LFT Endorsements
Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees (LFT), has announced endorsements for the 2019 primary elections. 75 candidates have been selected from around the state who have each demonstrated their commitment to supporting public education issues which influence our schools, our teachers, and our students.
Hundreds of new educators join the LFT family.
Each electable BESE seat is subject to election this year, which means you will have a chance to vote for your BESE representative in October. Therefore, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Public School Coalition are hosting a series of candidate forums across the state.
And more!
Can you believe summer is almost over? Sometimes it can feel like things never slow down, but as we prepare for the back-to-school season to begin, here are some July highlight
“Teachers have always had power,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told the crowd at the TEACH opening plenary Thursday afternoon. “We need to own our power. And we need to build our power so we can move our agenda—for our students and our families; for safe, welcoming and well-funded public schools; for affordable higher education; healthcare that is a right, not a privilege; a living wage; a decent retirement; a healthy climate and a strong democracy.”
In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column in the New York Times, she writes that, despite President Trump’s claims that we have the “best economy ever,” his policies are harming working and middle-class Americans, many of whom are struggling just to get by. “Our political and economic systems are so weighted toward the wealthy that opportunity will only come through the power of collective action,” she writes, using “the surest vehicles to increase opportunity for ordinary Americans”—public education, labor unions and voting. Read the full column.
Yesterday evening the 9-week Louisiana legislative session came to a close. It was a fast-paced term with lots of legislation that had the potential to impact the lives of every day teachers and support staff in Louisiana. Here are the highlights:
Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees and the entire Louisiana Public School Coalition (LPSC) hosted two lobby days at the Capitol this week: Tuesday and Wednesday. Hundreds of teachers, support staff, principals, superintendents, school board members and retired teachers joined forces to lobby their legislators in the House of Representatives around a common message: support Senate Concurrent Resolution 3! SCR 3 is the legislative approval of the MFP, which provides for $101 million in educator pay raises and $39 million in increases for local school districts.
RAISES FOR TEACHERS AND SUPPORT EMPLOYEES
There are less than two weeks left in the legislative session. It’s down to the wire and yet, the House Education Committee is still working to block passage of the MFP funding plan in every way that they can. They need to hear from you. Call the House Switchboard right now and ask to leave a message for your representative:
THE MFP PASSES THE SENATE
On Wednesday, the Senate passed SCR 3, which is the MFP! This funding plan was unanimously passed by BESE in March and would secure $101 million for pay raises for teachers and support employees and $39 million for local school districts. Securing this funding in the MFP is crucial because it can not be taken away from one year to the next! The Senate vote was nearly unanimous (Senator Appel of Metairie was the only 'no' vote). Click here to send a thank you note to your senator.