News

Louisiana is one of more than 30 states to be graded “F” on our support for public education in a new report from the Network for Public Education and the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

“Grading the States: A Report Card on Our Nation’s Commitment to Public Schools,” tracks the growth of private, for-profit charter and voucher schools that divert funding from public schools.

The Legislature passed a budget: Now it's up to us to fight for our children, our schools, and our profession!

The war on teacher unions continues: We care. We fight. We show up.

Judging by the reaction from Louisiana’s biggest business lobby, you might think that a recent Supreme Court decision about public sector unions will have a major impact in our state.

It won’t. But that’s not stopping big business from using the decision to attack the LFT and other unions in our state. Here are the facts.

Legislature steps back from budget cliff!

When it all came down to a vote, lawmakers didn’t even need the full 10-day special session to take a step back from the fiscal cliff and compromise on a multi-year budget fix that sets Louisiana on a more stable, reliable course.

Governor John Bel Edwards has announced his education agenda for the regular legislative session that opens on Monday, March 12, and ends on June 4. The governor's agenda includes reasonable, fair changes to the teacher tenure process and teacher evaluati

After a decades-long struggle to get Louisiana teacher salaries to the Southern regional average, a new report shows that our teachers now earn nearly $2,000 less than our peers.

Louisiana teacher salaries reached parity with other Southern states in 2007, according to the Southern Regional Education Board. Our average salaries reached a high-water mark in 2012-13, at $51,381. But by 2015-16 (the last year that figures are available) our average salary plunged to $49,745. That year, the Southern average was $50,955 (the national average was $58,363).

Governor John Bel Edwards was the featured speaker at the Louisiana Federation of Teachers' Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel conference, held on February 3, 2018, at the Baton Rouge Crowne Plaza Hotel. This year's conference was held in conjunction with the Federation's annual legislative issues meeting.

Robin Herrin, a member of the Red River United chapter of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, was announced as the recipient of the LFT’s Mother Jones Award at the LFT's annual Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Conference, held February 3, 2018 at the Baton Rouge Crowne Plaza Hotel.

St. Tammany paraprofessional Karen Hernandez received a Louisiana Federation of Teachers PSRP Scholarship at the Federation's annual Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Conference, held on February 3, 2018 at the Baton Rouge Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In January, Education Week released its latest comparison of educational achievement among the states, and once again, Louisiana is near the bottom of the list. In fact, we are among the only eight states to score lower than a “C” on the publication’s list.

Louisiana earned a D+, ranking us alongside Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Idaho. Only New Mexico and Nevada had lower grades.