SENATOR GRAY EVANS Applauds Creation Of Education Facilities Fund

State Senator Cheryl Gray Evans expressed surprise and relief that Governor Bobby Jindal, by signing Act 226, agreed to establish the Statewide Education Facilities Fund.

“House Speaker Pro Tem Karen Carter Peterson and I worked hard to draw attention to the long-standing and significant need to rebuild the infrastructure of our public education system in Louisiana. Establishing a facilities fund is not enough, but it is a step in the right direction,” said Senator Gray Evans.

Louisiana ranks the fourth lowest among all states in terms of funding for public school facilities, Senator Gray Evans said. Forty-one other states provide some form of funding for their school facilities—Louisiana is still not one of them.

Senator Gray Evans sought to create a State Education Facilities Authority, which would back school reconstruction and improvement with state direction on how to spend school construction dollars and utilize bonding capacity.

"Act 226 shows the Governor taking an important first step towards sustained school improvement. Bills to create an Education Facilities Authority and Fund passed both houses unanimously, but were vetoed by the Governor. By allowing creation of the Facilities Fund into Act 226 we have an important new tool, but before the fund can be utilized by the State, the Legislature must authorize the Statewide Education Facilities Authority.”

Senator Gray Evans said she isn’t sitting still. She said she will be working diligently with the Cowen Institute, Agenda for Children, Algiers Charter School Association, Avoyelles Parish School Board, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), Children’s Defense Fund, Citizens for One Greater New Orleans, Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools, League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, Louisiana School Board Association, School Leadership Center, and many others who endorsed this legislation to raise private funds from foundations and individual donors.

“I intend to come back to the Legislature next year, showing how there is now a Facilities Fund, with pledged dollars sitting in it, and now we need the authority to spend that money for its intended purpose,” she said. Additionally, Senator Gray Evans will be convening a facilities group to do a planning year so there can be a more concrete plan for the Authority for next legislative session.