Triggered educrats act like hiding something

When educrats seem so triggered by a simple request, you have to suspect there’s something more to it than meets the eye.

HR 13 by Republican state Rep. Valarie Hodges would have required public schools and colleges to submit a written report of all campus programs and activities related to critical race theory; diversity, equity, and inclusion; or transformative social emotional learning. Documentation minimally would have included the purpose and expected outcome of each program or activity, a brief description of each program or activity, the number of personnel dedicated to the program or activity and the position and title of each, the total amount of funding expended to support the program or activity, and the total amount spent to support the program or activity with the amount that is state-funded.

That’s all. And it’s not difficult to do. For an example at the university level, a quick perusal of the University of Louisiana Monroe’s website reveals it has an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with paid staff. It doles out fellowships to ULM staff. It sponsors events and forums. Along with other University of Louisiana System universities it awards a scholarship to black males – a gift likely to be under constitutional scrutiny before the month is out. Its Honors Program promotes the notion. Its English major with a concentration in music requires a “Diversity Equity Inclusion Elective.” And so on.

It wouldn’t be difficult for public schools to do this as well, given existing legal and regulatory requirements regarding information gathering and financial reporting. In fact, the only semi-intelligent remark made against the bill came from a representative of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education who wanted greater clarification of terms involved.

Yet providing more specific definitions hardly is difficult. Florida, soon to be followed by Texas, figured that out in the course of banning its higher education institutions from having DEI offices, programs and mandatory trainings and would also require that all hiring practices be color-blind and sex-neutral.

But many opponents testifying on the bill before the House Education Committee, including Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges System Pres. Monty Sullivan and ULS Pres. Jim Henderson, came off as positively unhinged. Sullivan framed the bill as an attack on racial minorities and insinuated that at least some representatives and other bill supporters were racist for that – and even managed to throw in an insult to Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has nothing to do with lawmaking in Louisiana.

For his part, Henderson seemed confused about what the bill did. Like Sullivan, he mounted a defense of the spending but as part of that volunteered that institutions in his system didn’t spend money pursing ideological instruction or “neo-Marxist indoctrination,” which the bill didn’t cover.

All for a good government transparency request that merely asked how much was spent for certain activities. One which both said, rather brazenly considering their remarks, they didn’t oppose.

Why would they act so defensively over such minor and unobtrusive legislation so easily complied with and with next to no cost? Was it only their unprofessional behavior that brought shame onto higher education in Louisiana? Or perhaps, to be Shakespearian, they protest too much, or, in the colloquial, where there’s smoke (seemingly coming out of their ears) there’s fire from something?

Regardless, the bad news was the committee as a whole turned down the bill. The good news is that the gamut of state education doesn’t need the bill to accomplish its purpose. The governor can order than information to be brought forward for higher education, while the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education can do the same for elementary and secondary schools.

Elections this fall can ensure such a governor and enough BESE members are elected to halt the posturing and make recalcitrant educrats serve the people.