By Barbara Forrest

Gov. Bobby Jindal is showing a bit of irrational and imperious behavior in the afterglow of the 2009 legislative session, perhaps emboldened by his successes with mostly compliant lawmakers.

Just two weeks after his charming wife, Supriya, visited Shreveport schools and Sci-Port to promote math and science education, Jindal’s veto pen sliced out $250,000 for an LSUS enrichment program that helps middle and high school students prepare for careers in math, science and engineering. Do the founder of the Supriya Jindal Foundation for advancing math and science education and her husband not talk? — “Gov makes questionable education calls,” Shreveport Times editorial, July 5, 2009 (emphasis added)

The Supriya Jindal Foundation, to which this Shreveport Times editorial refers, has a mission, as stated by its founder Mrs. Supriya Jindal, who is herself a chemical engineer:

To be competitive in the national and global economy, the state of Louisiana must first be competitive in the classroom.

As U.S. demand for scientists and engineers grows at a rapid pace, studies show that Louisiana students rank low in basic science and math proficiency. To prepare our children for the rewarding and high-paying jobs of the 21st century, we need to come together now and commit to making a greater investment in education.

I created the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children to harness the power of technology in Louisiana classrooms, to emphasize the importance of science and math, and to help develop the Louisiana workforce of tomorrow.

Mrs. Jindal’s “Fast Facts” explain why such efforts are necessary:

In eighth grade math, Louisiana’s public schools rank 45th in the nation.

In fourth grade science, the state of Louisiana ranks 35th out of 39 states examined.

The goal of her foundation is to attract donations from private sponsors — whose contributions can range from $10,000 to $250,000 over four years — in order to purchase whiteboards for Louisiana classrooms. For the last six months or so, since she founded the SJF, she has toured the state of Louisiana to speak to students about the importance of math and science. (See “Supriya Jindal promotes math, science,” Baton Rouge Advocate, March 31, 2009.) She deserves commendation both for her effort to raise money for schools and for her personal interactions with Louisiana students about how important math and science are to their futures and to the future of the state. Thank you, Mrs. Jindal.

The enrichment program to which this Shreveport Times article refers is LaPREP, which Louisiana State University-Shreveport (LSUS) has run for almost twenty years. This program provides just the kind of opportunities that are so desperately needed by the students to whom Mrs. Jindal speaks:

LaPREP is a two-summer enrichment program which identifies, encourages, and instructs competent middle and early high school students, preparing them to complete a college degree program in math, science, or engineering.

The really nice part of LaPREP is that LSUS rewards the students who succeed in this program:

Students successfully completing two years of LaPREP are eligible to apply for LaPREP scholarships to attend LSUS as entering college freshman.

But the really, really nice part is this:

LaPREP spends over $1,600 per student per summer to conduct the program, yet participants and their families pay no tuition or fees of any kind. (emphasis added)

The program is free to students who qualify, and according to the Shreveport Times editorial, LaPREP “has graduated more than 500 students” and “none has dropped out of high school in a state with a dropout pandemic.” That stunning statistic apparently cut no ice with the governor, but the LaPREP director is not giving up:

Carlos Spaht, the creator and director of the LaPrep program, said the news was heartbreaking. ‘I’m disappointed, very disappointed, but we’re not going to give up,’ he said. ‘We’re still going to write grants.’ — Mike Hasten, “Jindal’s vetoes cut $390,000 for Shreveport-area projects,” Shreveport Times, July 2, 2009

LSUS Chancellor Vincent Marsala is also disappointed:

Chancellor Vincent Marsala called the governor’s veto ‘an unfortunate event for the children of our area.’ ‘This program has attained regional and national acclaim in its goal to encourage young students to study math and science, remain in school and go to college,’ he said. ‘The failure of the state to support this excellent model for Louisiana and the nation is a sad situation.’

Louisiana has many excellent, dedicated educators, and Prof. Spaht, a mathematician, is clearly one of them. In 2007, he was recognized as the “Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. At the award ceremony, he gave a moving explanation of why he began the LaPREP program despite being discouraged at the idea of taking on such a daunting project:

[A] middle school teacher told me about a student named Tony who she was teaching in an enriched class at one of the best schools in the Shreveport/Bossier area. Tony was an African American and in the 7th grade. He was the best student, the most popular student and the leader in her class. About 3 or 4 years later, she said, ‘Well, Tony has dropped out of school. He is on drugs and has joined a gang.’

It was then I knew that I had to try to do something.

And Prof. Spaht did do something, something for which 500 Louisiana young people are surely grateful. That’s a lot of kids in such a small area as Shreveport in such a small state as Louisiana. Thank you, Prof. Spaht. Let’s hope that you can find donors who are more appreciative of your efforts than the governor of your state.