No confidence

Kira Orange Jones on the BESE district she was just elected to represent:

In a brief telephone interview Saturday, Oranges Jones made clear that she does not see simply duplicating the New Orleans approach across Louisiana as the right strategy. She pointed out the important role played by voters in other parts of her district, including Jefferson and the River Parishes.

"I'm still learning about what makes these parishes diverse and each school district unique," Orange Jones said. "I'm committed to doing that."

It's refreshing to hear the Teach For America stooge who ran with mostly out-of-town PAC money behind her and refused to appear at any debate or community forum during the campaign admit that she really doesn't know much about the district she's going to represent.

At the same time, it's disappointing to see the Times-Picayune gloat this way about the results.

Saturday's runoff, in which Orange Jones toppled incumbent Louella Givens, amounted to the first definitive referendum on the city's mass experiment with autonomous charter schools, which now educate more than 80 percent of public school children in New Orleans. And taken together with the results of last month's primary and two other runoffs, it marks a shift in philosophy on the 11-member board that could usher in stark and controversial changes in the way all of Louisiana educates its children.

"Definitive referendum" is hardly the term for a district runoff where the Secretary of State's office reports a 15.6% turnout. (11.3% within Orleans Parish) If anything I'd interpret that as a system-wide vote of no confidence.