Copyright 1999 The Times-Picayune Publishing Co.
The Times-Picayune
February 14, 1999 Sunday, MANDEVILLE
SECTION: PICAYUNE; Pg. 8H3
LENGTH: 473 words
HEADLINE:
BOARD MEMBER TALKS TO CONGRESS
BYLINE: By Stacey
MacGlashan St. Tammany bureau
BODY:
The St. Tammany
Parish school system is well-known among state lawmakers and education officials
in Baton Rouge.
School Board member Charles Harrell hopes the system
soon will be equally well-known on a more national level. As part of the Federal
Relations Network, a nationwide lobbying network of school board members
coordinated by the National School Board Association, Harrell recently traveled
to Washington, D.C., to discuss federal financing of education with members of
the Louisiana congressional delegation.
"I thought it might be a way of
getting our input on the national level," Harrell said of accepting an
appointment by the Louisiana School Board Association to the network in
December. "One real advantage I see is the opportunity to invite members of the
delegation to visit," both to highlight areas of excellence and to address
school system needs, he said.
Topping the agenda for the three-day trip
were the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
through which the bulk of federal financing for education is set, the
possibility of dedicating federal dollars to school construction, the need for
greater local flexibility in the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act and school vouchers, Harrell said.
A group of about 20
school board members from various Louisiana districts and a couple of school
superintendents made the trip, Harrell said.
"The Louisiana delegation
expressed almost 100 percent support for the issues of the school board
association," he said, adding they "definitely were not big fans" of school
vouchers.
In keeping with the conference theme, "Collaboration for
Student Achievement," Louisiana's new accountability plan was mentioned in talks
with lawmakers but not in great detail, Harrell said.
Other highlights
of the trip included addresses by President Clinton, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen.
John Kerrey, Harrell said.
"Everyone who spoke or who we spoke to said
education was one of the top three priorities," he said. "I have a feeling ... a
major investment will be made."
Harrell supports the use of federal
money to build schools.
"I think that would be one thing we could do
with federal dollars without upsetting education being a local and a state
issue," he said. "The money could come through without a lot of federal strings
attached."
Harrell, in his second term on the School Board, is the first
district representative in the Federal Relations Network.
In addition to
opening communication between lawmakers and school officials, the network
conference also introduces board members from districts nationwide to the
variety of problems others are facing and the solutions they apply, Harrell
said.
"It opens your eyes to what other people face," Harrell said. "The
conference was well worth the time and effort."
LOAD-DATE: February 14, 1999 
