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The Vermilion Parish School Board has spelled out a new education model that should improve test scores and student learning in the district.
The district-wide vision, dubbed “Our Vermilion,” encourages schools and the parish on the whole to work together so that all students can receive top-notch education, said Jerome Puyau, Vermilion Parish School Board superintendent.
In fact, the school board decided that the academic calendar should begin and end earlier than it had in previous years so that students will have more time to prepare for the tests. School starts on Aug. 10.
To be effective, the model must begin with teachers. Teachers will review data from the LEAP test – such as individual student scores, average district scores and statewide averages – to tailor lessons to student needs.
Teachers will also refer to data from classroom assessments like compass observations, in which the principal evaluates how well teachers engage students in the classroom.
The district will use a new program, LEAP 360, to measure student progress from the start of the school year to the spring, when students take the LEAP test. Students will take a series of assessment tests to prepare for the standardized test.
The program tracks scores not only from month to month but also from year to year. That is, as students graduate from one grade to the next, the program will collect data from individual scores so that administrators can review whether student learning has improved.
Puyau has collected student data since becoming superintendent in 2013. That year, he said, the state began setting higher expectations for students. Now, the state offers LEAP 360 to all school districts.
“Data is very useful, and that's what our big push is going to be,” Puyau said. “It's about what's best for the kids, but we use data to guide what we're doing. We use that data to drive instruction for the individual child.”
During a vocabulary lesson, for example, a teacher might direct simple questions to children who struggle with vocabulary to engage them. The teacher might ask more complex questions to students who perform at higher levels to engage them. Students at lower levels will listen to upper-level questions, Puyau said, and will begin to absorb the information.
In short, the program promotes learning on all levels. Teachers will work with children so that test scores improve not once but each year.
Puyau has structured the program so that all students can meet “mastery” or “advanced” levels by 2025. Mastery means that students have mastered the skills appropriate for their grade level. Advanced students demonstrate skills seen in the next grade level.
“We performed very well as a district this past year. Our expectations are high, and we know that every child can do it,” he said. “I'm excited about the school year. We're going to have the technology and the data to ensure teacher success and, in turn, student success.”
In addition to these efforts, school employees and some students spent the summer “beautifying their schools” for the upcoming year, Puyau said.
“I'm proud of not only our teachers but our administrators, bus drivers, janitors, secretaries. Across the district, the school staff and community members came together. It makes students proud of their schools, especially high schools. A lot of the kids did the work themselves. This is our Vermilion; it's not only saying it in words but in actions.”

Believe it or not, there is finally some good news to report on the state budget front: Governor Edwards is signaling that he plans to propose a detailed, specific plan to address the upcoming fiscal cliff. This change in approach from our elected leader is welcomed, timely and much needed.
Up until now, the people of Louisiana were receiving very different signals.
Last session, the Governor deviated from the fiscal recommendations made by the HCR11 Task Force (a group driven by members of his own team) and instead drafted and proposed a commercial activity tax (CAT) that was riddled with unintended consequences. The proposal met defeat by a wave of bipartisan opposition and the Governor spent most of the remaining days of session asking the legislature to take the lead. The House, in turn, requested spending cuts instead of new taxes, a suggestion which was not well received on the 4th floor. Session eventually ended with a balanced budget, but not much else in terms of budget or tax reform to prepare for the upcoming fiscal cliff. A special session to be called this fall or early next year, to decide what to do with the Governor’s temporary taxes, seemed all but inevitable.
However, only a few short weeks ago the Governor sent a letter to the Speaker of the House saying he may not call that special session after all, unless House leaders come forward with their own plan centrally focused on new revenue. Many were left scratching their heads on that one, considering that not calling a special session would require the Governor to submit a budget later this year filled with cuts much deeper than the ones he refused to accept just last month. It was unorthodox to see an elected official, in essence, threaten himself. Knowing how unappealing that option must have looked in hindsight to the Administration, many folks in the legislature simply saw that letter as just an attempt to influence press coverage rather than begin the collaborative effort required to develop a comprehensive plan.
Thankfully, things have now changed. Concerns that the Governor was not willing to offer his own comprehensive plan to solve the fiscal cliff appear to have been misguided. That plan by the Governor now seems to clearly be on the way.
Will his plan extend the current 3-year sales tax increase by 2 more years to mirror his original 5-year proposal? Will it instead propose new personal income taxes to replace the sales tax increase? Will it be new business taxes? If so, will it target specific industries like movies, agriculture, manufacturing, oil & gas or telecommunications?
Instead of new revenue, will it propose spending cuts, budget restructuring, entitlement reforms or the unlocking of statutory dedications to finally get more flexibility to use existing dollars more efficiently? Will the tremendous number of local subsidies used each year to supplement local government be replaced with more autonomy and authority for local officials, driving those decisions away from the special interests that dominate the Capitol and closer to the taxpayers back home who foot the bill? Will reforms to Medicaid or our legacy pension systems be included? Will budget transparency to show the public exactly how their tax dollars are spent finally be implemented to rebuild some of the trust lost by taxpayers over the years, which has led to growing opposition from them to invest in obvious needs like infrastructure and education? Will it contain new ideas, old ideas or a mixture of both?
There are so many ways he can go with his plan and it will be interesting to see where his proposal ends up. Regardless, it is a positive that it is now clear he intends on offering his own plan. This will help shape the substantive and controversial debate on taxation and budgeting this state has largely avoided for decades.
This new commitment by the Governor to develop a specific plan apparently begins with his reaching out directly to the business community for input, a move that was a long time coming and warmly welcomed. In contrast, it is no secret that the first few years of this administration have been dominated by state-sanctioned lawsuits against the energy industry, aggressive efforts to unwind hard-fought education reforms that seek to help improve our workforce, and increasingly inaccurate and hostile rhetoric against employers regarding their contribution to the state and local government’s revenue pictures. Hopefully, these meetings will be where some of that harmful rhetoric is taken back and the collaborative trends begin to move our state in a different direction.
The Governor has specifically asked over twenty different CEOs and business leaders to come to his office to “discuss tax reform and solicit recommendations from the business community about the best approach to stabilize Louisiana’s budget.” The written invitation from his office added that, “The meeting will be closed to the press and not recorded, however, Gov. Edwards will put out a statement to the media immediately following the meeting to thank the business leaders for attending and offering constructive input. A list of attendees will also be released.”
Press reports in recent days state the Governor has promised this is just the beginning of many meetings with many different folks to gain input on how to address the cliff. This appears to be just the first step in an entirely new approach…an approach that apparently will lead to a specific plan by the Governor to address the fiscal cliff in a responsible way.
The days of laying back, blaming others, relying on accusatory rhetoric and using the media to pressure others to bring him a plan appear to be over. The Governor appears to now embrace the responsibility to develop his own comprehensive plan to solve the fiscal cliff, explain it to the people of this state and use his political capital to sell it to the best of his ability. That would be a welcome change of pace. That would be leadership…and leadership is exactly what this state desperately needs.
Stephen Waguespack is President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

ERATH — A Mass of Christian Burial for Anna B. Romero, 83, will be 3:00PM Tuesday August 8, 2017 in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Father Bill Melancon officiating. Interment will follow in Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be in David Funeral Home of Erath Tuesday August 8th from 9:00AM until service time with recitation of the rosary at 1:00PM.
Anna, born in Maurice and a resident of Erath passed away Sunday August 6, 2017 in her residence. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother who loved to spend time with her family.
She is survived by her husband of 64 years Wiley Romero of Erath; her children Karleen R. Hebert and husband Floyd of Erath, Jean Romero and wife Angela of Delcambre, and Shane Romero and fiancée Yvonne Berthelot of Erath; 3 grandchildren, Danielle H. Daigle and husband Josh of Lafayette, Kaile Stoute and husband T.J. of Delcambre, and Kyle Romero and fiancée Coti LeBlanc of Delcambre; 4 great grandchildren Brilee, Jacques, Amelie, and Arielle.
She was preceded by parents, Leonce and Amelie Broussard, a brother Lurby Broussard, a sister Verna Mae Broussard Viator, and an infant grandson.
Serving as her Pallbearers will be Jean Romero, Shane Romero, Kyle Romero, Floyd Hebert, Josh Daigle, and T.J. Stoute
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to her caregivers Penny Solet, Sandy Irwin, Janet Hollier, Hospice of Acadiana, and NSI Nursing Specialties.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Erath is in charge of arrangements. 209 E. Putnam St. Erath, LA 70533 (337) 937-0405.

ERATH — A Memorial Mass for Gloria Ann Pillette, 73 will be held at 9:00AM on Monday, August 7 2017 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church  of Erath  with Fr. Andre Metrejean officiating.  
Ms. Pillette was a caring teacher, loving mother and caring grandmother who passed away from a heart attack at 12:00 midnight on the 29th of July 2017 in her home with her eldest granddaughter. Gloria grew up in Erath not very far from her own home.  She attended Dozier Elementary School in Erath and graduated from James A. Herod High School in Abbeville. She graduated from Southern University with a bachelor degree in Education. She began her career teaching at an elementary school in Baton Rouge and then taught as a 2nd grade teacher at Dozier Elementary School, touching lives of children for 25 years. She had recently come back from Dubai where she spent seven years visiting with her grandchildren, daughter and enjoying other cultures.
Gloria is survived by her daughter Kimberly P. Guerin and her husband Ralph Guerin of Dubai and her loving grandchildren Ralph, Lenaoria, Kimaya, and Cecilia of Dubai; two sisters Mary Azalie Hasley of Beaumont, Texas and Theresa P. Robertson of Erath, LA and three brothers Arthur Sr. and wife Helen Pillette of Port Arthur, Texas and Claude Pillette Sr. of Erath, LA and Joseph Pillette Sr. of Lafayette and sister in law, Lillie Pillette of Erath.
She was preceded in death by her parents Eunice and Rosie D. Pillette, her brothers Claudette Pillette, Wilson Pillette Sr., and Ernest Pillette Sr.
David Funeral Home of Abbeville, 2600 Charity Street, (337) 893-3777 are handling the arrangements.