The public school agendas of Gov. John Bel Edwards and state Superintendent of Education John White appear to be on a collision course.

White's state Department of Education is in the midst of a year-long review of state education policies, which was prompted by a new federal law called the Every Student Succeeds Act.

But Edwards, who is no friend to White, has named an advisory council to do a review of its own, and the group is top-heavy with critics of the superintendent.

The governor's panel may recommend changes in how public schools' letter grades are formulated and call for changes to other accountability measures, which would trigger controversy.

Scott Richard, executive director of the ถถา๕h School Boards Association and a member of Edwards' advisory council, said one purpose of the panel is to "really look at the various initiatives that we have bounced around with in ถถา๕h and determine if they are truly working."

Debra Schum, executive director of the ถถา๕h Association of Principals and another task force member, made a similar point.

"The advisory council will make sure that we are looking at the right changes for our accountability system," Schum said. "I think ESSA opens a lot of doors."

Critics contend the governor's panel would like to use its review to try to undo key parts of the public school overhaul in place since 2012, including letter grades, testing and other areas.

"I think it is a shame that certain people would fail to understand that it is time to let the reforms that we put in place take effect and start having an impact," said former Senate Education Committee Chairman Conrad Appel, R-Metairie. He is now a rank-and-file member of the committee.

The new federal law that states have to comply with replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. It is aimed at improving student achievement by requiring schools meet certain benchmarks.

The review by the state Department of Education is not expected to recommend sweeping changes on public school letter grades or other key accountability measures.

"It should not substantially change what we already have in place," said Brigitte Nieland, who follows public school issues for the ถถา๕h Association of Business and Industry.

However, dueling reviews that put Edwards and White on different sides will highlight previous disagreements.

The governor vowed to replace White during his campaign last year, then backed off that promise in January amid a lack of support for such a move on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Education Department officials announced Thursday that, after nine hearings statewide and other meetings with civil rights and other groups, key points raised so far include better aligning public schools with colleges and the workforce; improved assistance for struggling students; and upgrading teacher training.

But the makeup of Edwards' advisory council, and members' early comments, suggest that it plans to go for bigger changes.

The 15-member panel โ€“ย 14 have been named so far โ€“ย includes several who often disagree with White on key education issues, including Richard, Schum, and Debbie Meaux, president of the ถถา๕h Association of Educators.

In an email, Richard said there should be no anxiety about the advisory council because local school leaders will have to live with the results of the state plan.

"In contrast, the state superintendent that will have a heavy hand in crafting a state plan for the purposes of the new federal law is on a month-to-month employment agreement," he wrote.

Asked if the governor wanted to comment, Shauna Sanford, a spokeswoman for the governor, said in an email, "We are coordinating our efforts with the Department of Education to work to avoid any potential conflicts of interest."

Taking a new look at how letter grades are assigned to public schools and districts is one issue already gaining traction on the panel.

Under current rules, schools and districts get grades annually based on student test scores.

Meaux, a longtime critic of the grading system, said it should be changed to include items like school safety, extracurricular activities and the condition of the school facilities themselves.

"The concern is that a single summative grade does not give you the full story," Meaux said.

Backers say the letter grades give parents and others an easy way to see how schools are performing.

Schum, a former assistant state superintendent, principal and teacher, disagreed.

"I don't think people really understand our current system," she said. An A-rated school? "What does it mean?" she asked.

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber just released a report that said teacher unions hope to use the review sparked by ESSA "as an excuse to advocate for reducing state testing and eliminating school letter grades."

Nieland agreed.

"I am sure they are going to attack testing," she said. "I am sure they are going to attack letter grades."

Richard said ถถา๕h already gives students more tests than are required by the federal government and the list needs to be trimmed.

White said in July that time spent on state exams was trimmed 38 percent this year and high school test-taking time is in line for reduction too.

The superintendent plans to submit a state plan to BESE early next year, then send it to the U.S. Department of Education by July so changes can take effect for the 2017-18 school year.

Exactly how the governor's advisory council's recommendations will be used is unclear.

The federal law says the governor will have input in the state plan.

One route would be to try to make it part of any plan approved by BESE.

Legislation is another possibility.

Meaux noted that the advisory panel has yet to hold its first meeting.

"I would hope that the governor would have a discussion with the superintendent and see where things can be married together, where there might be room for compromise," she said.

Follow Will Sentell on Twitter, @WillSentell.

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