a bill changing the Superintendent of Education from an elective position to an appointive position; and the NTE bill.