Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke on conservatism within the public education system on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Jindal discussed the importance of the American Dream, specifically mentioning that his parents, both Indian immigrants, came to America in search of an idea, rather than a place. Jindal stressed the importance of education in his father’s life, as well as his own, saying his father’s education is the reason behind his success.
The governor then noted that an improved education system is the first step in solving most economic and domestic issues. To improve such a system, Jindal suggests two things must be done: increase school funding and having great teachers.
“You’re not promised equal outcome,” Jindal said. “You’re promised equal opportunity.”
One student asked Jindal whether he believes the Republican Party has strayed from its roots of less government oversight. Michael Dantuono, a student of Nassau Community College said, “He offered no explanation as to how being a social conservative fits into true conservatism. He ignored [mention of] Barry Goldwater, who was pro-LGBT and pro-choice, and instead pointed out that Reagan was for traditional values.”
Conservatism is defined by fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets, yet as Governor of Louisiana, Jindal proposed a gutted higher education budget that left $372 million completely dependent on tax credit rollbacks that were unlikely to pass.
Sharon Spada, a senior political science major, complimented Jindal’s views.
“I was a big fan of Bobby Jindal’s philosophy on how to reform the education system. School choice is good for kids who are locked into poverty-stricken neighborhoods with school districts that cannot provide adequate education,” she said.
“In my opinion, any kind of competition is good so I believe school choice would incentivize schools to better themselves. It will keep the quality of education higher and will work out better for everyone. Governor Jindal proved this worked with his work in his own state,” Spada said.
Over the course of Jindal’s tenure as governor, more than 100 positions were opened in various school districts; yet, several were filled by college graduates that acted as temporary teachers. In regards to student attendance, Caddo Parish School District in particular experienced a large downsize, in which nearly 800 students were lost.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, and various education professionals have aggregated different variables ranging from average ACT score to student-teacher ratio. According to this data, at the end of Jindal's tenure as governor, Louisiana ranked No. 51 out of every state in the country including the District of Columbia.
Despite these statistics, Jindal still feels that education is vital to the future of the country, saying, “If we don’t provide them an education, we can almost predict the outcome.”