Our very first post in October of last year offered a sobering look at Louisiana’s education system:

“If Louisiana continues to increase educational attainment at the rate it has over the last decade (2000-09), the state will have a college-attainment rate far short of the 51 percent goal for future workforce needs by 2018.” — Board of Regents’ 2011 Employment Outcomes Report

Since then, a bevy of education reform measures have been passed into law and could lead the state into a brighter future. One of those laws bans tenure for new teachers, which was actually the focus of our second post.

That inaugural week, we went on to review non-governmental organizations that were receiving state money without being in compliance. We outed corrupt politicians and questionable decisions by local governments. The Political Desk also linked the motives of donors to top elected officials.

We stuck to those same themes during the following eight months, through the 2012 regular session and its aftermath. Our mission was clear: to focus on good government stories, uncover waste and shed new light on the politics behind the politics. To say we had a good time in the process would be an understatement.

But that’s due in large part to you. Our readers made this site work, from voting in polls to writing in about the stories we were posting. The Desk’s many contributors — journalists, elected officials, freelancers, community leaders — helped define the site as well. And we thank you all.

Moving forward, The Political Desk as you know it will cease to exist. But the copy is still here, complete with citations, attributions and links you can use to continue to stay informed and learn more about Louisiana government. So stay involved and keep a watchful eye.

Again, thank you for making this possible and participating in the conversations we kicked off last year.

With kind regards,

The Folks Behind The Desk