$3.7 billion MFP approved with inflation factor halved
LFT President Steve Monaghan says, “It is obscene to say that we can’t meet the obligations we have at the same time that we are giving away billions in tax exemptions.”
Publications and Reports
LFT survey on Act 240 Subcommittee Recommenations
Louisiana Federation of Teachers
Reaction to Preliminary LDOE and other Stakeholder Recommendations to the Act 240 Subcommittee
Conducted January 13-February 9, 2015
Teachers and other stakeholders from around Louisiana seem to agree that high-stakes standardized tests are the wrong way to measure teacher effectiveness and student progress, that local school leaders should have more say in how teachers are evaluated, and that leaders should be better trained in how to help teachers improve.
BESE Report January 2015
BESE defers expensive teacher retirement study
In a rare move, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education overruled a recommendation by one of its own committees to fund an expensive study of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana’s Unfunded Accrued Liability.
BESE report December 2014
BESE officers re-elected, new exec chosen
At its December meeting, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education selected Shan Davis as the new executive director. Davis, who has worked for the Department of Education for the past five years, replaces Heather Cope, who left to work in the Camden, New Jersey public school system.
The board voted to retain its current set of officers: President Chas Roemer, Vice President James Garvey and Secretary Holly Boffy.
Majority of LEAs failing instructional requirement are charters
BESE Report October 2014
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.
BESE Report – August 2014
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.
BESE Report June 2014
Student privacy protection will cost $1 million
BESE plans to spend about $1 million to implement a law aimed at protecting the personal information of Louisiana school students.
Your LFT Connection
A message from LFT President Steve Monaghan
Dear Colleague,
As the legislature returns to Baton Rouge for the 2014 regular session, let’s assess where we’ve been, where we are, and where we should be going.
BESE Report - January, 2014
No mandatory salaries in the new MFP
This week the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved an MFP Task Force report that recommends a 2.75 percent increase in the $3.5 billion formula, but does not specify that half of the increase should go to teacher salaries.
BESE Report - December 2013
Reacting to an avalanche of complaints from the LFT, parents, school boards and others, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to stagger the implementation of Common Core standards, which will now not go into full effect until the 2025 school year. Previously, Common Core was slated to be fully operational by 2016.