State Representative John Bel Edwards of Amite has been named the Louisiana Federation of Teachers’ Friend of Education for 2014. The Friend of Education Award is the highest honor that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers bestows on a non-member of the union. It is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to public education.

(Baton Rouge – November 3, 2014) A Louisiana Department of Education report boasting success for Louisiana’s controversial school voucher scheme amounts to little more than political propaganda on the eve of an election, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

Prompted by fears that the Ebola virus could invade Louisiana, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved emergency rules giving superintendents the authority to close schools or send students home if threats appear.

Obviously the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is disappointed by the high court’s decision. After a district court ruled three times that Act 1 is wholly or in part unconstitutional, we had hoped for a different outcome.

(Baton Rouge – August 20, 2014) Tuesday’s court ruling against the Jindal administration’s effort to block tests linked to Common Core State Standards fails to address the real issues facing teachers and their students as school opens for the 2014-15 school year, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

The August meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was contentious, with members clashing over the future of New Orleans’ John McDonogh High School, accountability for voucher schemes, the Recovery School District’s $213 million budget and more.