Add your voice to those of hundreds of other school employees working for quality education and improved pay and benefits.

Parent Resouce Page
UTNO knows that many parents find the new New Orleans school landscape confusing, We support the right of parents to have their questions and concerns answered. Visit UTNO's Parent Resource Page for helpful tips on finding the answers you need.

 On December 10, 2008, Civil District Court Judge Ethel Simms-Julien certified a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 8,500 public school employees terminated after the State of Louisiana took control of over 100 New Orleans Public Schools after Hurricane Katrina. In a 20-page ruling issued November 12, the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of the trial court.  The 3-judge panel was composed of Judge Edwin A. Lombard, Judge Terri F. Love, and Judge Paul A. Bonin. 

Like the mythological phoenix rising from the ashes, attacks on our public retirement systems are once again making news. At the request of Speaker of the House Jim Tucker (R-Terrytown), the joint Senate and House Committees on Retirement are meeting to discuss “reforming” the retirement incomes of teachers, school employees and other public servants.

In “Man of La Mancha,” the Broadway musical adaption of Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote, the hero sings that his mission is “to fight for the right, without question or pause; to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.”

Don Quixote was a lone individual, while the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is a union whose strength derives from the combined power of thousands of members. Yet our mission is the same — to fight for the right.

New Orleans music is known throughout the world as part of our unique heritage and local culture. But our musicians, along with our educators have suffered from direct attacks on education budgets and on the professionalism of teachers and other school staff who we rely on to help our children succeed.

Several nationally known local musicians are speaking out to voice their support for our teachers and other school personnel. Musician Charmaine Neville, Deacon John Moore, President of the American Federation of Musicians, and founders of the Rebirth Brass Band Phil and Keith Frazier are adding their images and words to UTNO’s citywide ad campaign titled “We Are With UTNO.”

These large ads are on display in several bus shelter locations around the city: Charmaine Neville: North Broad and Esplanade; Deacon John: S. Carrolton and S. Claiborne and also in the shelter at MacArthur and General DeGualle on the Westbank; and the Rebirth: Elysian Fields and Filmore. (Read their words of support...)

PLEASE BE ADVISED: The deadline to participate in the Sabbatical Sick Leave Settlement is October 15, 2009. Sabbatical Sick Leave notices were sent out June 15, 2009. If you are eligible to participate in this settlement, you should have received your form in the mail. If you did not receive it and think you are eligible, please call the Sabbatical Sick Leave phone line at 1-877-864-2199 right away to arrange to receive a form. Persons who wish to file a claim to participate in the settlement must complete the Claims Form and return it postmarked not later than October 15, 2009. If the Court grants final approval to the settlement on December 1, 2009, and if there are no objections to the settlement, checks should be mailed prior to December 31, 2009.
Important note: this settlement has nothing to do with the wrongful termination class action lawsuit filed after Katrina, which is currently working its way through the court system.

See the full article on the Sabbatical Sick Leave Settlement at the bottom of this web page.

Official complaints filed over mistreatment of teachers

 (Baton Rouge – October 1, 2009) A company that recruited foreign teachers to work in Louisiana schools is guilty of cheating those teachers out of thousands of dollars and holding them in virtual servitude, according to complaints presented to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers by international educators.

Do you know how to communicate what you and your colleagues need in the workplace?  Are you aware of health and safety issues nobody is taking care of at your school? Wish you could participate in a workshop that gave you the training you really need to do your job better? Maybe you know who the next mayor should be.

You should be on a committee! Sign up here.

The Louisiana AFL-CIO will be awarding three $1000 scholarships to high school seniors ...

The Visual Arts room at Eleanor McMain Secondary School was buzzing with anticipation earlier this month...

Follow the latest issues in public education, learn what the decision-makers are talking about, and see what education reporters are covering. Add your own thoughts and help create an online community of informed educators. Click this link to visit EdLog.

United Teachers of New Orleans and the American Federation of Teachers receive a variety of questions from charter school faculty and staff. The most frequently heard questions are below. If you have a question and you don’t see it below, please feel free to call AFT-UTNO or email your question to our Communications Director, Sherri Wilder, at swilder@utno.org. Thank you.

On May 26, 2009, Civil District Court Judge Sidney Cates gave preliminary approval to a settlement of United Teachers of New Orleans’ (UTNO) class action against the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). This lawsuit claimed that OPSB failed to distribute savings from amendments to the sabbatical leave and sick leave laws in 1999.

Notices will be sent out by June 15, 2009. Persons who wish to file a claim to participate in the settlement must complete the Claims Form and return it postmarked not later than October 15, 2009. If the Court grants final approval to the settlement on December 1, 2009, and if there are no objections to the settlement, checks should be mailed prior to December 31, 2009.
Important note: this settlement has nothing to do with the wrongful termination class action lawsuit filed after Katrina, which is currently working its way through the court system.

(Continue reading ….)