Mitch Landrieu: “as my State and the rest of the Gulf Coast work to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives and their communities…”

“as my State and the rest of the Gulf Coast work to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives and their communities, we look to the future. We look forward to stronger levees, a more responsive FEMA, a better medical system, and a better school system. We look to our children--because they are the future--and we are striving to build the best school system in the country. We are in the middle of a remarkable period in Louisiana--and our schools are at the center. Our schools are re-opening and developing in new and innovative ways. There is a wonderful partnership with our institutions of higher learning, who are throwing themselves into not only rebuilding themselves but into standing up this new school system. But key to this new school system are the people who make it work day after day--our teachers, our principals, our aides--and it is vital that we recruit, retain, and maintain all of the excellent individuals who are dedicated to our children and the future. That is why, today, I am so very proud to introduce the Landrieu- Kennedy-Reid RENEWAAL Act of 2007. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita not only damaged or destroyed 840 schools in Louisiana, but dozens more throughout the Gulf Coast. As the 176,000 displaced elementary and secondary school students and their families begin to return, what was a need to rebuild these schools and bring in new teachers has become an emergency.”