Higher Education Commissioner Won't Renew Contract

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's higher education commissioner says he won't seek a contract renewal when his current deal with the Board of Regents ends in March.

Jim Purcell, who has been in the job since February 2011, notified the board at its meeting Wednesday.

The announcement wasn't necessarily a surprise.

Purcell's time in Louisiana has been rocky, and he recently applied for a higher education position in Florida, though he didn't get the job.

He has often been at odds with Gov. Bobby Jindal over the depth of budget cuts, with more than $700 million in state funding stripped from higher education since 2008.

Earlier this year, several Republican state lawmakers said Jindal was trying to pressure the Board of Regents to fire Purcell.

Purcell's $275,000-a-year contract in Louisiana runs through March 20.

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Information from: The Advocate

Filed Under: Jim Purcell