By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Newly elected state Rep. Greg Miller expects his first legislative session, which begins Monday, to be dominated by the sweeping educational reform proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal.

“I’ve spent a great deal of time speaking with school board members, principals and school faculty in the parish to get their input on the education agenda being proposed in Baton Rouge,” said Miller, a Norco attorney. “I’ve been educating myself on how things had been done before and how the proposed changes will affect our system. There are many principals who don’t want to be burdened with having to rehab ‘poor performing teachers,’ but they want to have the tools needed to properly educate students.”

Miller said Tuesday he was still processing a stack of bills the Jindal administration is supporting regarding the education reforms. He agreed that reform is important in a state with a poor track record when it comes to education but said that change needs to be measured.

“I don’t think everyone will be happy, but we need to do something,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to the debate ahead.”

Miller said his other focus for the session will be on flood protection for the west bank of St. Charles Parish and parts of the east bank of St. John the Baptist Parish.

“The coastal master plan draft is a big concern for me and the other delegates from the River Parishes,” Miller said. “Sen. (Gary) Smith, Randal Gaines, Troy Brown and myself all went to Baton Rouge together to meet with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana to express our concerns. The west bank of St. Charles has been left out of the most recent draft of the flood protection plan. The parish has already been allocated $5 million for projects out there, and the Lafourche Basin Levee District has already started grabbing land for the project. That area of the parish needs protection.”

Miller said he also hopes to make progress on a handful of smaller projects in the region that involve transportation improvements. He said he wants to work with the state Department of Transportation and Development to improve the Interstate 310 interchange at U.S. Highway 90, to possibly widen River Road in Destrehan where traffic often backs up and add street lights on Airline Highway over the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

Miller said he has also gotten requests from the Port of South Louisiana for capital outlay money to help fund expansion projects.

“The port is important to the economic development of the River Parishes and is one of the largest ports tonnage-wise in the country,” Miller said. “Action out there benefits the entire region.”

Finally, Miller also addressed Jindal’s proposal to remove the Reserve-Edgard ferry from St. John Parish. He said his office has fielded quite a few calls about the possibility of the region losing the ferry, and he understands the value.

“We need the ferry there,” Miller said. “Edgard is the parish seat, and if it is going to stay the parish seat that ferry crossing needs to stay in place. The court system is the lifeblood of Edgard.”

He added, “If the state is not going to give us a bridge there they need to give us a ferry there.”

Miller said he and the rest of the River Parishes legislative delegation have spoken at length about the issue and he believes a positive result will come about.